The white envelope Dr. Catherine Kensie held in her hand had the power to change her life. She ran her fingers across the smooth surface as her heart skipped a beat. She considered tearing it open to discover if the contents would save her or sink her.
The department secretary’s cheery voice interrupted her rumination. “Hey, honey.”
She sidled next to Cate and shoved a few pieces of mail into various professors’ boxes. Her gaze lowered to the envelope in Cate’s hands. “I saw that come in earlier. I was hoping you’d pick it up before you left today.”
Cate stared at it again, wondering about the contents. She waved it in the air before stuffing it into the front pocket of her tote bag. She took a step toward the door. “Got it.”
“You’re not going to open it?” Molly asked, spinning to face her.
“Later. With Riley,” she said with a tentative smile. “Right now, I’ve got to get to my class.”
Molly waved her hand in the air. “They’ll wait.”
Cate chuckled as she spun and backed through the door. “On a Friday afternoon? Doubt it.”
“You’re right. You’d better get there before they all sneak out. Have a great weekend!”
“You too,” Cate called over her shoulder as she darted toward the stairs and descended to the first floor and pushed into the waning warmth of the spring day.
The dark clouds gave way to bright sun and she squinted against it as she fumbled in her bag for her sunglasses and slid them on.
A rogue breeze rustled the newly grown leaves on the trees, splattering the remnants of the rain from them onto the sidewalks below and blowing her long brown hair across her porcelain skin. She whipped it into a makeshift bun, securing it with a hair tie from her wrist.
She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she strolled past the neatly manicured lawn and tan buildings surrounding it.
The contents of the envelope peeking from her bag’s pocket flitted through her mind followed by the dwindling funds in her bank account. With any luck, it held the answers to all her problems.
