This Point Forward Read online

  “Is that all?”

  “Isn’t that enough?”

  “List implies more than two things. Look,” I said. “I’m not looking to get engaged or even have a serious thing. He’s just a nice guy and I thought we could hang out a bit. That’s all.” It was tempting to tell Kaylee the truth, but it felt so ridiculously pathetic that I couldn’t bring myself to. I know we’d all gotten mad at her for keeping her secret about her parents for so long, but this was different. Her problems were big real problems that we totally would have understood. I was just embarrassed and wanted to show Dave I was over him. And that was embarrassing enough that I didn’t want to admit it to my friends.

  I started down the stairs again, hoping she wouldn’t push it. She didn’t and we walked down in a tense silence until we got to the bottom. I stopped and turned toward her. “Where are you going?”

  She gave me an exasperated look. “I don’t know. You said to come with you!”

  After a moment of duh, I threw my arms around her and squeezed her tight. “Ugh, I’m being horrible, aren’t I? I’m sorry. You know I love you, right?”

  She rolled her eyes, but grinned at me. “Of course. One Emmie hug and it’s all better.”

  “Of course it is! You could come with me to see Rob...”

  She frowned and raised an eyebrow. “No thanks.”

  It took me a second to remember. “Oh right, the fence.”

  Her curt nod confirmed it. Rob had patched up the fence at the dean’s orders, effectively keeping the Westwood boys out. Including Kaylee’s hot future duke. “You can’t hold a grudge forever, Kaylee. He was just doing his job.”

  Her look told me she didn’t care and was planning to hold that grudge for a very long time. At least the foreseeable future, anyway.

  I was about to leave her, but then realized maybe I could try to solve my other problem. “So hey, do you have plans for tonight?” I asked, happy to change the subject from Robert.

  “Oh yes, I have big plans,” she deadpanned. “My parents are couch-surfing God knows where and my hot boyfriend left for England this morning. My dance card is just about full. Though I might be able to squeeze you in if you have something really spectacular lined up.”

  When did Kaylee get so funny? I smiled at her and asked, “Want to help me dye my hair? I’m tired of this black and last time I did it myself, I got dye all over Brooklyn’s bed.” I thought about the events that debacle had brought about and definitely didn’t need a repeat, even though Brooklyn wasn’t even in the country. Though Kaylee probably didn’t know about what had happened between Brooklyn and Dave in my bed. At least, I hoped she didn’t. I’d told Brooklyn it was okay and in the big picture shouldn’t have been bothered by it, since I broke up with him. But that he’d kissed her in my bed when he’d known it wasn’t me? That hurt. And it was one more notch in my humiliation tally. I was determined not to be petty about it, but that didn’t mean I wanted to talk about it.

  “Sure,” she said with a shrug.

  She didn’t look all that enthused about it. Not that I could blame her. “We can shop and watch some movies, too. Maybe that will help get your mind off your duke.”

  That made her smile. “Future duke. Right now, he’s just a marquess.”

  “But of course,” I said with a British accent and an arch look.

  “Go,” she said, looking down the hall over my shoulder. “I just saw your cute handyman peek his head out of the lounge and smile when his eyes landed on you. Though he ran back in when he saw me; he must know what I think of him.”

  I resisted turning around just then, though my heart did a little flutter. “Really? He’s looking for me?”

  She nodded, smirking. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  I winked at her and gave her another quick hug. “See you later.”

  Slowly I turned around, but the hall was empty, though it was still kind of thrilling that he was anxious to see me. I got about ten feet from the door when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I almost ignored it, figuring it was Rob being cute while he waited for me, but then realized maybe it was his sister and I definitely wanted to hear from her, even if it was just to get her new cell number.

  I pulled the phone from my pocket, but it wasn’t Brooklyn or Rob. It was Dave. That stopped me in my tracks. Taking a deep breath, I read his message.

  Whats w Brooklyn’s phone? Disconnected? She w you?

  Oh my God; he doesn’t know. She hadn’t told him. A sudden wave of anger washed over me as I realized I was going to have to be the one to tell him that Brooklyn had gone back to London, without giving him a definitive answer on if she wanted to date him. Like it wasn’t all awkward enough?

  I shook my head and told myself to calm down, sure she would have told him if she’d had the chance and probably planned to get a hold of him as soon as she got access to a phone. She’d learned her father was gravely ill and had then lost her phone. Of course she would have told him if she hadn’t been under so much stress. I took a deep breath and looked at my cell because it was still crazy awkward.

  I pressed the button on the phone to turn off the screen, hating myself a little for ignoring Dave’s message. I’d never been a coward before, but it appeared today was the day when I chickened out in talking to him. At least for now. I’d definitely check in with him later, though hopefully Brooklyn would get to him first so I wouldn’t have to explain.

  And anyway, I had a new boyfriend to land first. Pushing the guilt away, I slipped the phone in my pocket and took the last few steps to the lounge and Rob.

  Famous Last Words

  The smile that greeted me as I walked into the lounge was nothing less than dazzling, making my heart thump hard in my chest. Yeah, Rob was totally a hottie with his dark hair that always looked perfect and his chocolaty brown eyes. Don’t even get me started on his Cupid’s bow lips that were almost always in a smirk, either. Something about a cocky guy really got me going. And Rob wasn’t just a hottie, he was a mature hottie, which made him even more delicious.

  “Hi,” I said, sliding into the chair next to him at one of the tables. God he smelled good, like cologne and soap mixed in that perfect combination. I leaned in a bit to get a good sniff without being obvious about it. He stopped fiddling with his phone and shoved it in his pocket; a gesture that earned him major brownie points.

  “Hey,” he said giving me his full attention, which was suddenly a little disconcerting.

  “Uh, so. Brooklyn get off okay?”

  His smile dissolved a little as he nodded. “Yeah. At least, I assume so. I pretty much just dropped her off at the terminal and left.”

  He looked concerned, which wrenched my heart a little. I wondered if he was sorry he hadn’t gone with her. I mean, complicated or not, it was still his dad.

  “How are you doing?” I asked, looking into his amazing eyes. The way he was looking at me now, I realized part of the appeal was the way he seemed to see everything with those eyes. Which also made him a little bit scary.

  He stared at me for a long moment and it was like he was searching inside me for something. I don’t know what, but it made me want to squirm. I swallowed and held his gaze, somehow managing to keep still.

  Finally, he said, “I’m fine. Thanks. A bit tired; I didn’t sleep great last night.”

  I wasn’t surprised to hear it, based on the dark circles under his eyes. “Would you have gone home if you hadn’t just started your job here?”

  Rob took a deep breath and let it out before he looked away and said, “I don’t know.”

  “I know how it is with parents,” I said, touching his arm lightly to get his attention so he could see I really could empathize. “Mine, well...we don’t really see eye to eye, so I get it.”

  He looked down at my hand on him and I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Was it too personal? Did he not like to be touched, even by friends? We didn’t really know each other that well, so I didn’t even know if he considered me a friend
. I pulled back, tears suddenly pricking at my eyes at the thought of offending him. “Sorry,” I said quickly, heat rising up my cheeks, making me curse my fair complexion; there was no way he wouldn’t notice me blushing.

  Frowning and cocking his head, he asked, “Sorry for what?”

  Urg. “Touching you?”

  After a moment, while I held my breath, he smiled and I swear his cheeks got a little pink, too. “No, it’s totally okay, Em. I just...your hand was warm and I guess I wasn’t expecting it. I’m not myself today after like no sleep, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m a bit thick.”

  I nodded and let out a slow, relieved breath as I thought of something else to say to change the subject. What I really wanted to do was give him a hug, but I didn’t dare. Not yet.

  “So, she must have lost her phone,” I said.

  “Who?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Your sister?”

  “Right,” he said.

  “I assume you haven’t tried to text her.”

  “No. How do you know she lost it?” he asked, looking confused.

  “She’s already canceled it. If you try to call or text, it won’t go through.”

  “Oh.”

  “Will you let me know when she gets home?” I asked, mostly because it was another excuse for him and me to connect, but also because I did care about my roommate, too.

  “Sure,” he said, making this now pretty much the most boring conversation I’d ever had.

  “So...”

  He looked at me, eyebrows raised.

  “Want to do something?”

  He smirked. “Besides hang out in the lounge and make awkward conversation?”

  So he’d noticed, too. I smiled and said, “Well, as stimulating as this is...”

  “We could watch a movie,” he jerked his chin toward the TV on the other side of the room. Beside it was a cabinet fully stocked with DVDs.

  I nodded, liking the idea of cozying up with him on the sofa. “Sure. Want to go get some snacks first?”

  “Always,” he said, making me laugh. He pushed his chair back in and stood, waiting for me to do the same. Very gentlemanly. In fact, Brooklyn’s brother was the epitome of manners. Stealing a glance at him as we walked together out of the lounge, I realized he was pretty much the perfect guy.

  I also realized in that second that I’d at one time thought Dave was the perfect guy and look how that had turned out. Well, Dave was still perfect, just not perfect for me. But this guy...only one little thing would make him more perfect.

  Rob grinned at me, “What?” he asked as I stared at him, wondering...

  Oops. Busted.

  I was helpless to stop another hot flush running up my face.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “Come on, what is it?”

  I shook my head, suddenly feeling shy.

  “Em, you have to tell me. What’s going through that pretty head of yours?”

  Then, because he’d said I had a pretty head and my mouth was suddenly working ahead of my brain and I couldn’t possibly blush any more, I blurted out, “Do you have any tattoos?”

  I felt him looking me, but couldn’t meet his eyes.

  “That’s kind of personal,” he said, but I could tell from his tone he was surprised at the question. I had half a second to wonder what he’d been expecting before he said, “Why are you asking?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a question.”

  “If I said yes, would you tell me you want to see them?”

  Oh, I had been so wrong about not being able to blush more. “I guess it depends where they are,” I said.

  “Above the waist?” he asked, teasing.

  “Does that mean you have one?”

  He looked at me sideways. “Hypothetically. Answer the question.”

  Is it getting warm in here? I nodded, loving the idea of seeing him without his shirt and it’s not like that would be actual nudity.

  “What about below the waist?” he said, his voice low and smooth. I looked up into his half-closed eyes and suddenly understood what Brooklyn had meant when she’d said he was a charmer who left broken hearts wherever he went. I seriously felt an urge to fan myself.

  “Maybe not,” I gurgled, tamping down the thread of panic over this conversation that was taking a very dangerous turn. I realized I was the one to put us on this road but I was suddenly in way over my head. Dave and I had dated for months, and we’d flirted and made out but it had never been like this, so charged with electricity.

  He stared at me, waiting for me to explain.

  “You are my roommate’s brother, after all.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I wasn’t really thinking when I asked. Forget it; I don’t want to know.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, then. Tell me about your tattoos, then.”

  Glancing over, I caught it as he gave me a quick down and up look, like he was trying to figure out where I was inked. I hated to ruin the moment for him, but, “I don’t have any,” I said, sort of thankful that would be the end to our conversation.

  Looking back up to my eyes, he gave me that cocky grin and said. “Yet?”

  Ugh. I shouldn’t have said anything. I hardly wanted to remind him I wasn’t eighteen and that I’d never get parental consent in a million years. My mother was so old school and would go absolutely nuts if I even mentioned the idea of a tattoo. And to be honest, I wasn’t really into them for me, I just thought they were way sexy on guys. “I haven’t quite decided what to get,” I said casually. “I just thought maybe if you had any, I could get some ideas.”

  “Right. You wanted some ideas,” he said with a nod, but I could tell by that mischievous look in his eye that he didn’t really believe me. Brooklyn was right about her brother being smart, but I wondered if she knew how honed his BS meter was.

  “So,” I said, desperate to change the subject. Again. “How’s that maintenance man thing going?”

  He glanced over at me and it was like he was trying to see if I was being sarcastic. Which I wasn’t; I just didn’t want to talk about body parts anymore.

  “Why?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

  “I’m just making conversation,” I said honestly.

  He exhaled, and it sounded loud in the deserted main hallway of the school. “Sorry. I’m being paranoid. It’s going okay, I guess. I’m not really cut out for the work.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He snorted. “I’m a numbers guy, a computer nerd. I’m not good at fixing things like fences and I sure am not cut out to build things. I make magic with a keyboard, not a hammer.”

  I loved that he was a computer nerd since I was something of one, too. The difference was, he made it look really good.

  “Magic, huh?” I laughed because he was so cute and honest, like he was somehow surprised to even find himself in a situation where he’d have to fix a fence or build something with his hands. Which meant I had to ask. “So what on earth are you doing working here as a maintenance guy?”

  He shrugged. “I flunked out and needed something to do. I came to visit Brooklyn and got talking to Dean Haywood. She mentioned she just lost a maintenance worker and voila. Here I am.”

  “Just like that. It seemed like a good thing to do?”

  His mouth turned up on the right side, making him look even cuter. “Sure, why not? It sure beats going to London to get the browbeating of the century from my parents. And I got to meet you, right? So not all for nothing.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, which I know was meant as a joke, but still caused my heart to lurch.

  I chuckled nervously, hoping I didn’t sound like an idiot.

  “Are you laughing at me?” he asked, though he hardly looked offended. I was pretty sure he was laughing at himself.

  “Very much so. Although you must have done an okay job on that fence; you are officially Kaylee’s least favorite person right now.”

  He frowned. “That was a secu
rity issue. She can’t hold that against me.”

  “She’s pretty mad about it—your timing sucked since she just started dating Declan. She’ll get over it though. Maybe.”

  He gave me an arch look.

  “Fine,” I said with a big eye-roll. “I’ll talk to her.”

  “Thanks,” he said and then winked at me. It should have been nothing other than a friendly thank you wink. I mean, Dave was a winker, too and I’d gotten used to it, but this guy. This mature guy with the eyes and the manly stubble and intoxicating smell...

  Sigh.

  It was in that moment I realized this guy was dangerous. Not physically dangerous like a drug lord with an AK47 or something, but dangerous to my heart. I could totally fall for this guy. I stole another glance at him and my heart fluttered in agreement.

  No, Emmie, I told myself firmly, you just wanted a rebound guy, nothing serious. Someone to show Dave you’ve moved on and that ridiculous text was a joke, or at least didn’t really mean anything. You CAN NOT fall for Rob.

  He is your roommate’s older brother and is not for you.

  You.

  Can.

  Not.

  Fall.

  For.

  Rob.

  What’s that old saying? Famous last words?

  Red Rum

  We returned to the lounge with our snacks and I messed around at the sink for a bit, waiting to see where he would sit. There were three club chairs and two sofas arranged around a big coffee table, more or less facing the big TV. On one hand, I hoped—for my heart’s sake—that he’d take one of the chairs, but my heart decided what it actually wanted was to sit next to him on one of the couches.

  Yes! my heart shouted when he dropped onto the sofa, leaving plenty of room for me to sit beside him. I arranged our snacks (an assortment of prepackaged pastries and some grapes—it was slim pickins in the dining room over the holidays) on a plate, as though I hadn’t been completely stalling, and came around to the couch. I sat down beside him, careful not to get too close or too far away from him, but hopefully in a casual enough way that it looked like I hadn’t given our seating arrangements even a second’s thought. Right.