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As I packed my textbook into my bag, Tasha got up and shook her head at me. “God, you’re miserable.”
“I’m a delight, actually.”
“Then come for a drink, man,” the guy who’d suggested this fieldtrip in the first place said. “None of us are staying for more than one.”
“Yeah, it’s still a no.”
Tasha swung her bag over her shoulder and laughed again, her head still shaking. “Based on your personality, you’re going to find cubicle life a paradise after graduation.”
I didn’t even argue with her. Least of all to let her know that I already had an office waiting for me and that I would never spend so much as an hour in a cubicle. After nodding my goodbyes, I headed out and I didn’t look back, not once even considering changing my mind.
I stepped out into the cold wind stirring up the leaves that had already fallen to the sidewalk. My phone buzzed and I sighed but pulled it out of my pocket. Another call from Alex. I ignored it as I crossed the parking lot and climbed into my car.
Avoiding my brother-in-law was going to become a full-time job at this rate, but it would be worth it if I could also avoid the reason he was calling. He tried calling again as I drove home, and finally, as I was pulling into my driveway, he texted too.
Alex: I have two questions for you. 1. Why are you ignoring me? 2. We’re having people over for dinner tonight. You should come.
I read the message but didn’t respond. I climbed out of the car and grabbed my backpack off the passenger seat. Before I’d even reached the front door, another text came through.
Alex: Come on, Holden. I know you’re currently living off protein shakes and boxed mac and cheese for no reason. Just come to dinner. At least let us feed you proper food.
I shook my head and unlocked the door, mulling over a reply. If I didn’t send anything at all, he would drive over here and physically drag me to their house. We’d reached the point where that was a definite possibility, even if I did reply, actually. It was simply more likely if I didn’t.
That was the thing about Alex. Once you were part of the select group of people he considered loved ones, he never gave up. He was there for everything and everyone in every possible way, whether you were winning or losing and regardless of the fact that we weren’t biologically related.
When he’d stepped up to the plate and married my sister for the sake of our company and theirs, he’d blown into our lives with all the subtlety of a hurricane and he’d never left. That was also why my relationship with him had grown into what it had.
Alex had been there for Wyatt and me in ways our own parents never had, showing up and trying to guide us through the hard stuff when I’d just started college and Wyatt had still been in high school. Whether I liked it or not, I owed the guy. So finally, I typed out a quick reply.
Me: Thanks but not tonight. I just got home from a study group and I’m beat.
Almost immediately, three little dots appeared, jumping until they suddenly stopped, then reappeared, then disappeared again. I leaned against the kitchen counter, wondering just what the hell he was typing for it to take this long, but eventually, the dots just disappeared and never reappeared again.
Since Alex wasn’t the type to abandon conversations, especially when he’d been trying to start one for this long, he was either offended, plotting, or their guests had arrived. Either way, it seemed I was off the hook for now, so I put my phone down.
Naturally, as soon as I turned away from it, it buzzed. I grunted in disappointment but reached back and picked it up. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Alex or even Jane this time.
Tasha Ethics Study Group: Did you take the folder with my notes in it when we left the library? I have your notes, so I think we might’ve forgotten to swap back after that last exchange.
My extremities turned ice cold. I unzipped my backpack on the counter, and as soon as I opened it, I realized we had, in fact, forgotten to swap back. The folder I had was bright purple. Mine, unfortunately, was black.
Me: Yeah, I’ve got it.
Begrudgingly, I typed out another message just seconds after sending the first.
Me: What’s your address? I’ll bring it over and grab mine.
Right now, I would’ve preferred to be going in for open-heart surgery over having to run this particular errand, but those notes were worth their weight in gold and we had our first assignment coming up soon.
I guess it’s true what they say. There really ain’t no rest for the weary. Especially when the weary is a grad student.
CHAPTER 4
ALICIA
When my GPS announced that I’d arrived at my destination, I blinked up at the house on my left and wondered if I’d inserted the wrong address. Obviously, I’d known Alex and Jane were wealthy, but the place I’d pulled up to on the Gold Coast was sprawling, probably covering more square footage than the footprint of the library.
I nearly turned around then, and I nearly turned around again after finally parking and climbing out of my car. The house looming ahead was beautiful but understated. With its large windows, a vibrant garden out front, and painted a light gray, it could’ve looked like just another house, but its modernity, a couple well-placed water features, and the aesthetic of the tiles and plants out front whispered that it was expensive.
