“I don’t need anyone to protect me, I know how to take care of myself,” she said, lifting her chin in the air. “I’ve been doing it for twenty-two years.”
“Not from this. I’m sorry, Paula, this is just something that’s none of your business,” he said. “Can’t you just let it go, move on with your life, and pretend none of this ever happened?”
“I can’t walk away from Hattie. I made a commitment; the only way you’re going to get rid of me is to tell her I’ve been snooping,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I won’t quit on my own, which puts the ball in your court.”
“Just promise me you won’t go to that meeting with Alex,” he said with a big sigh. “He’s not a good guy, Paula, no matter how attractive he is. Don’t fall for his charm; it’s all an act.”
“I don’t care about how attractive he is or how charming he is,” she said. “All I care about is a job on his paper.”
He studied her for a second, then let out a sigh, “I wish it were that simple,” he said. “I guess if you’re determined to get tangled up with Alex, it would be better to keep you around. I’m not going to say anything about you snooping to Hattie, but you’d better not do it again.”
She wanted to argue, but he wasn’t making her promise, which left her some wiggle room for later. “Okay, fine, I’ll behave myself,” she said. “And just for the record, I can handle Alex. If he comes on to me, it won’t be the first time that’s happened. I know how to shut a guy like him down easy.”
“You know nothing about a guy like Alex, and I hope you never find out,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “I’m going inside now. This whole afternoon has been exhausting, and I’m supposed to be celebrating the end of the semester.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you,” she said, opening her door and jumping out. “Have a good night.”
Hattie was just pulling the first two layers of the cake out of the oven when she walked in, still annoyed by Ryan’s attempt to run her life. “You’re back,” Hattie said. “How did it go?”
“We had a couple of extra baskets, but we got everyone on the list,” she said, flopping down at the table. “I’m exhausted, but it was a lot of fun. Thanks for letting me help.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Hattie said. “I think you should take the weekend off, go have some fun. The semester is officially over; you should be celebrating.”
“Only one more to go,” she said. “I can’t wait to get a real job, not that this hasn’t been fun. We met a friend of Ryan’s tonight, well…he’s not really a friend, but his dad owns a newspaper. He said he might be able to get me a job when I graduate, and he wants to meet for coffee.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Hattie said, a big smile on her face. “You’re very talented, I’m sure they would be lucky to have you.”
CHAPTER 10
***RYAN***
Ryan wound his way through the packed tables, following the hostess to the back of the restaurant, glad that Abby had thought ahead and reserved a table in the back room for them weeks ago. It looked like every student from Parkhurst College was there that night, and the noise had reached monumental levels as they all celebrated the beginning of winter break. Not even bothering to try to be heard over the crowd when they reached the door to the private room, he mouthed a thank you to the hostess, then slipped inside, relieved by the relative silence that greeted him.
Pausing in the doorway, he looked around, spotted Jackson and Abby right away, and headed their way. They were sitting at a long table with Walker and Maddie chatting with a waitress, a woman they’d all known since their freshman year. He grabbed an empty chair, not wanting to interrupt, and waited until there was a pause in the conversation.
“Who did you have to bribe to get this table?” he asked, when Marline paused to tap their orders into the tablet in her hands. “It’s a madhouse out there.”
“A little planning and a big deposit,” Abby said, grinning at him. “I’ll let you know what your share is after dinner.”
“Hey, Ryan, do you want something to drink?” Marline asked. “I’m headed that way right now.”
“Oh, hey, Marline, I’d love a soda if it’s not too much trouble,” he said. “Maybe you should just make it a pitcher. The rest of the guys can share with me when they get here.”
“No problem,” Marline said. “I’ll be right back.”
Before Marline could make it through the door, Cooper and Stephanie walked in and were able to give her their drink order as well. “This is nice,” Cooper said when they joined them. “I’m ready for a little fun. Last semester was brutal. Changing my major at the last minute is killing me.”
“What are you complaining about? Abby and I have to study for our regular classes plus the MCAT, you’ve got it easy,” Jackson said. “Medical school will be a breeze after this.”
None of them had seen Taylor and Emily walk up. “Are we having a competition to see who has it worse?” Taylor asked, helping Emily into her chair. “Because I think we’ve got you all beat, getting ready for a baby, studying for the LSAT, and all our regular classwork.”
“I’d just like to point out that you’re not the one growing that baby,” Maddie said, pointing at Taylor. “Emily is doing all the work, so maybe she’s the one who has us all beaten.”
“What’s Emily doing?” Aaron asked, sliding into the seat next to him. “We must have missed something.”
“She’s growing a baby, which seems to trump all of our complaints about how hard last semester was,” he explained. “Since I have no idea what she’s going through, I’m going to give her that one.”
“Well, we can always compete for second place,” Gabe said from across the table. “But honestly, I don’t think last semester was all that hard. I mean, we had a few problems and everything, but it all turned out fine in the end, though, so…”
