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cheek and neck had something to do with it? She could see people being assholes about it, and growing up looking different was never easy. But his eyes… There was one candid snapshot in his public profile pictures she’d stared at for a while. His dark hair was messy, a little long, and someone had captured him leaning forward, his chin tipped up. His eyes were light blue or green, it was hard to tell, but they stared into her soul—and the little half smile had done her in.
    “Earth to Tamara?”
    “Sorry—was thinking.”
    “About Stephen?” Rashae drew his name out into a teasing taunt.
    “Yes.”
    “Okay, seriously, what gives? Why are you so scared to meet him? Besides the fact that you’ve been lying to him?”
    “Because…what if he’s just like everyone else? What if he can’t handle my life? And…I’ve got baggage. And…he’s smart, Rashae. Like, scary, brilliant smart. What would a guy like that want with someone like me?”
    “You are a total smart-guy slut, and I say that with complete love.”
    “I am, but I think he’s too smart for me.” Tamara leaned back. She liked geeks. Guys who could talk about quantum physics, biology and now, robotics, were the top of her list when it came to turning her on.
    “Too smart? Are you for real?”
    “Yes.”
    “You should go look at your fancy degree for a minute and remember you’re not just a hot body. I love you, but you’re being stupid to the point that I kind of want to throw something sharp and pointy at you. If this guy likes you, he’ll deal with the crazy circus that is your life. End of story. The rest does not matter. If it doesn’t, he’s not worth your time. Figure it out. I need to use both hands and my mouth now.”
    “Sounds dirty.”
    “Bye.”
    “Thank you, Rashae.”
    “Any time.”
    Tamara chuckled and let the call end.
    She had to set things straight. If not for herself, then for Piper.
    But what would Stephen say once she turned out not to be a blonde beauty and was instead a fraud? What if he’d always wanted her to be Piper? And what if her baggage really did matter?
    She was a terrible person.
    Tamara started the car and hit the road. There was plenty of time to think, to mull it over. If she couldn’t bring herself to type the truth, then maybe she needed to pull the plug and give Stephen what he wanted and what Piper deserved. A face to face.
     
    Stephen peered at the drone’s inner workings, paying special attention to the new connections. The alternate power supply assignment was proving to be more challenging than he’d hoped, and this crop of students was more competitive than their predecessors.
    “See here?” He waved the student closer. This semester, each student worked on a single drone for the class assignments. The poor things were already showing the wear and tear.
    “Yeah? What about it?”
    “Check your pos and neg.” Stephen carefully handed the drone back to the student. Between the flipped wires and the student trying to use…hydro power…he didn’t have much hope for the longevity of that drone’s life.
    He’d been especially cruel and hadn’t mentioned there were back-ups. Students were already sweating over how they were going to make their drones last the semester. It was completely evil, but he also hadn’t yet pointed out that, though he’d said they’d do their class work on one drone, he’d never said the drone had to last until Christmas. He was enjoying the lengthy discussions on repair and maintenance. Several students were already making improvements to preserve their drones, which were very important upgrades, considering how durable drones needed to be these days.
    The lab double doors opened. Silently. Just as he’d designed them to be. A young woman he didn’t immediately recognize as one of his stepped in and hovered at the red line. Stephen took note only that she was there, in the designated area where onlookers were allowed to be, before turning his