Page 25 of Between the Lines
“Penelope!”
“What?” She sips her tequila sunrise and lifts a brow as ifshe’soffended. “I clearly have a dry-spell-curse over here. I’m just trying to be a good wing woman.”
She points over my shoulder again and I humor her with a look. Sure, the dude has great hair—and dare I say, it would probably be nice to tug on? But he isn’t doing it for me. When I turn back around and shake my head, quirking my lips as if to apologize, Penelope’s head dips backwards on a groan.
“Okay. Try…” She taps her chin, her lips pursed, her blue eyes sparkling as she points to my right.
“Don’tpoint!” I exclaim, grabbing her wrist.
“Okay, but if Sad-Sack McGee wasn’t doing it for you, then maybe that tatted up biker guywill. Oh, shit, Claire, he wouldcrackyour pelvis.”
Lucy’s eyes widen. Juliet hides her nose in Sam’s bicep. The guys pretend to be interested in their beers. I put my head in my hands.
“Sorry. Did you not want your pelvis cracked? I just figured that was the opposite of the love making the other guy would’ve given you.”
She says it all so nonchalantly that I have to laugh.
“It’s not that. I just don’t have time for men right now.”
“Okay, but youalsodidn’t have time for men in high school when my love sick brother begged you to go to prom with him.Twice.”
Actually, I didn’t have time for prom either time because Matthewhad soccer and Mom went on a “Mom-cation” with some of her friends that weekend.
“Your brother’s not my type.”
She ruffles my hair.
“I know. He’s gross. He isn’tanyone’stype.”
“What’s Connor up to these days?” I ask, reaching for an onion ring as soon as the order hits the table.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” she shrugs. “He and I don’t really keep up. He’s got that shiny rich father who claimed him a few years ago, so he’s in the city a lot.”
Despite Penelope’s rough exterior, I do see the hint of sadness in her eyes. It’s only there for a fraction of a moment before she zeroes in on me again.
“Youcouldhit him up. I’m sure he’s got some sort of inheritance that would set you up for life,andyou could solve that whole ‘I don’t have time for men’ bullshit since you already know him.”
She waggles her eyebrows and smirks, and I shove her in the shoulder.
“You should date Penelope’s brother!” Aaron interjects. “Ilovelove.”
“He’s not my type,” I say again, tilting my head as the fleeting thought of Penelope’s half-brother Connor crosses my mind. Boyish, almost like Peter Pan. Connor won’t ever grow up. And if his bio-dad can give him a taskless position in his corporation and set Connor up for life, he’ll do just fine on his own. But I don’t want a taskless future. I want someone who will stimulate my mind. Someone who will meet me where I’m at, and lift me higher. I want someone like…
“Oh, hey! Nate! You made it!”
My heartpalpitates. There is no other word for the clashing of those two thoughts.
Nathan Harding strides toward our table like he’s both entirely out of place and on a mission at the same time.
What the fuck is he doing here?
“Bro, what the fuck is Harding doing here?” Penelope whispers, her drink covering her mouth as she leans closer to my ear.
Stole the words right out of my mouth.
“Aaron and Sam were talking about how he holes up in his office all the time,” Lucy says. “They must’ve invited him.”
Lucy shrugs, then smiles and greets our assistant principal with an enthusiastic,Hey, Nathan!Juliet follows suit. Penelope looks stunned but intrigued as she wraps her tongue around her straw, and for a second, I think she has the hots for the AP. And then, I realizewhyshe’s staring.