Break Your Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

My address is on the syllabus.”
    I left and headed to a student lounge area in the corner of the building. Flipped through each page and read his margin notes. His feedback was in the form of probing questions, challenges to push me harder. He offered thoughts on stuff I hadn’t considered, stuff Dr. Reynaldo hadn’t brought up either.
    I stared blankly at the paper as my mind wandered to thinking about Dr. Muramoto. He was a smart, savvy man. Who was he outside of school? Was he married? I hadn’t seen a ring on his finger, but that wasn’t always an indicator of solo status. Besides, he could have a girlfriend or fiancée. What kinds of things did he do in his spare time? And how did he get to this level of professorhood at such a young age?
    Something about him intrigued me, against my better judgment. Something in me wanted to know more. And in that moment, I had a sudden, real discomfort that distracting myself with other guys wouldn’t satisfy that itch right below my skin. The itch to understand who my professor was and what made him tick.

Chapter 4
    T he waves of Lake Erie slapped the shores of our beach as I stared at the waterfront from my parents’ patio. There was nothing quite like seeing a sunset on the water, even in the wintertime. The sky, which had cleared up this afternoon, was awash in brilliant ribbons of pinks and purples. To my right, the sun dipped in the western horizon. To my left, darkness edged in with a blanket of star-pierced navy blue.
    I sat in silence, sipping a glass of my mom’s favorite white wine and relaxing. No matter how stressed I’d gotten as a kid, my refuge had been the water. I kinda missed being so close to it, having it right there whenever I needed it. I missed falling asleep with my window open, listening to the waves lap at the sand.
    Mom and Dad were inside, making dinner. I’d asked if I could help, but they’d shooed me away, telling me to relax. So I’d wrapped up in a thick blanket—the way I had countless times growing up—and perched on a patio chair.
    My cheeks were cold, but it was well worth the sight.
    After a few more minutes, I heard my mom’s call for dinner. I came inside and helped set plates. She’d made chicken with asparagus, mashed potatoes and parsnips. My mouth was already watering—I missed home-cooked food.
    “Casey and I don’t eat like this,” I said with a mournful sigh as I settled into my seat.
    Dad laughed. “Guess you guys should come over more often,” he teased.
    “I would if I weren’t so busy acing my classes,” I lobbed back with a wink. My parents knew my schedule was crazy, but I also knew that they missed me. We got together when we could.
    Mom moved toward the dining room table, then paused, turned around and left the room. A moment later, she returned with a smile. As she settled into her chair, she said, “Okay, the big news.” She reached over and squeezed Dad’s hand. “Your father and I got a lucrative contract to renovate the dorms on your campus.”
    I blinked, my jaw dropping open. “Seriously? That’s awesome. Congrats to you guys! When did all of this go down? How did it happen?”
    “I have a contact at Smythe-Davis in the maintenance department. When the bid opened up due to some immediate issues that happened in one of the dorms, he told me about it. The project manager chose our company to handle the restoration.” He glanced at Mom and smiled. “This is going to be a big opportunity for us. We’ve never had a project of this size and scope before. It will push us into the big leagues.”
    I speared a stalk of asparagus and chewed. I was glad for my parents, but I had to admit it’d be a little strange having them on campus. The independence I’d experienced the last three and a half years was probably going to be impacted by this. I shoved that uncomfortable thought aside. “Is business okay otherwise?”
    Mom’s smile stiffened just a fraction of a second before she said, “It’s