“Need a spotter?” Danny asked, grinning ear to ear.
“Ha!” I answered, unable to come up with a snappy comment.
She hooked her thumb at the occupied machines. “Seriously, I think I need to start coming well before class begins to get one. Never thought there’d be so many early birds on a college campus.”
I shrugged. “I suspect the ones who aren’t here for credit are on athletic scholarships and don’t have a choice.”
She nodded. “That makes sense. Man, you’re smart!”
Heat prickled my cheeks. “You going to ride me… with me?” I quickly corrected my faux pas, but to no avail. She’d clearly heard me.
“Do I get to choose which one?” Her eyes contained way too much hope for my liking.
I harrumphed, crossing my arms over my tank top. “No. That privilege is only reserved for Gemma.” I flicked my fingers in what I hoped conveyed a fuck you toodles.
She reached for my arm. “I was only kidding. I guess it’s too early in the morning for sarcasm.” She shrugged, contrition evident in her action.
“Sorry,” I smiled bashfully. “It’s been one of those mornings.” I climbed onto one of the bikes. “I would love the company.”
She enthusiastically hopped onto the one to my left, placing her hand towel on the handlebars and securing her sports bottle. “I hate exercising.”
I laughed. “Join the club.”
“I like looking good, though. Does that make me conceited?”
“Yes, but you aren’t alone.” I jerked my chin to a group of girls in the corner, utilizing one of the mats, exercise balls, and hand weights.
“Not bad,” she said.
“What’s the deal? I thought you were taken.”
She looked at me. “Not sure going on a couple of dates takes me off the market completely.”
“April seems to be of that opinion.” I raised myself off the seat and pedaled faster, resting my forearms on the handlebars, doing my best to take this form of exercise seriously.
Danny matched my speed. “I know. Not sure what to do about that.”
I leaned over to her, carefully so as not to repeat the last time I rode one of the bikes. “Do you like her?”
She hitched one of her shoulders. “She blows hot and cold. I think she likes thinking she’s in a relationship but doesn’t really want one, if you know what I mean.”
“That sounds about right.”
“What’s her story, anyway?” There was exasperation in her voice.
“Uh, she’s April.”
Her expression busted me for being evasive. “Thanks, oh, wise one.”
I chuckled. “Are you wanting advice?”
Her face conveyed duh.
“Be careful.”
She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t really help me much, unless you’re telling me to cut the ties.”
I stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of us. “That might be wise.”
Danny stopped cycling. “Really?”
“Why don’t you talk to Jenny? They had a fling last year.”
Danny resumed pedaling. “Would she be willing to talk to me?”
“Tell you what, I’m going to her place after my two o’clock. Want to tag along?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I’m not promising anything, but I think Jenny won’t mind talking about April. Can you meet me at my apartment?”
Danny nodded. “Counting down the hours.”
My eyes rolled upward. “You’re a goof.”
“That’s what she said.”
I reached for her shoulder. “Oh my god, are you a fan of Wayne’s World?”
“Who isn’t?”
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
“Nice Casablanca reference.” She winked.
She had the most beautiful deep blue eyes I’d ever looked into. I shivered. “It’s cold in here. Wish I brought a long sleeve.” I pedaled harder.
“There you are!” April made a beeline to the bikes. The grin on her face was anything but friendly.
I was seriously starting to think the gym was a threat to my health, but it was too late to find a different P.E. class, and my advisor had been adamant it was paramount to complete the requirement before I started the nursing program.
***
“Knock, knock,” I said in lieu of knocking since Jen’s front door was wide open. A box fan sat in the window and a large standing fan was in the corner.
“Entre!” Jenny waved us in. “Hey, Danny.”
“What am I? Chopped liver?” I placed a hand on my hip, jutting it out.
“I’m always happy to see you.” Jenny got out of the beanbag near the oscillating fan. “Beer?”
Danny nodded, but I said, “Can’t. Work tonight.”
“You work too much.” Jenny went to the fridge, pulling out a Bud Light and handing it to the eager freshman.
Cuddy came into the room, from the bathroom presumably, since he was still in the act of zipping his fly. “Hey.”
“Hey, you,” I said as if I hadn’t expected to see him here. Unsure my tone got the message across, I lamely added, “What are you doing here?”
Cuddy suppressed a smile by sucking his lips into his mouth.
“Geez, Tiny T. Everyone is welcome here.” Jenny squinted at me. Was she seeing double? From the amount of dead soldiers littering the floor around her throne, she was drunker than drunk.
“What?” I held up a hand. “I didn’t mean it that way. I was only asking since I didn’t know he’d be here.”
“Are you his keeper?” Jenny tapped her beer against Danny’s, both laughing.
I couldn’t concoct a response to diffuse the situation, so I opted for a smokescreen. “So, Jen.” I perched on the white coffee table. “Danny and I were chatting in gym class this morning—”
“It’s funny the three of you are in the same class,” Jenny butted in.
“Don’t forget April,” Cuddy said.
“Where were you this morning?” Danny asked Cuddy.
“Had a doctor appointment,” he said, jiggling his arm.
“Get a note? We’re only allowed three absences before your grade drops.” Danny mimed the grade continued dropping with more no shows.
He patted the back pocket of his jeans. “Covered.”
“Can you get me a note?” I joked.
Cuddy, completely serious, said, “Of course. I can get anything.”
Was he referring to the diary caper?
“Okay, good to know.” Weirdness crept into the room, but I shoved it to the side and said to Jenny, “Danny and I were talking about April.”
“Wasn’t April in class?” Cuddy asked.
“She arrived late.” I mimed for him to zip it. “As I was saying, we were talking, you know, Jen, how April runs hot and cold.”
Jenny tapped her chest. “Better than most.”
“Right. Would you mind if Danny talked to you about it? April, I mean?”
Jenny shifted in the beanbag to eye Danny sitting in the other. “Stay away.”
Danny nodded, taking the advice at face value.
Seeing my master plan start to unravel, I pushed, “Can you talk to her about it? Cuddy and I can leave you to speak in private.” Before Jenny could deny the request, I shoved Cuddy into the hallway leading to the only bedroom in the apartment. Hopefully, Jenny wouldn’t question why I chose the apartment’s inner sanctum and not the balcony. At least the door was open, and standing outside wouldn’t actually give them any privacy.
Unlike Gem and me, neither of them had the pretense of simply being roommates. I wondered how much that saved them on rent. Gemma had spent the majority of yesterday afternoon applying for a part-time job. I had my fingers crossed for the Gap, wanting to take advantage of the employee discount.
“Good work, Watson,” Cuddy whispered.
“Is h
e a hobbit?”
Cuddy palmed his forehead. “You haven’t read any Sherlock Holmes? Or seen the movies? Even those who haven’t at least know the name Watson.”
I shook my head. “I wish people would stop making me feel like an idiot.”
Cuddy flinched. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
I grabbed his shirt. “Never mind. Let’s get to work. I can’t imagine the conversation will last that long.”
We entered their bedroom.
“Where’d you find the other one?” I whispered.
“On her bedside.”
That was curious. “Decoy, maybe?” I pondered aloud.
Cuddy shrugged, opening the drawers to the only dresser in the room. He giggled and pulled out a vibrator, much like the one Gemma had purchased.
“Be serious!” I admonished.
Cuddy closed the drawer, yanking out the one below and rifling through T-shirts.
I lifted the mattress, not finding anything but a seriously stained box spring. “Ewww!”
“Be serious.” Cuddy rubbed one index finger over his other, teacher-like.
“Okay, if I was Bernie’s secret diary, I would be…” My eyes bounced over the possibilities in the room. The dresser had been checked. Under the bed. I snapped my fingers. “Closet.”
I slid open the glass door, which was cracked in the lower left-hand corner. “Good Lord.” Shirts, dresses, and trousers were squeezed onto the overflowing rack. “Where do I begin?”
Cuddy moved next to me, a finger on his lips. “On this side and work our way to the other.”
Carefully, we ransacked their belongings, not unearthing anything of interest. Cuddy pulled out a rubber bondage suit stashed in the back corner. I’d read about them but had never seen one. He giggled, but one look at my face got him back to work.
“Aha!” I held the diary between my thumb and forefinger as if worried I’d be contaminated by Bernie’s private thoughts. “It was in a shoebox along with some photos.” I shoved a Walgreens envelop with photos into the middle of the diary. “Jenny would never snoop in one unless it had the Nike swoosh on the side.”
“Tegan!” Jenny shouted in the hallway. “What are you doing?”
Cuddy grabbed the book and shoved it down the back of his jeans right when Jenny entered the room.
She looked at us questioningly.
I yanked out the rubber suit. “What in the world is this? For scuba diving?” I tried to sound innocent.
Cuddy started to giggle, but I swatted him behind me awfully close to his family jewels, stopping him cold.
“Yeah, right, smartass. Come on. Bernie will be home soon, and she hates people being in our room. I expect snooping from the likes of Cuddy, but not you, Tegan.” Jenny’s smile indicated she was teasing, or maybe referencing our conversation from the diner. She waved for us to leave.
“What’s she hiding?” I joked, feeling woozy about my success, while not wanting Jenny to focus on my role, but on Bernie.
Cuddy kicked the back of my leg.
Jenny clapped her hands. “Come on!”
“Okay, okay. I didn’t know you were scared of her.” I filed past Jenny.
Danny was alone in the front room. “I was starting to think all of you jumped out the window or something.”
“Nah, just going through Bernie’s sex toys.” I clamped a hand on Jenny’s shoulder. “You’re one lucky gal.”
Jenny puffed out her chest. “You don’t have to tell me that.”
Cuddy fixed his red eyes on mine, making a silent plea not to lay it on so thick. He pulled a plastic baggy out of his front pocket. “Anyone care to partake?”
Jenny made a gimmie gimmie gesture, and Danny smiled her consent.
“Sorry, folks. Some of us have to bring home the bacon.” I grabbed my purse from the coffee table. “Danny, you okay finding your way home?”
“We’ll see to it,” Cuddy said, rolling a joint.
Jenny walked me to the door.
I leaned my head to hers. “Thanks for talking to Danny. She’s a sweet kid, and I just hate to think of what could happen.”
Jenny put an arm around my shoulders. “You’re a good friend, to new and old ones.”
My stomach lurched to the floor. “Well, I’ll see ya tomorrow. Oh,” I stopped with one foot outside the door. “How’s your finger?”
She held up the bandaged digit. “Not bad. Thanks for asking, Nurse Tegan.”
“I’m not so sure about that nickname. Haven’t you seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?”
“Get that out of your head. Dude, nurses are hot.” She touched my arm with her finger and hissed, indicating I was on fire.
“Thanks, buddy.”
“Oh, Tegan!” Cuddy called out. “I can’t let a lady walk to her car alone, not in this hood.”
Jenny laughed. “It’s broad daylight.”
Cuddy shoved her shoulder with his thumb. “That’s why you’ll never be a knight in shining armor. You don’t take things seriously.”
Once the door was closed, Cuddy handed off the diary and leaned against the building, lighting up a cigarette.
“Aren’t you walking me to my car?”
“Why?” He pointed to the sun overhead. “I can see ya from here.”
“So much for knight in shining armor.” I kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Cuddy. I won’t forget this.”
“One day, I’ll cash in this favor,” he spoke out of the side of his mouth, mafia-like.
“If you don’t have anything to do tonight, come to the theater. I can get you in for free.
“Is Kalifornia playing?”
“It opens next week. Want to come to the private showing for employees the night before? It’s a perk for being in the movie biz.” I fluffed my hair.
“Yeah.” His voice cracked.
“Bye, James.”
For a moment, he didn’t make the connection, but then he grinned, standing with a swagger. “The name’s Bond. James Bond.” He flicked ash onto the ground.
Chapter Three
“Jenny, calm down.” Gemma spoke into the phone, her expression weighed down with worry. “What happened?” She was quiet for several seconds, butting in to ask, “What diary?”
I stopped pouring milk into my late-night Frosted Flakes snack, giving Gem all of my attention.
She mimed Jenny was talking crazy by circling a finger around the side of her head. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll turn up.” Again, Gemma listened to Jenny.
I put my head to hers in hopes of hearing Jenny, but it didn’t work. I seriously needed to hone my spy skills. I made a mental note to purchase some Sherlock Holmes books ASAP.
Gemma, not suspecting anything, held the phone’s receiver to make it easier for me to pry.
“She says I took it. No one else has access to our bedroom,” Jenny wailed, unhinged. “She stormed out, and Gem”—Jenny sniffled—“I don’t think she’s coming back.”
“Of course, she’ll come back. She lives there,” said my ever-practical redhead.
“B-but…” There was more sniffling.
“Do you want me to come over?” Gem asked.
“Would you?”
“Of course, T—”
I knifed my hands in the air, making it clear in no uncertain terms I wasn’t going.
“Tegan’s still at work,” Gemma said, her eyes questioning.
Gemma hung the phone on the mount next to the fridge, the long ringed cord dangling nearly to the floor.
“What happened?” I asked, trying hard to mask the guilt in my tone and posture.
Gemma scratched the top of her head. “I’m not sure, really. Something about Bernie misplacing her diary and blaming Jenny for taking it.”
“Who would take someone’s diary?” My voice wobbled from the guilt surging through me.
Gemma smiled. “I know. It’s not something you or I would do. I’m sure it’s an inno
cent misunderstanding. I better get over there.”
I fake yawned. “Sorry for not wanting to go, but I’m so tired from work.” I dragged out the last bit a little too much.
Not that Gemma picked up on it. She kissed my forehead. “Get some sleep, beautiful.”
No longer wanting my cereal, I set the bowl in the kitchen sink.
In my bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the bed, I stared at the diaries I’d stolen in my lap. I still hadn’t read any entries, and I wasn’t sure I could stoop to that level. “Why didn’t I just confess to Gemma when Bernie kissed me?” I fell back onto the mattress. “I’m the worst person in the world.”
***
Saturday morning, I woke alone in my bed. Did Gemma stay the whole night at Jenny’s?
I tiptoed into her bedroom, relieved to see a lump under the comforter.
Why hadn’t she slipped into bed with me?
Did she know about my role in the great diary caper?
She stirred. “Tegan?” Her voice was thick with sleep.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Gemma hefted part of the comforter. “You’re much better than an alarm. Join me.”
I slid under and smooshed against the warmth of her body. “Why didn’t you sleep in my room?”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
“What time did you get home?”
“Five.”
“In the morning?” I squealed.
“Shush, Captain Obvious. We can talk in another hour or so.”
“Okay,” I whispered, trying to snuggle closer.
I lay next to her, unable to fall asleep but too nervous to wake Gemma by crawling out of her bed, raising a red flag. I loved to sleep in on Saturdays, and she knew it.
Slowly, the minutes ticked by on the digital clock on Gem’s bedside.
Finally, at 10:07, Gemma woke. “What time is it?”
“Uh, after ten, I think.”
“I’m starving.”
I laughed. “Usually, you’re having your midmorning snack by now. Would you like me to make waffles?”
“Yes!” She sat up. “I mean if it’s not too much trouble.”
I started to get out of bed, my back and limbs stiff from holding still. I think I dozed off for a total of twenty worthless minutes. “You’re never too much trouble.”
“Too bad the same can’t be said about you.”
Girl Love Happens Boxed Set: Books 0-2 Page 42
