Victoria frowned at the last item on the cons list. Mom wouldn’t approve? She wiped it off with the heel of her palm and took a sip of her wine. “How old are you?” she muttered. Old enough to know she didn’t need to check in with her parents anymore. She tilted her head to the side as she stared at her lists. “I could just keep John to myself...”

When in doubt, say nothing to the parents.

She carried her wine glass to her desk and sat down. She could already tell the cons list was winning the battle. Fall semester was always a beast and she couldn’t spare time for a fling. Except... She opened the calendar on her computer, which was synced with her phone. “What if...” Victoria scanned the next few weeks that she and John would be working together and began piecing together a loose schedule. She took into account every meeting, each class, and possible lunch break options. She remembered that John said his niece went to school at Hollingsworth Academy. If Victoria was seriously considering having an affair, she needed to think about the girl’s feelings. No need to take her uncle, and primary caregiver, away from her. When she found the school’s website, she glanced through their academic schedule, counting every conference day, half day, and school closure. Victoria jotted down her findings and added them to her calendar.

Her bottle of wine was nearly empty when she finished her plotting.

When she looked upon her work, a wave of pride swept through her. But when the wave rolled back out to sea, she was left with her initial embarrassment and anxiety. Sure, each day was planned with care, but nothing about it seemed sexy or...sordid. She had felt more joy from creating a syllabus schedule with weekly class lessons and reading lists. The calendar she stared at on her computer felt like the work of a madwoman. Be that as it may... I’ve always felt better with a plan. Best to walk into a foreign situation with a small measure of confidence, a tool to make one feel in control. Is that what she wanted at the end of the day? To feel in control? If John was serious about his offer, the only way she’d be comfortable enough to engage was to feel empowered. Excel spreadsheets made her feel empowered.