“Here’s your water bottle,” a new voice joined, along with a shadow that crossed over the table. “You left it in the car.”
The May air suddenly became colder. Sixty-five dropped to zero. I knew who I’d find, but I found myself looking anyway.
Beck stood at our table, one hand holding a pink water bottle, and the other holding the neck of an unopened root beer bottle he must’ve gotten from the club’s snack center. A pair of black sunglasses shielded his eyes. His dark green shirt was a size too large on him, hanging loosely and hiding most of his frame. His black jeans were ripped at the knees, in a way that almost looked like he’d taken scissors to them himself.
Edgy, his appearance said.Stay away.
Lydia took the outstretched pink water bottle from him. “Thanks, Beck.”
Daisy didn’t hide her animosity now. “Wow, so they reallydidlet you come back on Alderton-Du Ponte grounds? Last night wasn’t just a one-off?”
Under any other circumstances, I would’ve been happy for her support. But it was impossible to feel anything other than a gripping sort of nausea, listening to the way her voice hardened.
“As long as I don’t go toward any award-winning rosebushes, they’ve deemed me safe to mingle with the masses.” His lips twisted into a sardonic smirk. “They’re just as brainless as I remember, apparently.”
Daisy narrowed her eyes. “And youwantto be here?”
Beck used the hem of his shirt to grip the top of hisbottle, popping it with a crisp fizz. “I was bored.” And then his eyes flicked to Lydia. “And more likesomeoneasked me to be her chauffeur.”
Lydia scrunched her nose in a cutesy way. Was sheflirting? “Well,duh. No one else has a car like yours.”
She stood from her chair to let Beck sink down into it, and without wasting a second, she perched herself on his denim-clad knee. She rested her arm on his shoulder, but he made no move to touch her, one hand resting loosely on the table while the hand near her hip simply held onto his root beer bottle.
I blinked. Their strangelycouple-looking arrangement didn’t change. The air stalled in my lungs. Lydia had been laser-focused on Carter last night. Why was she sitting on Beck’s lap today?
Beck caught me looking at them. His lips twitched, much as they had last night. Instead of saying anything, he simply took a drink from his root beer.
Daisy flipped her sketchbook closed. “If y’all want to play with us, you’ll need to get your stuff,” she told Lydia and Raelynn in herno-nonsensevoice. “We’re making the most of our hour.”
I envied Daisy for having a backbone when I couldn’t. She wouldn’t mince her words about her boundaries. It’d been a skill she’d picked up from corralling her four siblings at home, I knew, whereas my spine bent in half if anyone pushed.
Raelynn scampered off to fetch the paddles, and even though there was now an empty chair, Lydia made no move for it. She was content enough in Beck’s lap. “Youknow, Eleanor,” she said to me, lowering her voice. “You and Carter lookedsocute last night. You talked to each other like you knew each other.”
I gave a polite smile. “I guess so.”
“Are you going to keep all the details to yourself? We’ve all been telling each other what we talked about, that way there are no hard feelings.”
“Hard feelings?”
“You know. Over who he picks.”
“I didn’t realize Alderton-Du Ponte was hosting this season’sThe Bachelor,” Beck muttered.
Daisy scoffed. “You’re just jealous everyone’s focused on his arrival and not yours.”
“I did, indeed, pick the wrong night to make my grand entrance.” Beck even went as far as to pout a little. “Upstaged by someone namedPembleton.”
Another new voice joined in. “I agree, it’s not the coolest name out there.” Carter had inexplicably spawned beside our table, just as quiet as Beck had been when he’d walked over. “But it is a family name, so what can you do?” He gave an awkward shrug.
Lydia launched off of Beck’s lap as if he’d suddenly burst into flames, tripping over her feet. She smoothed her palms down her workout skirt, hands trembling. “Oh my gosh, hi! You’re here! What a lovely surprise!”
“Eleanor mentioned she was playing out here,” Carter said, soft eyes finding mine. “It’s good to see you again.”
I thought about how I looked in an almost analytical way. The pink tank top I wore matched the pink and gray shorts I had on, and my dark hair was swept up into a sleekponytail. Despite the impending workout, I’d put on a little bit of makeup, knowing who I’d be meeting.C-U-T-E, I’d thought to myself before I left the house.
“Good to see you, too. Our chatwascut short last night, wasn’t it?”
His eyes darted around me, as if too embarrassed to look me in the eye. “Unfortunately.”
