Tina slows, glaring at it. She then mutters under her breath. “Damn it….”

Her mind immediately conjures the image that has been occupying far too much of her brain over the past few days. The tall, gorgeous woman with long curls, sunglasses, and that damn smirk Tina has seen every night as she closed her eyes.

Tina shakes her head. “Nope.” She keeps walking and climbs into her compact electric car….

***

Bette sits on the front porch of her university-owned home, one leg crossed over the other, a steaming mug of coffee cradled between both hands. The morning sun climbs over the hills, casting a warm golden glow across the neighborhood.

She takes a slow sip and looks out across the street. When Phyllis first mentioned faculty housing during the recruitment process, Bette had imagined a modest townhouse or perhaps a dated apartment tucked away on campus. Instead, she got a quiet neighborhood of Spanish-style homes nestled just beyond the eastern edge of California University’s sprawling campus. The houses have stucco exteriors with arched windows and carefully maintained landscaping, with palm trees and rosewood lining the streets.

Bette has already been up for nearly an hour. A thick stack of folders and printouts rests on the small iron table beside her. She is reviewing faculty profiles, budget summaries, and enrollment reports, as well as minutes from the last three departmental meetings.

Throughout her reading and research, she has concluded that the department is not lacking talent; it’s lacking vision. She flips to another document she has been working on, a breakdown of the next day’s faculty meeting. She taps her pen thoughtfully against her lips before she writes at the top of the page: What do you want this department to become?

Bette glances up and offers a polite smile and wave to the jogger who passes by on the sidewalk.

The jogger returns the gesture, then slows. She doubles back and jogs in place at the edge of Bette’s yard. “Morning,” the woman calls.

Bette sets her papers on the table and rises and walks to the top of the porch steps. “Good morning.”

The woman removes her AirPods and points to herself. “Dana Fairbanks.”