Sweet Chemistry

by September Roberts

  James shrugged and looked away. “Well, yeah.”

  She burst out laughing. “Meg always jokes that we would be perfect for each other, if only I had the right equipment.” She gestured to her pants and then covered her mouth and continued to giggle. “I guess that’s why he’s settled on Mark, because he can’t have me.” Her laughter stopped as soon as it had started. “Is that why you were so mad?”

  “When was I mad?” James shrugged. Maybe she wouldn’t remember.

  Kate lifted a finger for each point she made. “Addiction, lab, and study group.” She frowned. “That’s what you meant when you said, ‘you’re one to talk.’ You thought I was with him, didn’t you? You thought I cheated on Tim that night with you.”

  “Yes.” His stomach sank. Why did she have to ask all the wrong questions?

  Her jaw clenched and she snatched the towel to dry her hands off before she started packing her things. “You thought I would do that?” She stopped and looked at him. “All this time, that’s what you’ve been thinking about me?”

  James wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. He’d spent the last seven weeks wallowing in a self-inflicted pool of pity and depression over a misunderstanding, and now it was going to ruin a perfectly good moment.

  “I shouldn’t be here.” She grabbed her bag and rushed to the door. He listened through the open door as her feet slapped against the stairs.

  James closed the door and let the door support his body. “Fuck!”

  When he realized she left her hoodie, he thought about calling her to let her know before she got too far. And then he buried his face in the material for the second time that night. An image of her wiggling out of it popped into his head. When she pulled it off, her tank top inched up, exposing her lean stomach. He had hoped things would go better, and now the only physical connection he had to her was a fleecy piece of clothing, and he wasn’t ready to let it go.

  He sat on the edge of his made bed and let out a bitter laugh. When he cleaned his apartment before she got there, he made his bed with some deluded fantasy about the two of them. In his fantasy, he convinced her she should be with him, not Tim. In reality, he admitted he thought she was a cheater and offended her. Things had not gone as planned.

  * * * *

  “You made these?” Jeff mumbled with a mouth full of lemon bars. “You? My kitchen-phobic brother?”

  “I’m not afraid of the kitchen. I wasn’t interested.” James looked away. “I may have forgotten to mention Kate came over and helped me.”

  “Oh, the truth comes out.” Jeff laughed and stuffed another one in his mouth.

  “They’re really good. Thanks for bringing them to dinner.” Heather smiled at him. “Was it a date?”

  James shook his head. “I wish. She’s all business around me.”

  “Wait, wait, wait. I thought she was with what’s-his-name. Your other student.”

  “I see what you’re doing, Jeff. I haven’t forgotten she’s my student, and I was wrong about Tim. Tim’s gay.”

  Heather nodded her head. “So, you finally asked her?”

  “No, he texted her while we were baking, and blew her off to be with his boyfriend. I feel like such an ass.” James let his head fall on the table.

  “You are an ass. A repugnant one.” Jeff laughed as he quoted James from several weeks ago.

  “Thanks a lot.”

  “Well? What happened?” Jeff asked.

  “She figured out I thought she had cheated on Tim with me. She was so mad, and then she left.” His words echoed off the table, sounding just as hollow as he was.

  Heather patted his shoulder and clicked her tongue. “Oh James.”

  Jeff nudged his shoulder. “Hey, what are you doing for Halloween? A buddy of mine is throwing a party next weekend. You make a great pirate.”

  James shrugged and gave his brother a weak smile. “I’ll probably be grading.”

  “You should go out. Staying in that lonely apartment isn’t good for you.”

  * * * *

  There were lots of things that weren’t good for James, and thinking about Kate on Monday was one of them. He had her hoodie folded on the edge of his desk and it pained him to give it back.

  He paced his office for five minutes after class before there was a knock on his door.

  “Can I have my hoodie back?” Her jaw was tight.

  “Come in.” James didn’t know what he was going to say, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving.

  When the door closed, she said, “This whole time? You thought I was a cheating slut this whole time?” Her face was pinched. “Who does that?”

  “My ex-fiancée,” he whispered. The old wound bled a little as he admitted the truth about his past.

  Kate froze. “Oh.”

  “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything, okay? I shouldn’t have been such a dick that first day after class, and I shouldn’t have assumed the worst about you.”

  She took a deep breath. “What about Angelica?”

  “What about her?” James remembered their argument at the first study group. “What? Me and her?”

  Kate nodded.

  “No. As in never going to happen. Ever.”

  Her forehead smoothed and her shoulders relaxed.

  “Thank you for showing me how to make lemon bars. My brother and his wife really enjoyed them.” He nodded to the picture on his shelf.

  Kate’s gaze followed his and she smiled. “I’m surprised you had any left to share.”

  “Well, I did eat the other half. If you keep teaching me how to cook I’m going to get fat.” He chuckled. “Maybe next time we should make something that doesn’t have a half pound of butter in it.”

  She blinked. “Next time?”

  “If you’re willing.” He had never wanted anything so much in his life. “If you’re free next weekend that would work for me.”

  “I, um, have plans.”

  “Right. Halloween parties and stuff.”

  “Yeah. I promised Meg.”

  His shoulders fell. “Maybe some other time.”

  She put her hand on the doorknob.

  “Don’t forget your hoodie.”

  “Right.” She tucked it inside her backpack, and then her footsteps echoed down the hall.

  James stared at the empty spot in the doorway where she had just been standing.

  * * * *

  The next time James went to the research lab, he noticed Sam’s bench was decked out with Halloween-themed art projects.

  “You should see my office. It looks like a Halloween explosion. My kids keep giving me stuff. How many jack-o-lanterns do kids make in school these days?”

  James laughed. “I like the fangs on that one.”

  “My eight-year-old is going as a vampire this year, so it’s fitting. I love how warm it is here during Halloween. In the Bronx, where I grew up, it wasn’t unusual for us to have to tromp through snow to trick-or-treat. Nothing ruins a costume faster than having to cover it up with a coat and moon boots. My kids don’t understand what it was like.” He shook his head. “What do kid-free adults do with themselves on Halloween? It’s been too long for me to remember.”

  “I’ll probably go to a bar.” Even though he had an invitation to Jeff’s friend’s party, James would stay in town, just in case. When Kate mentioned her promise to go out with Meg, he hoped they would be going to the costume party at Addiction Saturday night.

  “Maybe you’ll meet someone.” Sam’s eyebrows jumped up and down.

  “Maybe…” James wasn’t interested in meeting someone. He was interested in making things right with Kate.

  “Hey Dr. Baker, sorry I’m late!” Michael called out as he wound his way through the lab. “Hi Dr. Bellevue.”

  Sam pulled out his lab notebook. “Let me know how it goes.” He winked at James.

  James laughed. “Sure thing.” He turned to Michael. “Are you ready to run your gels today?”

  Michael nodded. “Let me ge
t the microfuge tube out of the freezer.”

  With Halloween still fresh in his mind, James asked, “Hey, do professors dress up here for Halloween?”

  Michael shook his head and Sam piped up, “The only faculty I’ve ever seen in costume are the ones from the theater department. But that’s not exclusive to Halloween.”

  “Sometimes students dress up,” Michael added.

  If Kate came to class in costume, he might not be able to resist her. He swallowed hard.

  Chapter 9

  Graduation was seven weeks away, and Kate’s plan for the future was starting to form. Lab work was fine, but there was something far more rewarding: cooking. Her love of chemistry was deeply rooted in the kitchen. Maybe she should open a bakery. No matter how many compliments she got, one stood out above the rest. The one from James.

  Spurred on by her obsession with the idea, she spent several hours researching supplies she would need and what she would need to get a small business loan. It was crazy, and it made absolutely no sense to mention it to anyone, so she didn’t. She didn’t get much sleep until she wrote everything down in a notebook. On paper, she kept her thoughts organized and safely out of her head, where they had been collecting and repeating on a constant loop.

  On Thursday, Carrie didn’t need her for long, so Kate ventured down campus and visited the College of Business. The dean’s secretary referred her to a professor who would be able to answer her questions about small businesses.

  Kate knocked on the door. “Dr. Pullman?”

  A gray head turned up from his desk. “Yes?”

  “My name is Kate Rhodes. I have questions about starting a business and I hoped you might be able to help me.”

  He smiled at her. “Well, Kate, you’ve come to the right place.”

  She pushed her notebook across his desk and held her breath. Her fingernail pushed against a spot on her thumb, rubbing it raw. The most terrifying moment of sharing a secret dream is waiting for someone to laugh. That moment never came.

  “Of course, I would suggest you complete an MBA from this fine college, but seeing as how you’re about to graduate, I’m going to assume you don’t intend to spend another two years here.”

  Kate grimaced. “Um, yeah. I’m ready to be done with school.”

  Dr. Pullman chuckled. “I remember that feeling. So, here’s what you should do.” He grabbed a pen and paper and started scribbling, and then handed the paper to her. “Read these books. They’ll give you an idea about where to go next. You’re well on your way.” He pointed to her open notebook on the desk between them. “I’ve never seen such detail in a business plan before.”

  “Well, I’ve had a few days to think about things, and I based the measurements on the kitchen in my dorm.” Her focus on this new project had consumed every waking moment. It was going to be perfect.

  “Like I said, it’s incredibly detailed. After you read those books, you should start pricing equipment. You’d be surprised how expensive everything is. Although sometimes, if you find a building that already has all the appliances, you don’t even need to worry about it. You also might want to tour a few kitchens, talk to the chefs and get their feedback. I actually know the head chef for the kitchen here, on campus. I could call him and ask if you could meet with him if you’d like.”

  Kate smiled and nodded.

  “I can also recommend a bank that might give you a loan.”

  “Actually, I’m going to try my credit union first. I’ve got two accounts with them.”

  He stood and offered his hand. “It sounds like you’re on your way.”

  She had definitely gone to the right place. When she left Dr. Pullman’s office, she had an appointment to tour the campus kitchens on Monday afternoon, right after biochemistry, a list of books to read, and confidence in her plan.

  Slowly but surely, James shifted out of her focus, replaced by her passion to make her business plan a reality. It was certainly a healthier choice and involved absolutely no crying.

  * * * *

  “What would I do without you?” Kate was holding a Cleopatra dress against her body. It was white, low-cut, and trimmed with gold.

  “You wouldn’t be a very good Cleopatra, that’s for damn sure.” Meg chuckled. “You’re going to look great in it. Oh, and don’t forget the headband and the arm cuffs.”

  Kate put them on and smiled at her reflection. “What time are we leaving?”

  “I think the party starts at nine, so how does ten sound?”

  “Sounds like I have enough time to get my makeup done.”

  As Kate turned to leave Meg’s room, Meg touched her shoulder. “It’s good to see you smile.”

  Her secret plan was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her. “I’ve found a new focus.”

  “Good. See you in a couple of hours?”

  Kate nodded and slung the white dress over her shoulder. When she got back to her room, she put on a pair of sandals that would be perfect with the costume, but when she tried the dress on, she didn’t like the visible panty line. She slipped her panties off and was much happier with how it looked. The thick golden belt hung straight between her legs, covering the shadowy patch of tight curls.

  The front of the dress had two slits, one up each leg, stopping mid-thigh, which would give her plenty of mobility. When she and Meg discussed costumes, they both agreed their costumes would have to be suitable for the dance floor since that was where they were headed. Kate used a picture from the Internet as a guide for her makeup and then clamped the gold arm cuffs in place. As she walked to Meg’s room, she enjoyed the way the material swished against her naked body.

  “Holy shit, how did you get your hair to do that?” Kate gaped at her friend who had a perfect beehive hairdo, held in place with a white headband, which matched her knee-high white boots and her thick white vinyl belt. The dress she was wearing was covered with huge, brightly colored flowers, and barely concealed her ass.

  “Hairspray and about a hundred bobby-pins.” Meg grinned. “You like it?”

  “Love it. You’re the best go-go dancer I’ve seen.”

  Meg patted her fluffed hair. “Your makeup is perfect.”

  “Thanks. Shall we?” Kate held her arm out to Meg, and when they got to the parking lot, she pulled her keys out of her purse. “I’ll drive tonight.”

  The Halloween party at Addiction was in full swing when they got there. They checked their purses at the coat check and Meg slipped the ticket in her bra, claiming it was the safest place. The bar was decorated with splatters of blood, and the bartender, who was dressed as a zombie, stared at their cleavage. “Where’s your boyfriend, or did you wear him out?”

  “With his boyfriend.” Kate pulled Meg away from him before he could say anything else.

  The dance floor was more crowded and the music was louder than normal. Most of the women in the club were dressed like Meg, in sexy short costumes, which made Kate stick out like a sore thumb. As she scanned the room, her eyes fell on a gorgeous pirate, and when their eyes met, she sighed. It was James. Even in costume, she was attracted to him.

  “He’s here,” Kate shouted.

  Meg’s gaze followed hers and she frowned. “Don’t talk to him. He thought you were a slut who was dating Tim while you had sex with him. Have you forgotten all the crying? I haven’t. He’s a dick, and you can’t let him make you feel bad anymore.”

  Meg didn’t know the whole truth. She didn’t know about James’ ex-fiancée, and she certainly didn’t know about their most recent conversation. James wasn’t a dick. He had been hurt.

  He was also her professor for seven more weeks.

  After an hour of observation, Kate realized James had come alone. Talking required more confidence than she possessed, so Kate clung to Meg, but eventually, thirst overcame anxiety.

  “I need water.” Kate shouted to Meg and then moved through the crowd. As she stepped off the dance floor, she tripped and landed in strong arms. War
m hands rolled her body, cradling her waist and the back of her neck, until she was face to face with a devastatingly handsome pirate. “Hi.”

  “Ahoy.” James smiled at her, making his eye patch lift off his cheek a little.

  “Thanks for catching me. I don’t know what I tripped on.” Kate pulled out of his grasp and straightened her dress as she looked around for the tripping hazard. Her heart was pounding. Falling off the stage and into his arms wasn’t exactly the reconnection she was hoping for.

  “T’was the alligator’s tail.” James pointed to a floppy foam tail thrashing around near the edge of the dance floor.

  “Oh.” Kate nodded. “I’m going to get a drink.”

  “Me’s be goin’ ta get more grog too.”

  She led the way to the bar, looking carefully at the ground for more costume accessories. James was a step behind her the whole way. It was comforting to have him so close.

  The bartender grinned and licked his lips as he made his way to where Kate was standing. “What can I get you?”

  “Two waters, please.”

  The bartender filled up two cups and put them down in front of her. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else? I know I’m hungry, and I’d like to eat more than your brains.” The bartender reached across the bar and gripped the band around Kate’s arm.

  “Belay that talk and git yer hooks off, ye scurvy bilge rat.” James darted to the side and shoved the bartender’s hand off her.

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Yeah, what he said.” She motioned to James, who was still scowling at the bartender.

  “Hey, I was just playing around.” The bartender skulked a few feet away.

  Kate turned toward James, brushing her arm against his chest. The heat from his skin warmed her. “Thank you for sticking up for me. That guy’s a creep.”

  “He needs a proper flogging.” The muscles in James’ jaw tightened as he stared at the bar behind her.

  She sighed. It was time to be confident and in control. “Look, this is ridiculous. We’re both adults, we should act like adults. I can control myself, and you can control yourself. Right?”