I considered evading his question, then remembered that was what Mellie Version 106 would have done. I lifted my chin. “I might as well. I figure it’s time to go into the office anyway. It’s been a while.”
I thought I saw a flicker of compassion in his eyes, but it quickly vanished. “Do what you want, but I won’t be there.” He ran up the steps to the admissions building, where we’d start the tour with a formal presentation. He stopped at the top to hold the door open for me, allowing me to swallow the lump in my throat and regain my composure. As I passed by him, he touched my arm and I stopped, my heart hopeful but my head resigned.
“We do need to talk. About us. I just need a little more time. I’m still so angry with you that I can barely think straight. I never thought that I could want someone as much as I want you, while at the same time never wanting to see you again. Every time I look at you, I can’t help but remember how you betrayed my trust. It’s a hard thing to get over.”
I took a deep breath. “You still want me?”
He dipped his head and chuckled. “Oh, Mellie. You certainly have a way of hearing only what you want to hear. Yes, I still want you. But it’s just not that easy.”
I wanted to tell him that it was, but he was pressing his hand against my back, guiding me toward the large room where he made sure he was seated between Veronica and Nola so there was no place for me next to him.
* * *
? ? ?
Following the presentation, we were led around the campus by an undergraduate student named Alex who was tall and dark and handsome and had Alston and Lindsey giggling and flirting like they weren’t the smart, competent young women I knew them to be.
Nola was more circumspect since Cooper, Alston’s elder brother and a senior cadet at the Citadel, would be moving to California to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering following graduation in May. They hadn’t technically been dating—mostly because of the age difference—but they really were great together. Cooper had even helped us solve a puzzle surrounding the cistern, and Jack liked him. Except Nola was still in high school and Cooper was ready to make his mark on the world. She’d cried for two whole days before rousing herself enough to watch with me the DVD collection of Hallmark Christmas movies she’d given me.
I don’t know if it was my comforting presence or her inability to take another happy ending that roused her enough to get dressed and leave the house again. Maybe a brokenhearted person just needed to be with another brokenhearted person to recognize that wallowing in self-pity wasn’t going to help. At least it had worked for her. I had remained on the couch and finished watching the entire collection, but that hadn’t helped, either.
When Alex announced that part of the tour included one of the dorms, Jack said, “I think we can skip that since we’ve already decided on which dorm you’ll live in if you end up coming here.”
“?‘We’?” Nola stressed.
“Yes, ‘we.’ The people who will be paying your tuition. Which are the only opinions that matter.”
I slid a glance at him, wondering if he’d been including me in the “we,” but decided by his expression and Nola’s that this wasn’t the best time to ask.
“But what if I don’t like it?”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s the only all-female dorm. So you can stay there. Or live at home. Your choice.”
Nola’s expression was that of a teenager being sent to a convent in Siberia. She stopped walking, crossed her arms. “That’s not fair!”
Jack kept walking. “Sure it is. I’ve given you two really great options. Do you know how many people would give anything to live in a historic Charleston home?”
Nola rolled her eyes as Alston and Lindsey joined us. “If it’s got three-occupancy bedrooms so the three of us could be together, I’d be fine with that,” Alston said.
“Which dorm is it?” Lindsey asked, opening the folder we’d each been given at the presentation.
“Buist Rivers,” Jack said with enthusiasm.
“Ugh,” Nola said. “It’s so old. And it’s the only dorm on the entire campus with a hall bathroom. No, thank you.”
I pulled out my spreadsheet. “It’s really not that old, Nola. It was built in 1963, but it’s been heavily renovated since then.”
Nola wrinkled her nose. “Like I said. Old. I might as well live at home.”
“As I mentioned, that could be arranged,” Jack said as we stopped at the perimeter of the tour group gathering in front of the brick-and-glass Stern Student Center.
Alex began to talk about the “awesome” food choices on campus. Even his mention of vegan selections didn’t erase Nola’s frown.
Veronica approached and put her arm around Nola. “You’ll get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that,” she said lightly, her gaze meeting mine over Nola’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged. “Jack has ‘opinions’ about Nola’s living arrangements.”
Nola gave an exaggerated sigh. “If I decide on the College of Charleston, then I have the option of either living in the only all-girls dorm or living at home.”
Veronica stilled, her smile slipping. “Which dorm is that?”
“Buist Rivers. It’s ancient. The Kelly House apartments are newer and so much nicer. And they’re pink.” She glared at the back of Jack’s head. “But Dad doesn’t seem to care what I want.”
Nola slunk away to stand with Lindsey and Alston closer to the front, near Alex. The faint scent of Vanilla Musk teased my nostrils, letting me know why Veronica’s mood had abruptly changed.
“Was that Adrienne’s dorm?” I asked quietly. It was the perfume her sister had worn, a guaranteed tell that Adrienne was near.
Veronica nodded. “Room 210. Her body was discovered in a janitor’s closet on the same floor.”
“Why don’t we skip it, then?” I suggested.
“I don’t think it’s the dorm on the tour, but I was hoping we could get inside anyway. Adrienne might want to show you something.”
“I really don’t—”
“What are you two whispering about?” Michael leaned in between us. “Are you finding conflicting data on Melanie’s spreadsheet? Maybe a column’s too wide?”