Hidden in the Wall. Valerie Hansen

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СКАЧАТЬ she goes back to school and gets her teaching credentials.”

      “Trevor is? Why?” Cassie asked.

      “Because Alicia’s husband left her high and dry four years ago when her boys were just babies.”

      “And you’re only hiring Trevor for Alicia’s sake? Is that what you’re trying to make us believe?”

      “It’s true!”

      Both Kate and Cassie chuckled softly.

      Thinking of Trevor raised fresh goose bumps on Steff’s arms. Admittedly, there was something about that man that set her on edge. Though she had done her best to deny it, there had always been a kind of peculiar mutual fascination between them.

      Beginning to smile at the ridiculousness of her thoughts, Steff rejected them outright. She was a mature woman of thirty-two, not a naive girl. If Trevor Whittaker thought he could still rattle her these days, he’d better think again.

      “Uh-oh,” Cassie drawled. “Speaking of good-looking men.”

      Steff’s head snapped around. Her eyes widened. Alicia had apparently chosen her big brother as her escort because she and Trevor were coming through the double doors together. His dark hair was slicked back, yet still retained its wavy charm, and the tuxedo he was wearing set off his broad shoulders in a way Steff couldn’t help but admire. The man was more than impressive-looking tonight. He was breathtaking.

      Smiling broadly, she greeted Alicia as she surreptitiously eyed the one man who could make her knees weak with a mere glance. Thankfully, she’d always been able to mask her feelings and appear unaffected by him, and tonight was no exception.

      She kissed Alicia lightly on the cheek, then smiled at Trevor. “Welcome to our reunion. I imagine you know most of the people here.” She gestured toward her nearby friends. “Remember Cassie and Kate?”

      “Of course. Good evening, ladies.” Trevor’s attention returned to Steff. “And good evening to you, Ms. Kessler.”

      His unusually formal demeanor caught her off guard so she reverted to well-practiced dialogue. “Please, go on in and make yourselves at home. There’s lemonade and a buffet of delicious appetizers. We’ll be serving our main course later.”

      As Trevor took his sister’s elbow and escorted her into the ballroom, Steff eyed him appreciatively, until her gaze drifted to his shoes. There was a smudge of mud on one of the heels. Georgia clay and loam. Just like the dirt in the flower beds next to the library.

      Stunned, Steff felt her balance waver for a split second. Her friends immediately crowded closer.

      “What’s wrong?” Cassie asked. “You look pale.”

      “Trevor’s shoes,” Steff said in a stage whisper. “Look. There’s mud on them.”

      “I’m not a bit surprised,” her friend answered. “After the storms we had the last few days the whole campus is pretty soggy.” She pointed. “See? Half the men in the room have traces of mud on their shoes, even some of our illustrious professors.”

      Although Cassie’s assessment was clearly correct, it did nothing to calm Steff’s jangled nerves. Surely, Trevor wouldn’t have run from her, she reasoned, yet if it wasn’t him messing around by the library, then who was it? And why had the shadowy figure frightened her so?

      She huffed in self-disgust. From the looks of it, the nameless trespasser could be almost any man in the room.

      That realization brought another shiver and a feeling of unidentifiable dread she couldn’t seem to dispel. An evening that should have been filled with joy and celebration was turning out to be a lot more disconcerting than she’d imagined.

      Shivering, Steff wrapped her arms around herself. The most sensible thing to do would be to simply ask Trevor how he’d gotten his shoes dirty.

      Yes, she countered, but what if it was him by the library? What then? Would I have to ask him what he was up to? Suppose I didn’t like his answer?

      Entertaining the mere notion that Trevor had been skulking around campus was unacceptable. Not knowing, one way or the other, seemed infinitely better than having to face the unpleasant possibility that he might have been the one who had frightened her out of her wits.

      TWO

      Trevor arrived on campus the following Monday, as planned. He was far from overjoyed, however, at the prospect of having to return to Magnolia College for even a short period of time.

      He certainly didn’t have many pleasant memories of his younger days here, nor did he view the place with the affection and reverence Steff always had. The university had her family’s influence stamped all over it. Some of the massive live oaks even bore plaques giving credit for their planting to a long-dead Kessler.

      He muttered under his breath as he parked and climbed out of his truck, then was immediately penitent. “Sorry, Father,” he prayed quietly as he walked toward the offices. “I know I should be thankful for every job You give me and I did ask for more work, it’s just that I hadn’t counted on having it be here.”

      The one aspect of Magnolia College that he did miss was the Campus Christian Fellowship. Some of the friends he had made while attending those CCF meetings were still close and many had gone on to join the nearby Magnolia Christian Church where he also worshipped.

      Finding faith on the road to maturity had given Trevor a purpose and had helped straighten him out. How anybody managed to cope day-to-day, let alone face trauma, without an abiding belief in God amazed him. Personally, he didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have his strong beliefs to fall back on when the going got tough.

      And speaking of tough going, he mused, it was time to enter the lion’s den. Squaring his shoulders, he pushed open the main door to the Administration building, strode in and proceeded directly to Alumni Relations.

      Stephanie was seated behind a desk piled high with stacks of paper and files when he knocked and entered.

      She stood and extended her hand in greeting. “You’re prompt. I like that.”

      Trevor considered making a wisecrack, then stifled the urge. This was business, not playtime in the quad. “I take my work seriously.”

      He shook her hand as briefly as he dared. He didn’t want to offend her, but he also didn’t want to be tempted to stand here holding her hand and gazing into her beautiful, violet-blue eyes like a lovesick teenager. It was bad enough that she was wearing a pale silk blouse that enhanced those eyes and tailored slacks that looked as if they’d been made just for her—which they probably had, he added, disgusted with himself for noticing.

      “So, show me the wall you want remodeled,” he said, taking a pencil and pad from his shirt pocket and unclipping a tape measure from the waist of his jeans.

      “Sure. Over here.” Steff pointed. “See all the wasted space? I thought, if there was a bookcase recessed into the wall behind the door, I could take advantage of every inch of this cramped little office.”

      “You probably grew up with clothes closets that were bigger,” he said wryly.

      “As СКАЧАТЬ