“A quiet mouse, huh? It surprises me that Nick would be into a girl like that.”
“Me too, actually. We’ve known her since she was little. We always went to visit our Uncle Dallas and her family’s ranch is next to his. Nick was never attracted to her before though.”
“Being a girl is enough to attract Nick’s attention.”
Natalie laughed and pushed my shoulder. “Don’t be mean. At least he dates. Unlike someone else I could mention.”
There it was—another not so subtle comment about how I hadn’t asked her out for a while. We’d gone on a few casual dates when we’d first met. When there hadn’t been any real attraction there for me, I had hoped we could just be friends, but things were starting to get awkward.
Part of the problem was that I was friends with her roommate, Beth, which was how we’d met. Actually, I was best friends with Beth’s older brother and he’d asked me to keep an eye on her. Since she was like a little sister to me, and lived across the street, I’d agreed. At first, I’d enjoyed getting to know Natalie too. I’d still be fine with it, because she was a cool girl, if she’d just move on and like someone else.
When I didn’t reply to her teasing, Natalie changed the subject, sounding overly cheerful. “So, since school starts Monday, are you going to be able to keep running with me?”
“Probably not. I have early classes.”
“It’s still so weird to me that you’re a college art professor.”
“It wouldn’t seem weird if you were one of my students, believe me.”
“You’re just so young. And I bet since you’re single, all the girls flirt with you.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling uncomfortable since some of them did. “Yeah, well, I just try to ignore it when it happens.”
“That’s probably smart. I might have to take one of your classes sometime just so I can watch you ignoring love-struck girls.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. “I don’t find it so amusing.”
She laughed and said, “Never mind. How about if we still run on Saturdays at least?”
“Sure—until it gets too cold, anyway.” I didn’t want to be rude, and I did enjoy having someone to run with.
Walking over to the porch steps, she shook her head and said, “You’re such a wimp.”
Ignoring her jibe and the flirty tone she said it in, I asked, “Are we still swimming tomorrow?” The girls were always roping me into parties, but at least they did most of the work.
“Of course! I want Lauren to meet everybody.”
“Exactly how many people did you invite?”
“Oh, three or four of my friends. And some of Nick’s buddies are coming. Beth will be there, of course, but she’ll know her by then.”
“I invited a few people too. This is turning into a bigger party than I thought.”
“Lauren grew up on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere. I want her to make friends.”
“I’m sure she will. Is she pretty?”
As if the question bothered her, she pouted a little. “I guess so. I mean, she doesn’t play it up though. I had to teach her how to pluck her eyebrows. For real.”
“Well, there’s probably a few things she could teach you too if she grew up on a ranch.”
“Nothing I’d want to know. I can’t wait to make her over and help her have more of a social life.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Are you sure she wants you to?”
“I don’t care if she does. She needs it. Wait till you meet her.” She must have realized how disdainful she sounded, because she rushed to say, “I mean, I love her to death though.”
Nodding, I just said, “Yeah.”
“I have to go get ready for work. Thanks for the run.”
The front door swung open before Natalie could open it, and she stepped back as Beth came through. They said goodbye to each other, and Beth passed by me, throwing a careless, “Hey, Jake,” my way.
“Beth, wait.”
“Huh?” she asked, turning back around.
Desperate to talk to someone about my situation with Natalie, I asked, “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure, I guess. I have a few minutes.”
But as soon as she paused, waiting expectantly, I realized she might not be comfortable with what I wanted to ask her. I mean, sure, she was like a sister to me, but Natalie was her friend. Where would her loyalties lie?
Thinking fast, I said, “What do you think about getting a new roommate?”
“You know me—I always like meeting people. And from what Natalie says, she’s really nice.”
“If that’s true, I hope Nick doesn’t hurt her.” I felt a twinge of worry for this unknown girl.
“Yeah,” Beth said, her cheeks rising and her nose wrinkling as she grimaced. “He doesn’t have a good track record, does he? Renee is so bent out of shape over this.”
“I bet. Natalie doesn’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
“You know how Natalie can be once she gets focused on something.”
“Boy, do I ever.”
Beth giggled. “For a brother and sister, they’re sure different. Natalie can’t let go of things, and Nick let’s go too easy—at least when it comes to girls. I’ve seen him date and drop a dozen girls since I’ve known them. It’s like he just gets bored.”
“What a skuzzball.” I kicked at the stone step, wishing it was Nick. “And I bet this girl has no idea what he’s really like.”
She shrugged. “He can be super charming when he wants to.”
“Then he doesn’t want to be often enough.”
Grinning, Beth shook her head, “How has Natalie not picked up on how much you dislike her brother?”
“There’s a lot Natalie doesn’t pick up on.”
“You’re going to have to tell her you aren’t interested. She’s not going to figure it out any other way.”
“How did you…?”
“I see things. It’s too bad, really. The only other woman you hang out with is your grandma.”
“Grams is all I can handle right now,” I said, smiling as I thought of her feisty personality.
Beth poked her finger in my chest and said, “You know as well as I do that if the right girl came along, you’d change your tune.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” It wasn’t likely though. I had too much going on in my life between my job, taking care of Grams, and getting my graphic design business off the ground.
“As much fun as this talk has been, I’ve got to go.”
“See ya,” I said.
Walking across the street to my apartment, I ignored the protest from my tired legs. I ran upstairs and, once inside, headed straight to the freezer for more ice. As I filled my water bottle up again, I felt the heavy weight of silence around the place. After taking a long drink, I screwed the lid back on and glanced around, seeing only an old couch, a TV, my desk and a few pairs of shoes by the door.
My life was just the way I wanted it. There was plenty of time for more later.
Chapter Three
Lauren
By the time Nick and I had pulled into my new home late at night, I could barely move from exhaustion. I’d never driven so far in one day before or through so much traffic. With the light nearly gone, I could barely keep my eyes open while I met my other roommates, Beth and Renee. Beth seemed as excited to see me as Natalie, but Renee gave me one cold glance and disappeared into her room.
Because it was so late, everyone helped carry all my belongings in while I inflated the air mattress I brought with me to tide me over till I could get a real bed. Then, they’d said goodnight and left me alone in a strange room with new smells and shadows, my boxes and suitcases strewn around the room. It was unnerving, but even with my stomach churning with butterflies, I went right to sleep.
It wasn’t the sun that woke me up, but Natalie bursting into my room. “Lauren, wake up. You can’t sleep through our first day together.”
; I stared at her with bleary eyes, hoping I was having a nightmare. “I could if you’d go away.”
She laughed and tugged my blanket off. “No way. We’re going to a pool party in less than an hour.”
My eyes finally opened as the horror of her words dawned on me. “Did you say pool party?” Then, remembering how persistent Natalie could be, I said, “Please, can I just go back to sleep?”
“No way. I told everyone you were coming and they all want to meet you. Now get up and get ready! It’s past noon.”
Natalie left and I remembered all the times she had tortured me during our long friendship. But usually it was with tweezers, wax strips, and mascara. This was too much.
The thought of meeting so many people at once was scary enough. Meeting them while wearing a bathing suit sounded like the worst idea ever. I wanted to jump in my car and speed back to New Mexico. And I totally could. My family would be thrilled. But I would always know I’d chickened out. So, I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Once I was clean and feeling human again, I found my black swim suit, and began wrestling it on. I wiggled my hips from side to side and growled. The humidity made my skin sticky, further complicating the process. Just as I yanked it into place, Natalie walked in my room without knocking. I don’t think she knew how.
Her brilliant eyes, carefully made up with perfectly winged eyeliner, swept over me. “Lauren, girl, where have you been hiding all those curves? No wonder Nick jumped all over you this summer.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I blushed. “Stop it. My brothers have teased me enough. I hate it.”
“Why?” Natalie asked, looking completely confused.
I glanced over her, my model perfect friend, and rolled my eyes. She looked amazing in a sapphire blue tankini and sheer white cover-up. Her bright red hair was twisted into a careless knot of curls on top of her head, and giant sunglasses perched over her side swept bangs, ready for action in the sunshine. And her figure had never been anything but womanly since she was fifteen. She loved it when people noticed her, which everyone did, so there was no way she’d ever understand.
“Never mind. Look, Nat, I really don’t want to go.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
I motioned to me in a swimsuit with a farmer’s tan and legs covered in new mosquito bites. I’d learned all about those last night.
Raising both eyebrows and shrugging, she said, “I don’t see the problem.”
I sighed. “How about if I meet your friends later, when I have more clothes on?”
“No way. Besides, Nick is coming as soon as he gets off work.”
I smiled and relaxed, thinking about Nick with his muscled chest gleaming in the sun. “Well, that changes things.” Natalie made a gagging sound and I turned to her in surprise. “What?”
“This is so weird. Seeing you two kiss last night was freaky.”
“Just because he’s your brother.”
“I guess. I mean he’s okay, but I will never know what girls see in him.”
“Um, he’s gorgeous for starters.”
“Gross. Stop, Lauren. I know you’ve always had a crush on him, but…”
“What? No I didn’t.”
“Oh, please. It was so obvious. But I never thought you’d get together. I guess it was bound to happen though, with no other girls around.” I glared at her and Natalie opened her eyes wide. “That so sounded worse than I meant it to. You know I love you, Lauren. We’ve been besties since we were twelve.”
“But I’m not good enough for Nick?”
Natalie straightened, towering over me. “No way. You’re too good for him if anything. Look, you know how my mouth gets away from me sometimes. I would totally love to have you for a sister-in-law.”
“We are so far from that.”
Natalie’s phone beeped in her hand and she looked down at it, effectively ending our conversation. “It’s Beth. She says they’ve already gotten started. Let’s go.”
Still wanting to refuse, I opened my mouth to argue, but our eyes locked in a battle of wills. Just this once, I wanted to win. Natalie was a force of nature, though. My shoulders sagged and one of my shoulder straps threatened to slip down my arm. I tugged at it and sighed.
Laughing, Natalie crossed her arms. “Relax. You’re going to have so much fun. All the guys are going to hate Nick for grabbing you before they even got a chance.”
She still had no idea that was the last thing I wanted. But I doubted anyone would notice me next to her anyway, so I slipped on my flip flops and a long t-shirt that covered most of what I wanted to keep hidden. “Okay. Lead the way.”
Pleased with her easy victory, Natalie grinned and headed out through the dim hallway again. The whole house was in shadows since the blinds were shut to keep out as much heat as possible. Unfamiliar with the layout, I shuffled slowly in Natalie’s wake. She handed me one of the towels she’d flung over the back of the couch and opened the front door. I froze behind her, blinded by the sun. “Man it’s bright. Let me get my sunglasses out of my car.”
I opened the unlocked door and leaned into the sauna of the overheated interior to grab my glasses.
“I’m so excited,” Natalie said, waiting for me, “You’re finally going to meet Jake.”
I wiped the lenses with the hem of my t-shirt and said, “Yeah. Time to see if he’s as perfect as you say he is.”
“Seriously, Lauren, he is. And so smart. He’s totally chill all the time and funny. He even moved back here just to take care of his grandma.”
Laughing, I shut my car door. “Okay, stop. Are you trying to make me fall for him too?”
“Don’t even think about it. He’s mine.”
Walking beside Natalie was so intimidating. She belonged on a runway, not a quiet, residential sidewalk. The idea that I could ever steal a guy from her was ludicrous, but part of me, maybe the part that still hurt from her earlier comment, couldn’t help asking, “Really? Since when? I thought you weren’t sure where you stand with him?”
She raised an eyebrow. “We’re just taking things slow.”
“Hasn’t it been, like, a year? And you aren’t even official yet?”
“We’re both just really busy.”
I raised my eyebrows but kept quiet. What did I know? I was in my first relationship.
We crossed the street to Jake’s apartment complex and rounded the corner of the building nearest the street. The space in front of us opened up into a courtyard with a wrought iron fence wrapped around the pool deck. Through its bars, I could see more than a dozen college-aged people hanging out. The voices and splashes echoed strangely off the surrounding apartment buildings, amplifying the sounds until I thought my nerves would choke me. As I followed Natalie through the gate, I looked around, hoping to see Nick, but I couldn’t find him. Without my boyfriend to lean on, I hovered behind Natalie.
A blond girl with blunt cut bangs and a wide smile ran over to us. “It’s about time! Hey, Lauren! Pretty sweet pool, huh?”
Even though I’d only met Beth briefly last night, I liked her already. She was so friendly.
“It’s awesome,” I said, looking around. And it was. The pool was surprisingly big and well maintained. White loungers and round tables lined the fence facing the pool, and the aqua blue water looked incredibly inviting.
“Ready to meet everybody?” Natalie asked.
Before I could answer, Beth jumped in. “Oh, don’t make her do that. She looks nervous enough.”
Great, I looked nervous.
Natalie’s mouth twisted with displeasure. “Ok, but I want her to meet Jake, at least.”
Natalie was scanning the pool for him, so Beth sighed and said, “He’s over there in the deep end playing basketball. Are you really going to pull him away from his game to meet her? That won’t be weird or anything.”
I leaned to the right to look behind Beth, curious to see the coolest guy ever. Of course, I had no idea how to pick him out of all the b
obbing, splashing figures wrestling over a ball at the deep end of the pool. Giving up, I straightened and realized Beth and Natalie were having a whispered argument.
Sweat prickled on my scalp and in my cleavage. I tugged at the top of my suit, wishing I could stick a towel down there to dry it up. I needed to cool off so badly—enough to not care who saw me in my suit after all. “I’m going to swim,” I said. Neither of them even looked at me, so I shrugged and took off my flip flops and t-shirt, dropping them on a lounger. The pavement burned my feet so I hurried to the edge of the pool. I dove in at the edge of the deep end, a safe distance from all the guys playing ball.
Gliding forward with my eyes closed, I reveled in the cool ribbons of water curling around my body. I hadn’t taken a big breath of air, so about midway across, I kicked up to the surface. But then something slammed into me from the side. The impact made me lose the last of my air and totally disoriented me until I didn’t know which way was up. Desperate for air, I forced myself to calm down and open my eyes. Seeing bubbles rising up, I followed them, kicking hard. As my head broke the surface and I took a breath, the turbulent water splashed into my face, choking me.
My head spun as I coughed. I struggled to tread water and find oxygen at the same time. Then strong arms closed around my shoulders. Supported against someone stronger and bigger than I was, I relaxed, finally able to breathe.
“Are you okay?” A deep, concerned voice asked. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were there.”
I scraped back the heavy curtain of wet hair in front of my face and pulled on my nose to make sure I didn’t have any snot coming out. “It’s not your fault,” I said.
“It was too. I was swimming backwards.” When I choked on another wave of water, he said, “Come on, let’s get you over to the side of the pool.”
He let go of me to give me room to swim, but stayed close. Even with a throbbing head, bruised shoulder, and burning lungs, I still noticed his strong arms and shoulders pulling him effortlessly through the water. I probably looked more like a drowning chicken. When I reached the side, he was there before me, holding out a hand to help me. I took it and twisted around as he pulled me up until I was securely perched on the edge of the pool.
Before It's Love Page 2
