“Enjoy your night, and say hi to Paige and Tonya.” If it was Paige moving to London and asking to stay, I’d have zero hesitation.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Break a leg, babe. Though not literally.” She giggles, and I’m guessing she’s had a few vodka cranberries tonight.
“Love you.”
“Right back at ya, Irish.”
“Laters.” I hang up and take the next right, heading toward the club.
I’m exhausted when I make it home at seven that night. Immediately, I’m accosted with a delicious aroma. Smells like something made with tomatoes and garlic. I frown as I dump my things and hang up my coat. The overhead lights are out, and the only illumination is the flickering of candles lit around the room.
“Perfect timing.” Gwen materializes in front of me, and I blink repeatedly, unsure if I’m seeing things in the dim light.
“What did you do to your hair?”
“I dyed it.” She toys with a few strands of golden-blonde hair. “They do say blondes have more fun, and London is a fresh start for me, so I thought it was time for a new look.” She runs a hand down the front of her dress, sashaying her hips and letting the material dance around her hips. It’s the kind of dress Astrid would wear, and on her, I’d think it’s pretty, but it just looks all wrong on Gwen. “I got a new dress too. What do you think?”
“What’re you doing?” My suspicion threads through my tone, but I don’t give a fuck.
Faux innocent eyes land on mine. “What do you mean?”
“All this.” I point at the dining table, which is set for two with flowers and candles on top of it. From the aroma wafting from the kitchen, I’m guessing she cooked, though maybe not because it actually smells appetizing. The whole setup screams romance, and I’m instantly on edge. “What the fuck are you up to?”
“I’m not up to anything, Cal.” The exuberance disappears from her tone, and the gleeful smile drops off her face. “I wanted to celebrate finally finding an apartment. I’ll be moving out on Sunday, so I cooked you a thank-you dinner. I wanted to make it nice, and I didn’t realize that was a crime.” She stomps past me and flicks on the lights. “I even bought dinner from that Italian place you like, because I know you don’t like my cooking, but I guess I shouldn’t have bothered.”
A sob trickles into the air as she flips switches on the cooker before heading in the direction of the bedrooms, her high heels clicking off the wooden floors.
Fan. Astrid will bust my balls if I upset her bestie again. I’m not buying the act for a second, but if she is moving out, I can at least pretend I appreciate the gesture. “Gwen, wait.” I scrub my hands down my face as I prepare to eat humble pie. “I’m sorry. This is a lovely gesture, and we shouldn’t let the food go cold. It’s great you found a place.”
She turns around so fast I have whiplash looking at her. “Yay!” She swats at her tears. “Go sit, and I’ll serve up dinner.”
“Leave the lights on,” I call out as she strides past me, loosening my tie and tugging it over my head. I fling it onto a chair and drape my jacket on the back before leaning down and blowing all the candles out.
I draw the line at a romantic dinner for two, and if she wants to turn on the waterworks, she can try. She’ll find it won’t work on me.
Surprisingly, she says nothing, beaming like she’s the dog’s bollix as she sets a plate of chicken with pasta and a glass of water in front of me.
49
ASTRID
“What’s wrong?” Paige asks the second she enters our dorm and sees my face.
“I did what you said. I called all three London colleges and”—I pause to draw a breath, placing my hand over my heart, willing it to calm down—“they all said the same thing. That I’d withdrawn my applications a few days after submitting them.”
“What the fuck?” Paige sinks onto the bed beside me.
“What the hell is going on?” My voice cracks. I’ve been under a lot of strain these past few weeks as I waited to find out if I’d gotten a place in one of the colleges I’d applied to. The adviser on campus here told me not to stress. That places for international students are awarded all the way up until June. But I’m due to move to London in three weeks, and I needed to know. So, on Paige’s advice, I called them, and they dropped the bomb. “I know I didn’t rescind my applications, but I still checked my sent items to be sure. The cancellation emails did not come from me, even though all three said the communications came from the same email address.”
“If it’d happened with one of the applications, you could’ve said maybe it was an honest mistake. Someone mixed you upwith a different applicant, but all three? Nah. That’s not a mistake or a coincidence. Someone wanted to sabotage you.” Paige’s gaze darkens. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think this is Gwen.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Is it?” Paige quirks an eye. “There is something off about that girl, and I know, I know, you’ve known her since you were eight and she’s like a sister to you, but you are blind to her faults, Astrid. You refuse to see what others see.”
“You don’t like her, and you want to see the bad in her all the time.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I can’t bite my tongue any longer.” Paige takes out her cell and swipes her finger to open the screen, tapping away before thrusting it at me. “Look at her Insta, and tell me you don’t see it.”
