CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY – RUMOUR MILLS IN THE DEPARTMENT

"That's enough," she said firmly. "Emily, you're upset. Let's step outside and—" "Why?" Emily challenged, her cheeks flushed. "So you can give me some sisterly advice on how to handle my love life? Or perhaps you'd like to offer a few pointers to Mark here? Since you two seem to have such a special connection." A collective gasp went up from the onlookers. Mark looked stricken, his earlier bravado completely evaporated. "Professor Thornton, please, this isn't—" "What it looks like?" Emily finished bitterly. "Oh, but it is, Mark. It's exactly what it looks like. A foolish woman who thought she was special, and a young man with a wandering eye." The silence that followed was deafening. Jasmine felt as if she were standing on the deck of a sinking ship, watching the water rise inexorably around her. This was the moment, she knew, when everything would change. With a deep breath, she stepped forward, placing herself between Emily and Mark. "I think," she said, her voice steady despite