“I’d better not.”
“Chicken,” I said, though I might have been talking to myself as much as him.
He gave me a look, but said nothing. I grabbed the handle of my bag, glad I’d taken Dad’s advice to get my trunk shipped separately rather than lug it around two airports and up through the dorm. Though I guess if I had it with me, Robert would have no choice but to help me inside.
He did look really uncomfortable, which although I felt bad about his broken heart, made me have to tease him some more. “You sure? If she’s half as moony about you as you are about her...”
“I’m not moony,” he barked. “I don’t even know what moony is.”
I gestured at his face demonstratively.
He grabbed for my outstretched hand, but I pulled it back in time.
I was about to thank him for driving me when the front door of Rosewood opened with a bang making us both turn to look. My heart jumped into my throat: Kaylee!
“Brooklyn! I thought that was you!” Kaylee came running down the stairs and launched herself into my arms. “Oh my God,” she said, pulling away to look into my face. “Does this mean...?”
“I’m back,” I said, my excitement bubbling over, making my insides vibrate.
We did a little squealy dance together and I was suddenly very excited to see the rest of my friends, knowing Robert had been right about them understanding my situation.
Kaylee looked over at my brother.
He nodded at her. “Kylie.”
“Richard,” she said back.
I rolled my eyes at the both of them, but spoke to Robert when I said, “Thanks for bringing me back. Don’t forget to text me when you get to school.” School being code for the training facility that he was returning to.
He pulled me into a hug. “No problem, little sister. Did you put the new number into my phone?” We’d bought me a new cell at the airport and on the drive, I’d programmed it with his and my parents’ numbers and then had put my number into his phone, too.
“Yes I did. Be safe, big brother.”
We parted and he gave Kaylee a little wave before he looked up at the dorm one last time. When he glanced over and saw me watching him, he gave a shrug and got into the car, driving off down the long circular driveway. As I watched, a big SUV took his place, the doors opening to let out another Rosewood girl.
I grabbed my bag again and followed Kaylee up the stairs, not able to help it when my eyes drifted in the direction of the stables.
“Did you tell anyone you were coming back?” Kaylee asked, pulling the door open and waving me through.
“No. I...” I stalled out, shaking my head.
She frowned. “What?”
“I was scared they’d all be mad at me.”
Her lips thinned out to a line as we walked toward the elevator. Then she asked, “What can you tell people? Do we need to keep up the story about your dad?”
“Probably best to. At least as far as most people are concerned. But you and Emmie, Chelly and Celia? No, I want you all to know the truth. If there’s stuff I can’t tell you, I’ll tell you I can’t tell you, but I don’t want to lie anymore.”
She nodded. “What about Dave?”
I opened my mouth, but she interrupted me. “Wait, what about that guy. Back in London?” She waggled her eyebrows. “What happened with him?”
I shook my head. “When I got back from seeing you that day, he already knew. My dad had gone over there.”
Her eyes went wide. “Crap. Your dad didn’t find out about...”
“No,” I said, leaning for the elevator call button. “Though Tristan was pretty pissed off that I’d lied to him.”
“No doubt. No wonder you fled the country,” she said, leaning into my shoulder.
“I know. Anyway, we talked it out and left on good terms. I said goodbye to him before I left.”
She gave me a sideways glance. “Just how did you say goodbye?”
I snorted. “Just with words, I promise.”
We got onto the elevator and I pushed the three.
“So, Dave?” she asked.
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
She looked at me for a long moment before saying, “That hot older vet ruined you for other guys, didn’t he?”
“Maybe,” I said. But if that was true, why was I still so excited to see Brady?
~ ♥ ~
We got up to the third floor and while I was beyond exhausted and needed a nap, stopping at the lounge was—as Kaylee put it—non-negotiable. She’d told me in the elevator that Celia was on her way from the airport and Chelly wasn’t expected until later that night, but Emmie was in the lounge working on her e-commerce site. Kaylee had been with her but had popped down to the dining room to get some snacks when she’d happened to see me out of one of the front windows.
“Look who I just found,” Kaylee announced as she pushed me into the lounge in front of her.
Emmie looked up from her laptop and stared at me for a long moment, reminding me how different I must look to her with the short blond hair. I had a moment to realize my hair was now similar to what her hair had looked like after that first night of us being roommates. Although now she had red hair, which was...
“Brooklyn?!” Emmie exclaimed, cutting off my thoughts. She pushed back her chair and jumped up, practically tackling me into one of her hugs. “Is that you?”
“If it’s not, this just got weird,” I said, laughing.
She squeezed me so tight, I thought I was going to suffocate. “Emmie,” I squeaked out. “If you’re trying to asphyxiate me, it’s working.”
“Oh my God, sorry!” she said, letting me go. She gave me a once-over and gestured toward my head. “So this?”
I glanced behind her, but the lounge had too many people in it. “Can we go back to your room?”
She glanced at me sideways. “You mean our room, don’t you?”
Right then, my entire body seemed to unclench in relief. “Yes, our room.”
Emmie looped her arm through mine and led me down the hall, Kaylee trailing behind with my suitcase. “I have so much to tell you,” she said, her voice not hiding her excitement.
“Me, too,” I said, though I was happy to let her go first.
We got into our dorm room and I was so happy to see nothing changed on my side.
“Chelly slept in your bed for a while,” Emmie said. “I hope that’s okay.”
I nodded as I sat down on my bed, patting beside me for Kaylee to sit down. “Naomi?”
Kaylee and Emmie nodded, which was explanation enough.
“So,” Emmie began. “First things first. Uh...your brother...”
I cringed. “I feel so bad about all of that. He...I...ugh...” I had no idea how to even explain.
She held her hand up. “He sort of explained that it was a security situation.”
I nodded. “That’s true. I can’t get into the details, but my father is...was...an operative in stuff that deals with terrorists. On the night of the Thanksgiving dinner, I got a threat on my cell phone. It was just lucky Declan was flying back to London—I caught a ride on his jet.”
Emmie glanced at Kaylee. “Did you know about this?”
Kaylee shook her head. “Not until I got to London and her face wound up in the tabloids with Declan.”
Emmie gave me a shocked look. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Which was of course the worst thing for someone trying to stay under the radar. Anyway, I was basically under house arrest.”
“Wait,” Emmie said. “So when I found your passport, your brother said you got through customs with a photocopy.”
“Clever,” Kaylee said.
Emmie looked confused, so I explained. “The one you found isn’t my real passport.”
“Whoa,” Emmie said. “So Brooklyn Prescott isn’t your real name?”
“No.”
She looked at Kaylee who said, “I know, right? So badass.”
I grinned at that.
“So what’s your real name?” Emmie asked.
“I really can’t tell you,” I said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just...you just have to give me this one.”
Emmie looked at Kaylee again. “Do you know?”
Kaylee shook her head. “I got the same response when I asked.”
That seemed to satisfy Emmie. She looked over at my suitcase. “So are you back for good?”
“Yeah. I mean, I hope so. Dad got a transfer so his job isn’t as dangerous. He’s still in London right now, but they’re coming back soon. By Easter for sure. But enough about that...”
“Right,” Emmie said. “So. Uh, back to the Rob thing.”
I cringed, waiting to hear about how he’d broken her heart.
“I’m so sorry,” she blurted. “I never meant to hurt him.”
“What?” I looked from her to Kaylee. But Kaylee must have either known what was going on or had suffered a head injury because she was grinning like crazy. “What are you talking about, Emmie? How did you hurt him?”
She sighed. “I’ve had some time to really think about what happened between us. I...I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, because I really did like your brother, but I think...I think I was just really lonely and he was there and he is such a good kisser.”
“Gurgh,” I said. “I don’t want to know about that.”
“I do,” Kaylee said, earning a scowl from me.
“Later,” Emmie stage-whispered at her. Which earned her a scowl, too.
“Anyway,” Emmie went on. “We just kept, like, falling into each other’s’ lips, and I really thought I liked him, but then Danny...”
“Wait.” I held up my hand. “Who is Danny?”
Kaylee was grinning so hard, I swear she looked like she belonged in an asylum.
Emmie reached over to her desk and grabbed her phone, scrolling through it for a moment before she handed it to me.
“Danny,” she said, nodding down at the screen.
I looked down at the picture and then back up at her. “This guy...wait. I know this guy. I ran into him the day of the food drive. Like, literally ran into him...” I said, remembering the ginormous, terrifying guy with the face tattoo that I’d run into on the street. I looked up at Emmie. “Who is this guy?”
“Her new boyfriend,” Kaylee said.
I blinked at Emmie. “Seriously? That guy? With the prison tattoos?”
She just grinned at me and I wondered if I could commit her and Kaylee on a twofer. “Yeah. That guy. You have no idea.”
“Clearly,” I said. I scootched to the edge of the bed and stood up. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” she said, looking confused.
“This is going to be a long night, isn’t it?” I asked.
“I imagine so, between my story and yours and who knows what Kaylee’s been keeping from us,” she said, winking at Kaylee.
“Then I’m going to need a really big mocha latte. Maybe with an espresso chaser.”
Emmie slid her arm across my shoulders and gave me a side-hug. “I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you so much.”
I leaned into her. “I missed you, too. All of you,” I said, looking at Kaylee. “London sucked.”
“Well, not all of it,” Kaylee said, a twinkle in her eye.
Emmie raised her eyebrows.
“Brooklyn has a story of her own,” Kaylee said.
“That blush on her face is telling me it’s a good one.”
“I plead the fifth,” I said.
“Wait,” Emmie said, suddenly frowning as we left our room and started down the hall to the stairs. “What about Dave?”
I frowned. “Well, first of all, I didn’t think I was going to be able to come back. Robert said he—as me—broke things off with Dave. I don’t suppose either of you have told him anything.”
Emmie and Kaylee exchanged glances. “No,” Emmie said. “Rob said he was going to, but I don’t know if he ever did. What would he even say?”
I sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Kaylee asked.
“Nothing,” I said as we started down the stairs. “I’m just tired and I’m still actually wrapping my brain around being here. It all happened so fast. I’ll get my second wind once I get some chocolate and caffeine in me.”
“You should call Dave,” Emmie said. “I know he’s going to be really glad you’re back.”
“Are you and him okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. And like I said: Danny. Please can I tell you about Danny? Please?”
I glanced over at Kaylee who rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why she’s asking if she can tell you, since you’re going to hear all about it anyway.”
I smiled at Emmie. “Maybe, but I do want to hear it.”
There was a crowd of girls in the front foyer of the first floor and as we got to the bottom of the stairs, one of them broke away and came over.
Chelly.
She said hi to Emmie and Kaylee before her eyes rested on me. I smiled at her and she smiled back politely, which felt so strange. Then she recognized me and her eyes went wide like saucers, no, dinner plates. “Oh. My. God. Brooklyn! Is that you?”
I didn’t need to say yes, because before I even got the chance, I was in her arms. And then I saw over her shoulder that Celia was right behind her, waiting her turn.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” Celia said, her blue eyes glassy as she smiled at me.
“I’m so glad to be back,” I said. “You have no idea.”
While I hugged her, Chelly’s mouth started going eighty miles an hour. “Holy crap, I thought we’d never see you again. I am so glad you’re back, although I guess I’m back to living with Naomi. Wait, how’s your dad doing? I hope he’s all right, though I’m guessing he’s better if you’re here.” Her smile dissolved. “Unless...” she looked at Emmie.
I put her fears to rest. “My father’s fine,” I said, which of course was the truth, even if the story I’d told her at Thanksgiving wasn’t. I did want to come clean, but not here in the foyer. I looked down at the big suitcases beside the girls. “We’re going to get some coffees. Why don’t you two go get settled and meet us up in our dorm room in ten?”
“Good idea,” Chelly said as Celia nodded. “Get us cappuccinos. See you up there.” And then she grabbed me for another hug.
As we turned back toward the dining room, I wondered why on earth I had ever worried about seeing my friends again.
Walking down the hall, Kaylee on one side and Emmie on the other, all I could think was that it was so good to be back at Rosewood.
Home.
The Mean in Greenwich Mean Time
It wasn’t even five a.m. local time, but of course, I was still on Greenwich Mean Time, which meant I was wide freaking awake.
I’d tried to stay up as late as I could to help with the jet lag, and it’s not like catching up with the girls wasn’t enough to keep me awake and alert under normal circumstances. But after many hours of travel, the time change, the stress of returning and a profound caffeine/sugar crash, I was toast. I actually fell asleep while we were talking. I may even have dozed off while I was talking. That’s how tired I was.
But later, when my eyes blinked open and the room was dark and quiet, I knew I wasn’t getting any more sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Cutting my losses, I grabbed my laptop, slid my feet into my slippers and headed down to the dining room in my pajamas to leave Emmie to sleep without disturbing her.
I really wanted to go out to the stables, but it was even too early for that, so I figured I’d grab a coffee and reacquaint myself with my schedule and classes and open up the schoolwork I hadn’t looked at since I was desperately bored in the cabin in the Alps.
I settled in at one of the tables with my coffee and opened up my laptop to get started.
“Ms. Prescott, you’re up early,” I heard from behind me and almost spilled my coffee all over the keyboard.
I turned and looked up at the dean, almost not recognizing her with her tanned face, dressed in jeans and a Rosewood hoodie, her hair thrown up into a ponytail. Seeing her dressed so casually was nearly as jarring as her sneaking up on me. I pasted a smile on my face. “Good morning, Dean Haywood. Yes, I am up early. Jet lag.”
She nodded and sat down in the chair beside me, placing her mug full of coffee down in front of her. I felt suddenly guilty for not inviting her to sit, though I never thought in a million years she would. Nervous and not sure why she would sit down with me, I waited for her to speak first.
“I’m glad you were able to return,” she said in one of her rare moments of praise. “You’re a good student and I got the impression you enjoyed being a student here.”
“Very much, ma’am,” I said. And not just because of your son, I thought.
Thank you brain, for making this even more awkward.
Thankfully she continued while I worked on that little nugget of embarrassment.
“I’ve spoken to your mother and you should be able to return without too much trouble. I’ll be speaking with your teachers to make sure you are able to catch up and I’m also going to relieve you from your community service assignment for the rest of the year. You’re welcome to volunteer on the various committees, of course, but it will no longer be a requirement.”
I exhaled, “Thank you. That will help a lot. I know that Emmie did the Santa Hop in my absence and she said it was successful. I’m glad for that; I felt bad about not being able to manage it.”
The dean nodded. “It was very successful, though I have no doubt it would have gone as well with you at the helm.”
Maybe her moments of praise weren’t as rare as I’d thought. “Thank you,” I said, meaning it.
She took a sip of her coffee and then regarded me for a long moment before she said, “I trust all is well with your family?”
I wondered how much she knew, but she had to know something. Probably she knew my father hadn’t been ill. Maybe she knew everything. Maybe she even knew my real name. Either way, I knew to be vague with her, but truthful at the same time. “Yes, thank you. My father actually got a transfer and they’ll be returning to the States soon.”
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