“He said they weren’t dating,” I whispered a little louder.
She gave me a look that said: and you believed that?
“I didn’t know.”For a long while, Amanda studied my expression. A couple minutes into the lecture, she said, “She’d really like to sort things out with him.” Even though she didn’t add, stay away, I heard her warning loud and clear.
“What about Sienna?”
“What about her?”
“Does she hate me?”
Propping her mouth to my ear so no one else overheard our conversation, she said, “Sienna had a tough time right after the breakup, but the girl’s got the biggest heart in the world. Plus, like she told me, there’s no point in trying to keep a man who’s in love with someone else.” She pulled away to inspect my face. “This isn’t news to you, right?”
My heart began to batter my ribs so loudly I thought Amanda’s human ears might hear it. Hell, I thought our professor, who was busy singling out students and asking them what they hoped to learn during the semester, would hear it.
“I know you’re not together because of Liam-Matt told me-but if you ask me, maybe you should get with August. That way, Liam would go back to Tammy.”
My spine drew straight.
“What?” Amanda asked.
I didn’t know much about dating but sensed entering a relationship to better someone else’s wasn’t smart. “Tamara shouldn’t be Liam’s backup plan; she should be his only plan.”
Amanda puckered her lips.
“As for August, he’s my friend.”
“I thought . . . never mind.”
“What did you think?”
“That you and him already crossed that line,” she said, just as the professor called upon her to introduce herself.
I was surprised that Amanda, a notoriously critical person, didn’t seem disgusted by the age gap. If anything, she seemed confused as to why we weren’t together anymore. Or perhaps, she was acting cool as a cucumber in the hopes of driving Liam back into Tamara’s arms.
The first week was almost over before I crossed paths with Sarah. She was standing with two guys from her pack beside the entrance of the Roser Atlas Center. I almost waved when I spotted her-a kneejerk reaction-but thankfully, I stuffed my hands in the back pocket of my shorts.
She didn’t acknowledge me either. It had been more than a week since we’d started acting like strangers, and it had left a huge gap in my life which I’d been filling up with work on my house and learning new fighting techniques from Lucas. Liam had stopped by the gym only once since the day he’d yelled at me for going to visit Cassandra alone. Lucas was vague as to our Alpha’s whereabouts. I hoped he was off learning something we could use during the duel, but maybe he was spending time getting reacquainted with Tamara.
This afternoon was no different; Lucas trained me. We fought in fur, and although I felt like I was getting better, he wasn’t doling out any compliments. Honestly, I didn’t need praise, but getting some verbal encouragement would’ve been nice. Not that Lucas had seemed in any mood to be overly kind. Since the inn episode, he’d been acting downright testy.
I imagined his crabby mood was due to Sarah but didn’t broach the subject, because one, I didn’t want to meddle, and two, I was afraid I might let the truth slip out to comfort him.
As I left the gym, he called out, “Happy birthday, Clark. Hope you have a fun evening planned.” He raised a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
I paused with my fingers on the heavy door. “Thanks.” I almost invited him to come, but it would be a little weird. Lucas and I weren’t really friends.
If Sarah had come, though . . . I let that thought drift away before it could bum me out. Soon, I’d get my friend back.
“You did good today,” Lucas said.
I blinked. “Did you just compliment me?”
His plastic smile turned into a real smirk. “Only because it’s your birthday.”
“Uh-huh.” I winked at him and turned to go, but before heading home, I patted the door and said, “Sometimes, things aren’t what they seem, Lucas.”
His black eyebrows listed toward his nose.
Hoping I hadn’t said too much, I left him to ponder my cryptic declaration.
When I got home, there was a shopping bag on the kitchen counter with crinkly pink silk paper spilling over the top like cotton candy.
“Came for you after you left this morning,” Jeb said, flipping through channels. He was already dressed for dinner in a crisp linen button-down and khaki pants.
I opened the little card tied around the fabric handles. It wasn’t signed, but it said: So you don’t wear sneakers to your b-day dinner. Miss you. XX
I grinned. Only one person had an issue with my sneakers, and that person was Sarah.
I pulled the paper out and extricated a shoe box. Inside was a pair of sky-high nude heels. I stared at the shoes before kicking off my sneakers to try my gift on.
“Who got you shoes?” Jeb asked.
“A friend.”
“Which friend?”
“Just a friend.” My left foot jammed against a piece of balled paper. I removed the shoe and fished the paper out.
“A boy-friend?”
I looked at my uncle. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Jeb.”
“You don’t?”
I shook my head, still clutching the piece of paper.
“What about Liam?”
“Liam?” I almost choked on his name. “He and I broke up a while ago.”
The day your son died . . . Like paddles, the memory of Everest delivered an electrical jab inside my chest.
I slid my feet out of the pretty heels and tossed the piece of paper in the box, but lines of black ink caught my eye. I picked it back up and smoothed it out. As I read the words on it, my breath snagged.
Hoping my face didn’t betray my emotions, I said, “I should get ready.” I hurried to my bedroom, already dialing Liam. The second he answered, I blurted out, “Liam, the Creeks are coming after the Pines’ stash of Sillin. They know where you hid it.”
“How do you know that?” His voice was hushed, as though he was somewhere he couldn’t talk.