Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) by Drucie Anne Taylor Page A

love Hailey and Camille like sisters, but sometimes they interfere with my life in ways that overstep the line. Maybe I need to put a little more distance between us, or at least tell them more bluntly when they go too far.
    We step out of the elevator and trudge over to where my car is parked. I grumpily get behind the wheel, buckle up, start the engine, and wait for Hailey to fasten her seatbelt, too.
    “ Are you mad at me?” she asks sheepishly.
    “ Not at all,” I answer sarcastically, hitting the gas as soon as I hear her buckle click.
    “ That means yes,” she states.
    “ Hailey, I just think you were totally out of line interfering,” I explain, more calm now that she knows I’m angry with her. “Maybe you really think you’re doing me a favor, but I told you in the mall why I don’t want to go to dinner with him.”
    “ I don’t understand why you’re so upset. It’s almost as if … ” She looks at me for a long moment. “Oh. My. God. You really like him!” she squeals.
    I make a face, because her squeal is so high-pitched that it sets my teeth on edge. “I do not like him,” I grumble. “He is nice, he is good-looking, his brain is mush due to his amnesia, and he is very friendly, but I definitely do not like him beyond any of that.”
    “ With the way you react to anything remotely to do with him, that’s the only logical conclusion,” she says. “Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, by the way.”
    “ I shouldn’t have brought you along,” I mumble, hoping she doesn’t hear it over the loud music. Most of the time it’s nice to have an empathic friend, but I’ve never seen her so enthusiastic about matchmaking before. For fuck’s sake, Hailey and I used to be sistas , the way Barney and Ted were bros in How I Met Your Mother ! But when Logan entered the picture, it all changed completely. We no longer go out together, just the two of us. He’s always there, and I feel like the fifth wheel. And yet she doesn’t understand when I get grumpy about it. Cami and Delsin are a complete item, and so are Ave and Dale. I guess I should start going out with Theo. He and I could at least go man-hunting together.
    “ I’m sorry, Thally,” Hailey says meekly.
    I feel my anger evaporate slowly. I don’t want to fight with her—it’s just not worth it. “It’s okay,” I say. “The deal is done.”
    ***
    I stop in front of her apartment after telling her I intend to play my “no questions asked” card with Cami, if I really go to that dinner after all. Hailey thinks I’m exaggerating what kind of deal the whole thing is, but I see my agreement with Cami as the only chance to get out of a boring evening without making a fool of myself.
    “ Well, anyway. How about we meet before classes on Wednesday?” she suggests, finally dropping the subject of Linden Priest.
    “ Sure. Around nine, with a coffee, by our palm tree,” I instruct. “It’s your turn to bring the coffee.”
    “ I know. I’ll get it, don’t worry.” She smiles and hugs me goodbye. “See you on Wednesday.”
    “ See you, Hailey.”
    She gets out, and I watch her walk along the driveway and into the house. Then I step on the gas again. My phone starts ringing a few moments later. A glance at the display tells me it’s Alexis Kingston again. I reject the call, because I’m really not in the mood for speaking to anyone that wants to lure me back into Linden’s presence.
    Come to think of it, he is getting annoying anyway. Who am I, the local tour guide? My ringtone ceases, only to start up again only two minutes later. With a deep sigh, I take the call this time.
    “ Yes?” I snap.
    “ Oh … Is this a bad time?” I hear Avery’s voice.
    Another sigh. “No. I’m sorry. I thought you were somebody else. My phone is annoying me right now.”
    “ Is someone stalking you?” he asks, sounding a little alarmed.
    “ I guess you could say that. What’s up?”
    “ I wanted to ask what you’re doing this