Chapter 17
Elizabeth
“I wish you were rich like me. It’s not fair you have to work all the time. And if you’re not working, you’re studying. It’s a shame you’re missing out on the true college experience,” Shelley complained as I unpacked new textbooks that had come in for the bookstore. She smiled. “But don’t you love me for coming to keep you company?”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Whitman isn’t cheap, and we can’t all have daddies that pay our Amex card every month.”
She made a moue with her lips. “We could probably figure out a way for him to pay your bills too. He’d never know probably.”
I shook my head. “I pay my own way. Always have. I’m here for a top notch education …”
“So you never have to depend on a loser like your poor mom does … I know, I know. You say it all the dang time. Trust me, you are never going to end up with some car salesman from Petal who wears Hawaiian shirts. But if you want to meet a nice, rich guy, then you need to get out more.”
“Working makes me feel good about myself. You should try it.”
She sent me a disbelieving glare. “I just buy shoes to feel good—or jewelry. Speaking of, have you seen the new line of James Avery necklaces? God, totally gorgeous with these little silver charms everywhere. And you could totally do it, Elizabeth. Your drawings are much better than half the stuff I see.”
“I—I did draw something recently. A dragonfly.”
Her eyes flared. “Holy hell, that’s huge. Why didn’t you tell me? What are you going to do with it? Put it on a bracelet? Necklace? Make me one … please?”
She didn’t understand why I’d stopped making jewelry, not really, but her encouragement meant something to me. No one else had ever pushed me but Granny, and she was gone. “Thank you for saying that.”
She grinned, refocusing. “So, let’s talk about your sexy new neighbor. You had a nightmare and the English dreamboat came over and saved you from the bogeyman?”
I groaned. I never should have told her. “You can drop the baby-girl voice.”
“But it’s so fun. I can’t believe you didn’t do the deed with him. Don’t you want to see if he’s like Hugh Grant in Notting Hill? Oh, or Jude Law? Wait, how about Charlie Hunnam? Oh yeah, I’d have his babies. Well, all their babies.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“My life is not a movie, Shelley.”
She munched on a bag of chips she’d snagged from the café. “I beg to differ. You have to admit your life is fairly dramatic. Heck, you could probably sell the rights to it and make millions. Chi-ching!”
Her words sobered me, reminding me of my mom and Karl and their scheme. I pushed the worry away.
“Does everything he says sound hot? Like if he called you a bitch, you’d be like oh, baby, say it again?”
I cracked a grin. “Maybe.”
“Oh my God, what if the twins are related to the Queen?” She pointed a finger at me, her face animated. “You could be English royalty. Heck, your name is already Elizabeth—wasn’t she a queen or something? Think about it … you in a Lady Di–type wedding dress. You already love all that Shakespeare stuff, and this would just be the icing on the cake.” She started quoting famous Shakespearean lines but ended up mixing them together, tossing Romeo and Juliet in with Macbeth.
A bit later, after she’d finished, I took a deep breath. “Listen, I don’t want you to freak out, but you may see Colby on campus this semester. Apparently, he’s a student here now.”
She dropped her bag of chips, eyes big as saucers. “What the hell? Are you okay? How do you know? Why are you not freaking out? Why—”
“I’m fine.” I totally wasn’t.
“He—he came to see me, but he left when Declan ran him off. So, if I act odd or whatever, it’s because I’m paranoid I’m going to see him or he’s going to tell people about what happened.” My voice trembled.
She exhaled loudly but her voice came out hushed. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Elizabeth, absolutely nothing. But you need to call the cops if he shows up again. Please say you will.”
I nodded. But would I?
“Since your parents know his family, will you ask them if they’d heard anything about why he’s transferred here? See if you can figure out what’s going on with him.”
She nodded, a look of worry on her face.
I pushed out a grin. “Come on, don’t get glum on me. Make me laugh.”
“You doing okay unpacking those boxes?” a male voice called from around the corner. Rick ambled into view. Tall with sandy blond hair and a skinny build, he’d recently graduated from Whitman and was the store manager here while he worked on his graduate degree.
He stood next to me and pilfered through some of the titles in the box. “Some of these boxes are heavy and need to go upstairs to the non-fiction section. Let me know if you need some help getting them up the stairs.” He smiled and adjusted his glasses.
I smiled back. “Okay.”
We had an elevator, but I didn’t say anything. He always offered to help me, and I thought it sweet.
I could feel Shelley’s eyes on us, watching. Plotting.
“She needs help a lot, Rick. She needs a big old—oh, never mind.” She grinned maniacally.
I shot her a look. This was not what I meant by make me laugh.
Her eyes said what she’d said to me many times, That is some good man-meat right there. What are you waiting on, chica? Scaredy-cat. Here, pussyyyyyyy.
I huffed just as the café door opened and Blake walked through to the bookstore.
“What’s going on?” he asked us.
“Nothing,” snorted Shelley. “This bookstore needs to magically turn into a night club or a frat house.”
“Geez, no one’s keeping you here with me,” I replied. “I’m not bored at all. I’m working to pay my bills.”
She shrugged and sipped on her soda. “This year is just so blasé so far.”
“Don’t you have homework?” How did the girl not get kicked out of school?
“All done.” She tapped her head. “I might look like a dumb co-ed, but this brain is smarter than you think.”
“Let’s all do something,” Blake said. “Movie maybe? I hear the new Marvel movie is showing at the Malco.” He sent me a sheepish grin. “I know Elizabeth loves Thor, right?”
“Wow, Elizabeth? Is that so?” Shelley asked in a snarky voice.
I shrugged. “Sure, what’s not to like? There are big muscles and blond hair and tattoos and a hammer …”
“Yeah, she likes big hammers,” Shelley deadpanned.
“That’s enough,” I said.
“I was kidding.” She sent me a sly look.
Blake and Rick chuckled, and even though I was the butt of the joke, it made me glad to see Blake smile. I didn’t want things to be weird between us. I’d been processing his declaration of love, but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do about it.
The chime on the overhead door went off as Dax and Declan both walked in the café entrance.
Shelley came to attention. “The British are coming, the British are coming.”
“Stop it,” I hissed.
Blake’s face had grown still at our conversation, his body tense. “I don’t know what all the girls see in those two—”
“—who are hotter than my hair straightener,” Shelley finished.
A girl in the café waylaid Dax, but Declan strode our way wearing low-slung jeans, a Whitman shirt, and a pair of leather flip-flops.
I sighed, taking in the dark hair that curled around his ears and nape, the glossy sheen catching the lights. His steely-gray eyes seemed to zero in right on me from clear across the store, and I felt myself prepping my body for the current that would inevitably shoot through me.
He came closer and it seemed as if every eye in the place followed him.
Why couldn’t I just write him off like I had all the others?
“Yep, hotter than a Times Square Rolex,” I murmured to myself.
He came to a stop in front of the counter. “Hey. You good today?”
I squirmed at the attention. He meant the nightmare. It had been several days since our sleepover and he’d been checking in with me each morning in Lit class, keeping it casual but always asking if I was okay.
“Yeah. And you?”
He nodded.
Dax came crashing into us, the girl he’d been talking to tagging along behind him. “What’s going on? Anybody want to come to the house and hang out?” He came over and tossed an arm around me. “Hey, love, when do you get off work?”
Blake answered. “We’re going to the movies later. Sorry.”
I didn’t recall agreeing to a movie. Seems my friends had decided what my plans were for the evening when really I needed to get home and study.
“Sounds kinda boring, but I’m in,” Dax said with a clap of his hands. He left me to toss an arm around the random girl. “You too?”
She blushed.
“Actually, Elizabeth and I already have plans tonight. I was just coming by to confirm,” Declan inserted smoothly.
All eyes turned to me and then bounced back to Declan.
“Plans?” Shelley squeaked. “You didn’t tell moi?”
“But, the movie …” Blake’s voice trailed off.
Dax’s eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t see that coming.”
Rick moved to the cash register to check someone out but not before looking at me with questioning eyebrows.
Seemed like everyone had a damn opinion on the matter.
“You still coming?” Declan said, a slight edge to his voice as he turned to look at me.
A hush had settled over the group.
I set down the book I’d been holding. Swallowed.
Was this a real date-date? One without sex at the end or one with sex at the end? God, I didn’t know because I hadn’t had a real date since Colby.
Or had he figured out I didn’t want to go anywhere at all and was just trying to rescue me from my well-meaning friends?
“Yes, of course,” I said. “Where are we going?”
He grinned, a soft boyishness settling on his face. “It’s a surprise.”
Shelley giggled, abruptly clamming up when I glared at her.
Blake snapped up and took off for the café. Dammit. I watched him go with a heavy sigh and then turned back to Declan.
“I don’t get off for another hour.”
He looked at the books scattered around me. “I can help you. What needs to be done?”
“Oh, thank you, but only employees can shelve. Rick’s rule. I appreciate it though. Are you sure you don’t mind waiting?”
“Good things are worth waiting on.”
I smiled. Breathless.
He sent me a grin. “Nice shirt, by the way.” He raked his eyes over me, lingering on the T-shirt he’d given me a few nights ago. Made of thin white cotton, it featured the Front Street Gym logo, which was a black circle with two fists meeting and the gym name written around the circle. On the back of the shirt in Old English font was written Property of Dirty English. I’d been surprised as hell when he’d knocked on my door and handed it to me, saying he’d designed it and wanted my opinion before ordering in bulk for his gym’s grand opening. It fit tight across my chest. He lifted his eyes up to mine.
“Thanks. Some cocky guy gave it to me.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “He must be a nice bloke to give you a free T-shirt.”
“Very. Although I think he gave me a size too small. On purpose.”
His eyes landed on my breasts and he smiled before focusing back on my face. “Perhaps he never thought you’d wear it in public. Is he handsome?”
“He thinks so.” My face felt like it might split in half I was grinning so big. What was it about him that had me feeling so giddy?
Shelley linked an arm through Dax’s. “Well, I still want you to come along with us to the movies.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Indeed. You’re far too hot to say no to. Tell me, do you dig threesomes?”
She giggled and tapped his arm. “Behave.”
They got out their phones to finalize movie times, and I started in with the duties I did at the end of my shift. Half an hour later, I’d gotten the new books shelved and had broken down boxes and carried them to the back storage room. I piled them up in a corner next to the trash and then went to the broom closet. I opened it and pulled out the wide, heavy-duty dust mop.
When I turned around Blake was standing there.
“Oh! You scared me!” I laughed, clutching my chest. “What are you doing back here?” I looked past his shoulder. I didn’t think Rick would mind that he was in a restricted area, but you could never tell.
He scrubbed a hand through his auburn hair roughly, making the ends stand up. “I can’t believe you have a date with him after what I told you.”
“Blake—”
“Since when does he get to march in here and act like he owns you?” He paced around, his movements swift and sharp, as if he were holding in banked anger.
I stiffened. “You’re the one acting possessive. He’s a good guy. In fact, you outright lied about him at the party. Care to explain that?”
His eyes widened. “I was desperate. I don’t want you with him, okay? It’s just—I told you how I feel, and you haven’t said a word about it. You just keep going about your day, not wanting to accept that our relationship is changing. I can’t just be your friend anymore and see you screw around with other guys.”
I shook my head. “You’re my friend. I need you.” I only had two in the whole world.
He exhaled. “Just give us a chance. We’ll take it slow, I promise. No crazy stuff.” His hand reached out to touch my cheek, soft and easy as if I were a skittish animal he wanted to tame. “I won’t ever pressure you or push you to do anything you don’t want to do, I promise.”
And the thing was, there was a tiny bit of something in my heart for him. A spark of whatever we’d had in prep school still lingering. But being with Blake meant commitment.
I—I just couldn’t do it.
“Everything okay back here?” Rick’s voice cut through the tension. “You need some help, Elizabeth?”
I cleared my throat and stepped back around Blake. “No, it’s good. Coming out to mop soon.”
Blake reached out to clasp my hand. “Wait, Elizabeth. I’m not the only one with feelings here. Talk to me.”
I sighed, changing gears. Anything to get away from this topic. “Look, I have a lot on my mind right now. There’s something I haven’t told you. Colby—he came to see me the night before the semester started. He—he’s enrolled here now. I haven’t seen him since, but I’m going to. I just know it. He’s not going away.” I heard the fear in my voice and cringed.
He gathered me in his arms. “Fuck. I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “There’s nothing to be done. It’s something I’m going to have to deal with, and I really need you here beside me. I can’t do it without you.”
He let out a long breath and kissed my forehead. “Whatever you need, I’m here.”