Best Served Cold Read online

  The book I was reading was a love story. I traced a finger over the spine, thinking.

  “Liam, why did you ask me out?”

  He didn’t even look up. “What?”

  “When we first started dating. Why did you ask me? You didn’t know me at all. What made you do it?”

  He finally glanced up, just the faintest annoyance in his eyes. “I don’t know, I’d seen you around. I thought you were cute. Why?”

  “Just wondering.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Giff took a long pull of his beer and repeated the word. “Bullshit. Tell her the truth, Liam. You needed someone to take to that fundraiser with your parents. Your date backed out, you needed another girl. That’s why you asked Jules.”

  I shook my head. “No, that’s not right, Giff. Liam never asked me to a fundraiser. Well, not then, anyway.”

  “No, because he wanted to check you out first, make sure you’d work. But when he asked you out, you said no.” Giff lifted his bottle in a mock salute to his roommate. “No one turns down Liam Bailey, so that’s when he started chasing you.”

  “Shut up, Giff.” Liam’s voice was tight. “You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “Sure I do. You just like to re-write history. Make it how you want. But Jules wants the truth, don’t you?” He swiveled his eyes in my direction.

  “I just...” I trailed off, uncertain. What had I wanted? Did I really expect Liam to tell me he had been secretly in love with me from afar and finally got up the nerve to ask me out? I wouldn’t believe him, even if he had.

  “Julia.” Liam’s face was tight. “Okay, yes, I needed a date for the fundraiser. But I didn’t just pick you because you were convenient. I stood behind you and Ava one day at Beans, and I listened to the two of you. And then I started seeing you around campus. Maybe it was the fundraiser that made me talk to you, but I would have asked you out sooner or later, even if my date hadn’t fallen through. All right? We cool? Can I get back to work here?”

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  Across the room, Giff studied me, compassion on his face. Abruptly, he leaned forward, sliding off the bed.

  “I need a candy run,” he announced. “And I can’t go by myself like this. Jules, walk over with to the SU with me?”

  I hesitated. It was a week night, but I’d still hoped for some one-on-one time with Liam.

  But he waved at me. “Go ahead. I need to finish this chapter, and it’ll be easier if I’m alone.”

  I don’t remember what Gifford and I talked about that night as we walked, but I know Giff didn’t mention Liam at all. And neither did I.

  “This is what you want me to wear to a party at Alpha Delt?”

  Ava met my eyes in the mirror and grinned.

  “Absolutely.”

  “I don’t know, Ave. Are you sure you know what you’re doing? You and Giff?” I turned around to face her. “I don’t want to look ridiculous. Hell, the last thing I need is more people making fun of me.”

  “No one’s going to make fun of you. Look at the hotness of you.”

  I rolled my eyes and pivoted to check out the mirror again. My jeans were just faded enough not to look brand new, and the scoop neck black shirt clung in the right places. Still, it was subtle. There wasn’t a hint of cleavage, and the jeans weren’t even tight. My black boots were flat and cuffed, hardly hot-mama material. I looked more Victorian than vampish.

  “Why do you get to wear the cute outfit?” Ava’s black skirt was short and flirty. She’d paired it with a slouchy gray sweater that we’d found at a thrift shop before Christmas. The thin knit accentuated her curves and showed more skin than my roommate usually displayed.

  “Because I’m not there on a mission. And besides, your outfit is cute, too. But if you dress up all out of character, it’s going to look suspicious. Like you’re trying to get Liam’s attention, not like you just happened to be at a party where he is, too.”

  “Right. I know.” I drew in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”

  It was a still winter night, so cold and clear that the stars seemed very close. I could see our breath as we shivered along the path to fraternity row. Most everyone who lived on campus walked to frat parties since parking was limited in that area, and the campus police tended to patrol more often for DWI on weekends.

  I heard music coming from Alpha Delt as we approached, and my stomach turned over. Ava must have sensed it—or heard it—because she grabbed my arm.

  “No turning back now,” she said, her voice muffled by the scarf wound around her face.

  “That sounds incredibly ominous. Like something I’d hear in a horror movie right before zombies pour out of the frat house. Are you sure we shouldn’t just go back home, put on our jammies and watch the second season of Buffy?”

  “Pretty sure. Come on. Man up. Or rather, woman up. Look at it this way. You’re getting material for your blog, right?”

  “I guess.”

  Kristen and I had been waiting for Dr. Turner when she arrived at her office that morning. She greeted us with one arched brow as she unlocked the door.

  “I assume you ladies have a question about the assignment and that you haven’t come to sit at my feet and listen to tales from the stone age of journalism.”

  I pushed off the wall I’d been leaning against. “I always love to hear your stories, Dr. Turner.”

  She laughed once, a dry and skeptical sound. “Come in and sit down. Ask your questions.”

  Dr. Turner was silent as Kristen and I explained what we wanted to do. She was past master at keeping a poker face, and I couldn’t read what she was thinking.

  When I stopped talking, she drew in a breath and made a steeple of her fingers beneath her chin.

  “This is a very interesting topic, ladies. It’s the first year we’ve done the seminar, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from my students—maybe a lot of noble causes, possibly some nonsense from the boys...yes, I know, but even in college, boys are less mature, by and large.”

  I nodded, and Kristen shifted in her chair.

  “And I’m not insensitive to the fact that this is a potentially slippery slope you girls propose to tackle. It could easily fall into juvenile male-bashing.” She sighed deeply. “But on the other hand, you’ve both been my students for several semesters, and I flatter myself that I’ve gotten to know you a bit. I’m going to approve this project. But I want you to be very careful, thoughtful about what you write and conscious of the responsibility you’ll bear.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Turner.”

  She pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair. “I know I seem like a dinosaur to you girls. But I still remember what it was like. My worst experience in that regard was well after college, but nonetheless...” She shook her head. “Another time.”

  I thought about her last statement as Ava and I climbed the porch of the Alpha Delt house. There was something comforting about knowing my particular misery wasn’t so lonely.

  The music pounded around us now, and I winced. Ava shot me an encouraging smile and opened the door.

  I had expected the same scene from freshman year, but Giff was right; it wasn’t quite as frenetic. People stood in clumps and clusters, sat on the sofas and chairs. It was loud, but not out of control. I recognized a couple of faces, and I was relieved to see that more than one girl wore jeans and sweatshirts. I wasn’t going to stick out as much as I’d feared.

  We wove our way into the room. A few people greeted us, and I kept out a wary eye for Jack Duncan. I wasn’t sure if I was more nervous about the possibility of seeing Liam or the idea that I had to leave the party with Jack.

  Ava squeezed my arm and steered me toward the light of the kitchen. A cooler was set up in one corner, next to a table covered with various bottles and plastic cups. A guy stood with his back to us, leaning over a short dark-haired girl. When they heard us come in, he steered the girl around the corner into a darker hallway.

  “Not so ba
d, right?” Ava had to almost yell the words into my ear.

  I raised my eyebrows at her and shook my head. “It’s loud! And there’s people making out or worse on almost every flat surface.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Stop it. Grab a drink and go mingle.” Pulling out her phone, she checked the time. “You’ve got a little more than an hour before we need to be walking out the door with—you know. Try to have a good time, okay?”

  I heaved a sigh. “I can’t hear myself, let alone you or anyone else. I’m taking my drink outside. Just for a minute.”

  “All right. Go in the back, looks like they have a deck with space heaters.” Ava pointed to a windowed door. “I see someone from my psychology of Shakespeare class. I’m going over to say hello.” She picked up a bottle of beer and disappeared into the adjacent dining room.

  I found some soda and filled a plastic cup about half way up, leaving out the ice. The amber liquor in a bottle with a pirate picture on the front looked promising, so I added a healthy splash and swished it around. A cautious sip sent delicious warmth down my center, and I smiled. That would do the trick.

  I wasn’t the only one with the idea to duck outside. Five tall heaters were scattered around the wide wooden deck, and people huddled near them, holding drinks. A few were smoking, but they stood closer to the porch railings.

  I made my way to the only unoccupied heater space and concentrated on enjoying the relative silence.

  “Julia?”

  I turned, startled, as a guy standing at a neighboring heater stepped closer to me. He wore a brown canvas jacket over a green hoodie and carried a cup that matched mine.

  “Hey, Jesse.” I managed a smile, even though my heart was pounding. What was he doing here?

  “I was wondering if I might see you tonight.” He slugged back his drink and set the empty cup on a nearby chair.

  “Yeah, well...” I glanced around. “I don’t do fraternity parties, but my roommate dragged me out to this one.” I pointed at the door. “She’s inside, but it was too loud for me.”

  Jesse nodded, holding his hands up to the heat. I closed my eyes, cursing inside. Could I sound any more anti-social?

  “I was an Alpha Delt at SUNY, and my roommate’s brother is the fraternity president here at Birch. He asked me to come over tonight. I figured why not, but then I got here. I’d forgotten how much I hated the parties.”

  I laughed. “Sorry. Why were you in a fraternity if you hate parties?”

  “Hey, there’s more about frats than parties. I joined because I thought it would look good on my resume, and I wanted to be part of something...” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. “Okay. Truth is, I joined to meet girls.”

  “Aha!” I sipped my rum and cola. “And how did that work out for you?”

  He shrugged. “I met my share, I guess. I had some fun. But then after a while parties weren’t really my thing. I’m more of a talking-and-getting-to-know-you guy than a getting-drunk-and-hooking-up-with-skanks kind of guy.”

  “Does that imply that I’m a skank, since here I am at a frat party?”

  Jesse’s eyes widened a bit, and his mouth dropped open. I burst into laughter.

  “Kidding. I’m just kidding. I know what you mean. I’m not a hooking-up-drunk girl. I like to hang out with my friends, but this is a little too much, you know?” I circled my hand to encompass the house.

  “So why are you here?” He hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans.

  “I told you. My roommate made me come with her. I’m a good friend.”

  “Yeah.” He made an elaborate show of looking all around us. “But where is this alleged roommate? And why did she drag you along and then ditch you?”

  “Inside, like I said. Ava didn’t ditch me, she just didn’t want to come outside in the cold.”

  “Hmm.” Jesse nodded. “Does she date an Alpha Delt? Or does she want to?”

  I shook my head. “No. She doesn’t date. She’s very focused on academics.”

  He frowned. “So she decided to make you come with her to a fraternity party? Sorry, I don’t mean to sound stupid, but I’m confused.”

  I shifted my weight. I didn’t do deception well, and trying to come up with a cover story made me uncomfortable. Jesse was a virtual stranger, but still.

  “I don’t know. I guess...a friend of ours, well, someone we both know—he invited us. Ava’s an RA, and so is he. Anyway, here we are. It’s just good to get out sometimes.”

  “That I get.” He grinned, and dimples popped out on both sides of his mouth. My lips may have sagged open. I think I stared. There might even have been drool.

  “Hey, Jules?” Ava stood just beyond the door, her arms wrapped around her middle. The guy who stood next to her looked vaguely familiar. He was just a little taller than me, with short hair, muscular arms and wide shoulders.

  Yeah, that was Jack Duncan.

  Ava looked from Jesse to me, a perplexed frown on her face. And Jack just looked downright confused.

  “Ava, this is Jesse. His dad is Dr. Fleming, remember I told you? Jesse, this is Ava, my roommate. And uh, Jack Duncan.”

  Jesse glanced at me with one eyebrow raised, and I knew he was wondering about Jack. Well, he could keep wondering, because there was no way I was going down that road.

  Ava smiled at Jesse and looked back at me, staring hard. “Jack was just looking for you, Jules.” She shivered and backed away toward the door. “I’m going back inside...for a little bit. Okay?”

  “Sure.” I nodded so she’d know I got her meaning. Music spilled out onto the deck as Ava opened the door and disappeared back into the dimness.

  And then I was alone with two guys who were both looking at me, wondering what to do or say next.

  Jesse moved first. He reached over and offered a hand. “Jesse Fleming. Good to meet you. Are you a Delt?”

  Jack’s face relaxed. This was familiar territory. “Jack Duncan, yeah. You just visiting or...” He shot me a quick look.

  “Grad school. Just started. I was a Delt at SUNY, though. Kyle Martin’s brother was my roommate.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jack nodded. “Kyle’s cool.”

  There wasn’t anything else to say, and we all stood there for an awkward moment.

  “Jesse’s dad is a biology professor, Jack.” I had to speak up, finally. “I work for Dr. Fleming and his wife. As a nanny.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jack pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “Sorry, just checking the...a message.” He tucked it into his back pocket and turned toward me. “Want to go back inside? I’ll get you a drink.” His eyes dropped to the cup still in my hand. “A refill?”

  I wanted to stand out here and keep talking to Jesse. I wanted to see those dimples again, listen to him talk while his eyes fastened on me. For a split second, I wanted to forget Liam Bailey and the idiotic plan for revenge.

  But Jack was staring at me, and I knew he’d agreed to do this as a favor to Giff. Trying to get out of it now wouldn’t work. And the truth was, I was chilly, even with the heater.

  So I smiled up at Jesse and hoped to hell I’d get another chance with him.

  “I guess I’ll see you later.”

  Jack put his hand on my back and steered me inside. I winced at the noise. It must have gone up a few decibels since I’d gone outside earlier.

  “What are you drinking?” Jack snagged a beer from the cooler for himself and glanced up at me.

  “Um. Rum and cola.” I held out my cup. “No ice, please.”

  The soda was flat, but I didn’t say anything. Jack added the rum and passed me the cup. He lifted his beer in a half-hearted sort of toast.

  “Here’s to...shit, I don’t know. New friends?”

  I couldn’t help smiling. Jack Duncan wasn’t my type, not even a little, but so far he seemed to be a pretty good sport.

  “Sure. New friends. And favors.”

  He touched the bottle to my cup and took a long swig. “We’ve got a
bout twenty minutes.” He leaned toward me and kept his voice low, though how anyone could hear us over the thump of the music was beyond me. “I figured we should hang together, look, um, close, in case someone asks questions.”

  Jack’s warm brown eyes were serious, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. He was taking this whole situation very seriously. I wondered what Giff had told him.

  We ended up sitting at the table, sipping our drinks and talking as well as we could over the bass. The few times that people passed through the kitchen or came in to refill their drinks, Jack touched my hand, leaned closer to me or draped one arm behind my chair.

  Ava appeared in the doorway just as Jack and I were laughing at a football story he was telling me. She caught my eye and tapped her wrist.

  “I think that’s our cue.” I stood, pushing the chair back. I wasn’t sure if the dizziness I felt was the rum or the idea that if all went as planned, Liam would see me in a few moments.

  I followed Jack into the living room and dug through a pile of coats until I found mine. He pulled on a worn letterman’s jacket. Wrapping one arm around my waist, he moved toward the door.

  Jack’s eyes scanned the yard as we stepped outside into the still and frigid air. I saw him focus on two figures moving across the grass. He grasped my upper arms and backed me against the wall of the porch.

  “This is improv,” he whispered into my ear. “Just go with it. Be a vixen.”

  “A vixen? What is--”

  Before I could say any more, Jack was kissing my neck, and his hands were under my coat, on my ribs. I heard footfalls on the porch just as Jack spoke again, this time loud enough to be heard.

  “Julia, c’mon. Let’s go back to my room.” He trailed his fingers down my arm and tugged on my hand. I had no choice but to stumble forward into him.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Giff’s blond head. I knew Liam was standing next to him, but I didn’t let myself look. My heart was pounding, and meeting those familiar eyes just might break me.

  Jack had his arm twined around me as we moved to the steps. He raised one hand in Giff’s direction.