Free The Oracle Code by Charles Brokaw Page B

the Silk Road.” Lourds’s time out in Afghanistan with Boris had inspired the book, and Lourds had presented it to a publisher, promising a lot of anecdotal stories that would give the reader a flavor of what it was like on the trade caravans.
    “Tina is impressive,” Dean Wither said grudgingly.
    “Of course she is. And she’s more than qualified to work with the classes I currently have. She welcomes this opportunity. And, frankly, the money. She’s trying to make a living wage, you know. Working for me will keep her from serving at the diner where she also works. We can’t have a potential adjunct coming in smelling like burgers and French fries every day.”
    Wither sighed. “Why do you need this time?”
    Lourds reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it to show the sparkling diamond ring nestled inside. “Because I’m going to ask Layla Teneen to marry me.”
    For a moment, Wither was speechless. “Oh. My. God.”
    ***
     
    The Dingo Diner
    Massachusetts Avenue
    Cambridge, Massachusetts
    United States of America
    Lourds strode into the diner and looked for Tina Metcalf, spotting her easily in the sparse afternoon crowd. He waved, she waved, and he sat in a booth against one of the long walls.
    The diner was small, with booths all down one wall and the opposing wall outfitted with booths halfway down, then stools in front of the counter and grill area.
    Lourds dropped his hat on the table and slid his backpack over. He took out his Kindle and opened the e-book he was currently reading. Despite his love of thriller literature, he was having a hard time staying focused on the storyline.
    “So? How’d it go? Do I get to sub for you?” Tina stood beside the table and smiled at him. In her late twenties, she was gorgeous, a petite brunette with an upturned nose and smattering of freckles. She was lean and athletic, and her jeans hugged rounded hips. The T-shirt advertised the diner. She had her hair pulled back and gazed at him through her glasses.
    “Yes, as a matter of fact, you do.”
    “Cool.” Tina’s grin widened. “In fact, thank god. If I had to keep schlepping burgers back and forth to tables much longer, I was gonna scream.”
    “Well, we can’t have that.”
    “I miss being your GA, prof.”
    “I miss having you there. You were the finest GA I’ve ever had.”
    “That’s what you put on all my rec letters. I thought you were just being nice.”
    “No.” Lourds held up a hand. “Nothing but the truth. Otherwise, I would have never asked you to do that book with me.”
    Tina’s grin grew. “Did I tell you I was totally psyched about that?”
    “I believe you did mention it.” Lourds couldn’t help being happy for her. He’d spent three years with her as a doctoral student, and he’d watched her grow in so many ways. She had truly come into her own. He took pride in her. “It’s going to be a lot of work.”
    “You should try schlepping burgers.” Tina sat across from Lourds. She held her forefinger and thumb a fraction of an inch apart. “I’m going to take a little break.” She sighed. “This is killing my ankles. And I will love being back in front of a class.”
    “You’re a natural. You’ll do splendidly.”
    “I saw you pop into my class last Tuesday.”
    “Really? I thought I was being covert.”
    “Kind of hard to miss the hat.” Tina picked up the hat brim and let it flop back down onto the table.
    Lourds grinned ruefully. “I suppose it is.”
    “Checking me out?”
    “Not your ability. You’re an excellent teacher. But I didn’t want to push you under with the increased workload and cause you to sink before you’d truly gotten started.”
    “Not me. I’m unsinkable.”
    “That’s what I gathered.”
    “So tell me...”
    “What?”
    “Why are you going to Afghanistan?”
    Lourds hesitated. After enduring Dean Wither’s reaction, he didn’t know what to expect. “Do you remember me mentioning Professor Layla