Free Professor Cline: Redeemed (Professor #2) by J. M. La Rocca Page A

here to get more of my clothes.”
    “Oh, wow. I didn’t realize you guys were that serious.”
    From what I’d heard, they’d only been dating for three months.
    Quinn blushed, something I hadn’t seen her do before. “Well actually, we’ve been talking about moving in together, but I’m not sure if I want to make that move or not. So, we’ll see.” She shrugged as she reached her room and walked inside.
    If Quinn did end up moving in with Dan, maybe I could just take over her room and help Mel with the bills. That would help me out so much. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Mel and I never talked finances, and I had no idea how much she made or if she could afford to live on her own.
    After my shower, I headed into Mel’s room to get dressed. The place was quiet, so I knew everyone had left for the day. I took a few minutes to enjoy it by lying back on Mel’s bed. My days of relaxing were few and far between.
    Years ago, I would imagine what my life would be like five years from that day. Would I be a successful lawyer? Would I be married? Would I have kids?
    Nothing ever turned out how I pictured it, but I was okay with that, until recently.
    I’d made so many plans with Tim. We had our five-year plan—or rather, I had our five-year plan. It’s never easy to go through heartbreak, but I was learning not to make plans anymore. I needed to live day-by-day and not put ideas in my head. No more plans. I’d keep my goals because those were important, but I couldn’t keep making plans for myself. I’d only end up feeling like a failure.
    Looking over at the clock, my eyes widened at the time. I needed to get my butt into gear so I could go meet Victoria.
     
    ~*~
     
    I walked into The Brew and sighed in contentment as the smell of fresh-brewed coffee assaulted my senses. I wasn’t able to have a cup before I left the house, so this was a much-needed necessity.
    Looking to the right, I scoped out the tables filling with people and smiled as I caught sight of Victoria waving me over.
    “Hey.” She smiled up at me as I made it over to the table. “Long time no see,” she stated as she pushed a cup toward me. “I got you the usual.”
    “Ah, thank you. I need my fuel for the day.” I picked up the cup and took a sip. It never failed; The Brew was still the best place to get coffee. I didn’t care how many people told me Starbucks was the only place they’d ever go. They could have their overpriced coffee.
    “So, what’s been going on with you? How’s school going?”
    I took another sip and looked over Victoria. She was dressed in one of her many sexy business suits, her blonde hair pulled back in a small ponytail.
    “Wait,” I stopped her as I put my coffee down. “Why are you not at work? It’s past eight.”
    She smiled. “I’m out running errands for the boss man. Plus, he wanted me to stop and get him some real coffee since his new secretary didn’t know how to make a decent pot.”
    I laughed. “How’s all that going?” I asked, twirling my finger around while pointing it at her.
    The last time I talked to her, she had told me about a crush she was starting to get on her new boss. I’d swear we were a cliché pair.
    “That,” she exclaimed, “isn’t going anywhere. I think he has a girlfriend, anyway. It’s just a crush. I mean, he’s hot as hell, but I could never let it get further than that. I could lose my job.”
    She took a sip of her coffee then glanced back up to meet my gaze.
    “Well? What about you? Stop stalling.”
    I shrugged. “There’s not much going on with me. School is school. It’s all I’ve been focusing on lately.”
    “And Mason?”
    I frowned. “What about him?”
    “Come on, Em. I saw the look in your eyes when you talked about him. How are you holding up? I know I’m a pest, but I just want to make sure my girl is okay. After everything with Tim—”
    “Oh,” I said, cutting her off. “You will not believe what happened.”
    “What?” she