Page 35 of Frat House Fling

Dave tried to regain control of the conversation. “Look, Hailey, we don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but our parties have a certain reputation. Bennett’s right, you can’t attend looking like that.” Dave liked to party as much as the next man, but he wasn’t a bad guy at heart. I didn’t know if Hailey would agree with that, though, until we found out what he would say next.

“You have to wear a dress, obviously,” he said.

“A short dress,” Bennett added. “Not a tent or something that makes you look like a grandmother.”

“Agreed,” said Dave, as if he had signed on to be Hailey’s legal representation.

Hailey had her back to the railing and her arms across her chest. She might have meant to look stern but all she really looked was cold.

It wasn’t right. She didn’t deserve to be in the situation.

“And high heels,” Bennett added.

“And makeup,” Grant said. He shrugged when I glared at him. “What? They’re right, we do have a reputation to uphold.” He seemed to be confusing notoriety with reputation.

“I don’t have a dress like that,” Hailey said softly.

“I already found you the perfect one, but you refused to wear it,” Bennett said. Had he really gotten her a French maid costume? I slanted my eyes at Theo, who nodded. Did everyone know about that except me?

Ignoring Bennett, I addressed Hailey. “Do you have a friend you can borrow one from?”

She thought it over for a moment. “Yes, I guess so”

“Is she single?” Dave asked and we laughed.

Hailey fidgeted nervously and took a step forward. She looked like a scared little lamb among the wolves. “I’m really notsure I should be at your party. I took this job to cook and clean. I don’t know anything about mixing or serving drinks.”

“This is part of the job,” Bennett said.

“And we can help you,” Theo said. I assumed he meant about serving drinks, not the dress. Then he threw me to the wolves, too. “Ian worked the bar a lot when he was a pledge. He can help you out.”

Great. I hadn’t even planned on making more than a quick appearance at the party and now I’d be working it. But the look on Hailey’s face, like I’d just thrown her a life preserver, made it impossible to object. “Sure.”

That erased some of the tension in her posture, but not all. We all knew that she wasn’t the type of girl to go to frat parties, and yet when Bennett decided something, it usually happened. I didn’t have to like it, though.

Hailey waited a few more seconds, glancing around the balcony, as if waiting to see if more bad news was heading her way. When no one said anything else, she picked up her tray and escaped into the suite.

I tried again. “Maybe it’s not the best idea to have her working the bar. She’s not twenty-one yet, is she?”

Theo shook his head. “She’s twenty.”

Bennett dismissed that. “That’s what lawyers are for.” But we all knew we weren’t likely to be challenged. Both on campus and off, people knew that the Forsythe family wasn’t to be messed with. And those who tried usually regretted it.

The conversation grew less contentious as the night wore on. Everyone out here was my brother, and I was linked to them all. And friends with them all, more or less. The purpose of a fraternity wasn’t that we’d all be carbon copies of each other. We were very different people, but I’d learned to get along with everyone. Even Bennett, at least when he wasn’t on a power trip. Which seemed to be happening more often these days.

Eventually, I knew I had to get back to my room to hit the books. Everyone groaned when I stood up. I was almost always the first person to leave. But I didn’t have the family connections the others did. I had to work my ass off, and deep down, they knew it.

I jogged down the stairs and did a double take when I saw Hailey on the landing, skulking in the corner. What was she doing here?

“Hi,” she said.

“What’s up?”

“Um, thanks for what you said out there. For standing up for me.” She looked down, her dark eyelashes brushing against her cheeks, and I felt guilty I hadn’t done more. But at least I could look out for her at the party.

“Anytime.” It was an automatic response, but it was rather depressing how frequently things like this might happen to her before the summer was over.

“Can I ask you something?” she said, proving that she could.