“Office romances are never a good idea.”
“So, you break up, and you go back to avoiding her. Like you are now, but you get a few months of decent sex out of it.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You should consider it, at least. She seems nice.”
Nice. That was a good way to sum Lily up.Too nice for Eva. Too nice and too meek, and yet, she showed that sliver of steel whenever they argued. That spark of something that held Eva’s attention.
But it didn’t matter—Eva wasn’t going to listen to what Kate said. She only had to make it through one more night, then two more days at school, and a Lily-free summer would spread out before her.
By the time they started back again in September, Eva would be over all of it.
Chapter 21
“You made drugs, Miss Cross?”Frankie’s eyes widened at the admission, and Lily regretted being so blasé in reference to her former job.
Lily was quick to clarify. “Pharmaceutical drugs. Like aspirin.”
“That’s cool.” Frankie, along with a few of the other kids, had lingered in the lobby to ask her questions about the afternoon. “How?”
“Short answer: chemistry. Long answer: with a lot of research, chemical synthesis and engineering. Not to mention what happens after you’ve developed a product. It takes years for one to be approved—if they ever are at all.”
“And you can do that with a chemistry major?” Alison, one of the other students asked, and Lily nodded.
“You can do all sorts of things with a chemistry major. Forensics, chemical engineering, pharmacology. Not to mention things like sales, scientific writing or journalism.”
Frankie’s mouth opened, but Daphne spoke before he could ask anything else. “I think that’s enough questions for Miss Cross, don’t you? It’s your last night here. Go and enjoy your freedom.”
A whole evening—so long as they were back by nine—stretched out before them, and the kids hurried off with a quick good-bye.
“You were great today, Lily,” Paige said, following Lily to the elevators. “You even taught me a few things.”
“Thanks.” Lily’s cheeks felt warm, buoyed by the praise and from the afternoon, having the luxury of Georgetown’s chemistry department at her disposal. If only Lily could get a bigger equipment budget at Greenfield. She’d be unstoppable.
“Coming to drinks tonight?” Paige said.
Lily nodded. The alternative was staying in the room, alone, so she may as well spend her time surrounded by others and drinking margaritas in the hotel lobby.
“Great. We’re meeting at six, so I’ll see you in an hour.”
Lily retreated to her room for a much-needed shower, relieved to find it empty. She hadn’t seen where Eva had disappeared off to when they’d arrived back at the hotel—too busy being swarmed by curious students—but clearly, she still had better places to be.
Lily took her time getting ready, not bothered if she was a few minutes late to meet the others. In hindsight, she should have gotten changed in the bathroom—she was, after all, not the only person with a key to the room—but Lily hadn’t seen Eva this side of midnight all week, so she figured it would be safe enough.
Such complacency was a mistake, it turned out, when she heard the sound of the door clicking open.
Half-naked, Lily scrambled for the dress she’d left on the bed to cover herself—but not before Eva got an eyeful.
“For fuck’s sake, Lily!” Eva whirled around to face the door, and Lily wriggled into the dress, cheeks blazing hot.
“Sorry! I didn’t think you’d be coming back.” Lily smoothed down the skirt with trembling hands. “You can turn around now. I’m decent.”
Eva did, her own cheeks pink, and Lily thought about the way Eva’s shocked gaze had lingered for just a second too long on Lily’s breasts.
“Decent is up for debate,” Eva said, shrugging out of her jacket and tossing it on the bed. The blouse she was wearing beneath it had two buttons undone, gaping open to reveal a tempting expanse of smooth skin Lily could remember pressing her tongue against.
“What’s that supposed to mean? There’s nothing wrong with this dress.” It was one of the nicest ones she owned, tight and blue, bought for a wedding a couple of years before.
