it. “Angora. It cost a fortune.”
He lifted his hands. “Clearly I’b allergic to angora. Take id off.”
I pulled the tunic off over my head, rolled it up, and stuffed it into my leather backpack. It didn’t take up as much room as you’d think, the yarn was so fine and soft. But it left me standing on the street with nothing between me and the damp, fifty-degree air but my black cotton tank top. Thank goodness I’d thought to throw it on, or the consequences could have been embarrassing.
Lucas stalked back and forth, throwing his head back and breathing long, cleansing breaths. “Wow,” he said at last. “I’m allergic to penicillin and mold. Didn’t know about angora.”
“Sorry.” I sounded so lame, but there wasn’t much I could add.
Way to ruin your first date, Gillian
.
He tried to smile, and wiped the heel of his hand against his eyes. “I’ll get over it.”
The damp air lay on my skin, cold and clammy, and I began to shiver.
“Can we go get the car?”
“Is that thing in captivity?” He peered around me at my backpack to make sure I’d closed the zipper all the way.
“I promise. There’ll be no escape this time.”
The
Star Wars
line went right over his head. “Okay. I’m done here.”
I had no problem keeping up with his long stride now—in fact, I was happy to head back to the parking structure at the next thing to a run. By the time we reached it and I fell into the passenger seat, I was sure I had early-onset hypothermia. I cranked up the heat as we zoomed out of there, but it couldn’t get warm enough for me.
“Whew,” Lucas said. “Sure you need it up that high?”
“I can’t get warm.”
“Here, take the wheel.”
I hung on for dear life, steering up the side of what seemed like a sheer cliff, while he shrugged out of his herringbone tweed blazer and pushed it over to me. I huddled inside it, smelling the faint echo of his cologne and appreciating the way it had retained his body heat like I’d never appreciated anything before.
“I could go for a coffee,” he said as we turned left and headed along the crest of the hill on which Spencer sat. “What about you?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” I said fervently. “I think my core is five degrees below ‘still living.’”
So much for glamour and high tech. Lucas and I wound up our first real date much like we’d wound up our practice one—facing each other across a tiny table, with hands wrapped around our drinks.
Which, when you think about it, wasn’t a bad thing. Lissa can do glamour with one hand tied behind her back. Me, I’m pretty down to earth. And an extra-hot latte and Lucas Hayes were about as good as it could get.
I’ve been wrong about a lot of stuff. But I turned out to be right about that.
To:GChang©spenceracad.edu
From:MarionChang©hotmail.com
Date:January 25, 2009
Re:Call asap
Gillian,
What is wrong with your phone? I’ve left three messages for you to call me.
How could you be so disrespectful to your aunt and uncle? Isabel called me this morning and told me you couldn’t go to the New Year’s celebration because you had to do something on a school project. But, Gillian, this is your family. Your father’s sister. School is very important, but they went out of their way to include you in something special and you treated them like it didn’t matter. Your father and I are so embarrassed. You need to call your aunt and apologize. And then call me to tell me you did so.
Mom
Chapter 6
A FTER WHAT
COSMO would call a “dating disaster” with no known cure, and then having my mother yell at me on top of it, my expectations sank to a new low. Lissa couldn’t help me with my family, but she tried to help with the Lucas situation.
“The fact that he’s allergic to something is not your fault,” she told me for the eleventh time two weeks later. Contrary to what adults think, it is possible to study and do relationship therapy at the same time. “How were
He lifted his hands. “Clearly I’b allergic to angora. Take id off.”
I pulled the tunic off over my head, rolled it up, and stuffed it into my leather backpack. It didn’t take up as much room as you’d think, the yarn was so fine and soft. But it left me standing on the street with nothing between me and the damp, fifty-degree air but my black cotton tank top. Thank goodness I’d thought to throw it on, or the consequences could have been embarrassing.
Lucas stalked back and forth, throwing his head back and breathing long, cleansing breaths. “Wow,” he said at last. “I’m allergic to penicillin and mold. Didn’t know about angora.”
“Sorry.” I sounded so lame, but there wasn’t much I could add.
Way to ruin your first date, Gillian
.
He tried to smile, and wiped the heel of his hand against his eyes. “I’ll get over it.”
The damp air lay on my skin, cold and clammy, and I began to shiver.
“Can we go get the car?”
“Is that thing in captivity?” He peered around me at my backpack to make sure I’d closed the zipper all the way.
“I promise. There’ll be no escape this time.”
The
Star Wars
line went right over his head. “Okay. I’m done here.”
I had no problem keeping up with his long stride now—in fact, I was happy to head back to the parking structure at the next thing to a run. By the time we reached it and I fell into the passenger seat, I was sure I had early-onset hypothermia. I cranked up the heat as we zoomed out of there, but it couldn’t get warm enough for me.
“Whew,” Lucas said. “Sure you need it up that high?”
“I can’t get warm.”
“Here, take the wheel.”
I hung on for dear life, steering up the side of what seemed like a sheer cliff, while he shrugged out of his herringbone tweed blazer and pushed it over to me. I huddled inside it, smelling the faint echo of his cologne and appreciating the way it had retained his body heat like I’d never appreciated anything before.
“I could go for a coffee,” he said as we turned left and headed along the crest of the hill on which Spencer sat. “What about you?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” I said fervently. “I think my core is five degrees below ‘still living.’”
So much for glamour and high tech. Lucas and I wound up our first real date much like we’d wound up our practice one—facing each other across a tiny table, with hands wrapped around our drinks.
Which, when you think about it, wasn’t a bad thing. Lissa can do glamour with one hand tied behind her back. Me, I’m pretty down to earth. And an extra-hot latte and Lucas Hayes were about as good as it could get.
I’ve been wrong about a lot of stuff. But I turned out to be right about that.
To:GChang©spenceracad.edu
From:MarionChang©hotmail.com
Date:January 25, 2009
Re:Call asap
Gillian,
What is wrong with your phone? I’ve left three messages for you to call me.
How could you be so disrespectful to your aunt and uncle? Isabel called me this morning and told me you couldn’t go to the New Year’s celebration because you had to do something on a school project. But, Gillian, this is your family. Your father’s sister. School is very important, but they went out of their way to include you in something special and you treated them like it didn’t matter. Your father and I are so embarrassed. You need to call your aunt and apologize. And then call me to tell me you did so.
Mom
Chapter 6
A FTER WHAT
COSMO would call a “dating disaster” with no known cure, and then having my mother yell at me on top of it, my expectations sank to a new low. Lissa couldn’t help me with my family, but she tried to help with the Lucas situation.
“The fact that he’s allergic to something is not your fault,” she told me for the eleventh time two weeks later. Contrary to what adults think, it is possible to study and do relationship therapy at the same time. “How were
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