‘Yup,’ Els agreed. ‘She got the stomach flu last year and hissed at anyone that came near her.’
‘I’m standing right here,’ Joss huffed, slanting a dangerous look our way. With her tip-tilted gray eyes she really knew how to give good glare.
‘And we’d like you to remain there if you’re going to be sick.’
Ellie giggled at me. Joss did not.
‘You’re lucky I like you, Olivia Holloway.’
I grinned at her and replied meaningfully, ‘Don’t I know it.’
She flicked her gaze up at me. ‘I can’t be crabby when you’re being cute.’
‘And my genius plan works.’
Joss snorted and then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.
We waited as she took deep breaths until finally she turned to us. ‘I’m fine.’ She moved over to the table in the corner and settled into a chair. ‘Those mojitos are definitely not working for me.’
Without having to be asked, Ellie poured Joss a glass of water and we joined her at the table. To my chagrin, the first thing Ellie said was, ‘So? Dougie. Yes?’
‘No. I’m …’ I shrugged, deciding to give them a little of the truth. ‘There’s a guy at the library. I like him.’
Ellie grinned, curiosity sparking bright in her pale eyes. ‘Fair enough. Do you work with him?’
‘He’s a student. Postgrad.’ My tone said, ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ and, surprisingly, Ellie let it go.
Instead of giving me the Spanish inquisition on him, she asked, ‘How is work?’
‘Good. It’ll be hard to get promoted but, you know, it’s a good atmosphere and I like my colleagues. I don’t think I’ll be leaving anytime soon. What about you?’
‘I’ve almost finished my PhD and the university is discussing giving me a year contract with them as a course lecturer. They’re impressed with me and my thesis, so they pulled me aside yesterday to let me know that they’re considering me.’
Ellie was a scholar in art history. I didn’t know much about it, but I did know that she’d dreamed of a career in academia just like her stepdad, Clark, so this was huge news.
‘You didn’t tell me that,’ Joss said softly, delicately picking at a sandwich.
Ellie shrugged modestly. ‘I wasn’t sure whether to mention it or not in case it falls through.’
‘It won’t, Els,’ Joss replied firmly. ‘I’m proud of you.’
‘Me too.’
She smiled gratefully at us. ‘Thanks.’
‘It means I’ll probably be consulting with you on research materials for the library.’
‘Yup. Maybe you can point out Library Guy while I’m there.’
I nodded, then took a large gulp of my mojito. Why, when I thought of Benjamin, did I no longer feel butterflies and a rush of possibility?
16
I was happy.
Truly, peacefully, happy.
And I had no intention of analyzing it.
Analyzing it was sure to kill all the happy.
Lying with my head on a cushion, my legs stretched out across Nate’s lap, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as he watched the movie and absentmindedly stroked my ankle.
Our sexual relationship had only escalated over the last two weeks, until nearly all of my inhibitions were gone. Sex with Nate was easy. I didn’t feel self-conscious. I wasn’t constantly worrying if I was doing it wrong.
My confidence had grown, yet still I was avoiding Benjamin. Instead I was lost in this world of sex and laughter and fun with Nate. We still hung out, but now it was intermingled with sexy time.
Freakin’ awesome sexy time.
We never hung out at Nate’s – I’d never even seen his place – because he said he preferred my apartment, so he often used the key I had given him. Today I was especially pleased to come home and find him on my couch, eating my potato chips and watching TV. I’d just had ‘the dinner’ with Dee that Dad had suggested a few weeks ago, and up until I saw Nate in my space I’d been feeling a little raw.
I bent to kiss his temple to let him know I was happy to see him and then I got changed into a silky nightdress Nate had bought me. When I came back into the room he took one look at my face and patted the couch beside him. I sat down and let him enfold me in a hug.
‘You okay?’ he asked, pressing a kiss to my hair.
‘It was just … It’s fine. We just talked about Mom. It always takes it out of me.’
In response he cuddled me for a while. It felt wonderful.
Nate’s phone buzzed on the table and I pulled my legs off his lap so he could reach it. He flicked the screen, his eyebrows drawing together as he read the text message he’d just received.
‘Everything okay?’
‘It’s Cam,’ he murmured. ‘I think he’s getting suspicious. Wondering why I’m busy all the time.’
‘Just tell him you’re busy getting busy. He doesn’t need to know who with.’
‘I’ve been getting busy so much lately, he’s bound to know it must be with just one woman and he’ll want to know who. Even I can’t find a new sexual partner every day.’
‘We’re not having sex every day.’