Page 150 of Forever Defiant
“We’re friends of Dustin’s.”
Of course they were.
“Okay.” I started to walk away.
“Tell us how you did it?”
I turned back. “Did what?”
“Get him to date you?” the slightly taller one asked. “He never dated either of us.”
Yikes, this was awkward. “I don’t know,” I said with a polite smile. “Maybe ask him?” They looked like they had more questions, and I needed a reason to leave and could think of nothing that wasn’t downright rude. I turned to the admin building and back at them. “I need to go, see you around.”
I really hoped I didn’t see them around. Was this going to be my day? Dustin’s exes asking me how I ended up dating him when they’d tried and failed before? Because that was just icky. Also, the guy had a big dick and a big ego, but he wasn’t the best man to ever walk the earth. He was a guy who slept around and obviously didn’t treat women very well.
I sniffed. That was harsh. He did treat women well; that’s probably why they pined after him. He told them what he wanted; they were grown-ups. If they wanted more than a one-night stand, then they needed to tell him that before they let him into their beds.
How did I ‘snag’ Dustin Slater? I got caught acting like a total ho in the street with him, and now I was saving both of our reputations by kissing him in public whenever I got the chance.
With a shake of my head at how topsy-turvy my life was, I headed into the admin building. It was quiet, and a lot of it was in darkness, because it was Saturday. I kept going.
The dean’s office door was open, and Dean Cole was, as I hoped, behind his desk, behind a large stack of folders, wearing a shirt, open at the neck, and a V-neck sleeveless sweater. It was the most casual I’d ever seen him. If he were wearing jeans, I’d faint.
He looked up as I loitered in his doorway.
He sighed.
Not a good start.
“It’s my day off, Hadley.”
“But you’re working,” I told him, walking into his office and sitting across from him.
He sat back in his chair and took off his glasses. “If I ask nicely, will you leave?”
“Can I ask questions first?” I fought a smile.
His look became calculating. “Why does my daughter have two black eyes?” He leaned forward. “Answer that honestly, and I’ll answer your questions.”
“How would I know?” I bluffed.
There was that look that both he and Savannah had mastered flawlessly. “Because you are ‘dating’ Slater, she is dating Spence, and...” He gave a smug smile. “I just know you know.”
“Why do I get air quotes for dating Slater, and Savvy doesn’t?”
His expression said, ‘Are you seriously asking me that?’ I gave up.
“She screamed in Noah’s ear when he was sleeping because she thought it was funny, he woke up startled, and swung first before common sense kicked in.”
Dean Cole winced. “Ouch.” He let out a sigh. “Well, at least he pulled the punch when he realized it was Savannah.”
I hadn’t thought of that. Her noseshouldbe broken. I don’t think anyone had realized that except maybe Noah. I felt bad for him.
“My turn?” I asked eagerly, taking out my notepad and pen.
“I am not going on record with anything, Hadley. You can put that away.” He got up and crossed his office to close the door. I saw, with disappointment, that he was wearing stone-colored chinos. He returned to his desk. “What do you want to know?”
“When you took my blog down, Coach Sutherland asked for my laptop, and you said no. Is it usual practice for laptops to be handed over?”
