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“Fawn is one of my internship candidates,” Kurt explained. Meanwhile, Red’s eyes were on me. They were hazel and filled with an innocence she didn’t dare place in my direction. This girl wasn’t innocentat all,and each and every second she tried to play that shit in my direction had my fingers knuckling.
I returned them to my hoodie for safekeeping, and Kurt Ackerman was completely oblivious. If he wasn’t, he’d realize he just introduced the girl who had ruined my fucking junior year, or I guess he was aware. I just allowed him to believe I didn’t care. The topic came up in conversation when my father and I ran into Kurt this morning. We’d all made a lunch date for later today.
And we’d laughed about all that shit concerning Fawn.
Water under the bridge, I’d told them both, and my dad had looked at me like I was crazy. I supposed he had good reason. That shit wasn’t water under the bridge, not by a goddamn long shot.
Even still, I had made it seem that way, and I had to say, my dad had been pretty proud of me. He called me the bigger man, responsible.
Yes, that was me.
I was all kinds of responsible and forgiving. I lifted my hand in Fawn’s direction. “I’m pretty sure we know who each other is, Kurt,” I said, nodding. “After all, she did write that article about me.”
“Actually, I just took the pictures.” Brave this fucking girl, ballsy. She stood tall. “But yes, we know who the other is.”
My fists knuckled again, but I didn’t lose my smile in her direction. “Was actually just talking to my dad and Kurt about that article.” I faced Kurt. “We had a laugh about it. Didn’t we, Kurt?”
Well, this shocked Ms. Fawn Greenfield like nothing else. She shifted in those heels again, her attention making a beeline for Kurt, and when he nodded, her brow flicked up.
Kurt braced my arm. “Sure did, and can’t wait to catch up more over lunch.”
Enter my father stage right. Dad was directed in by Kurt’s very helpful assistant, and to watch that shit play out all over Fawn’s face…
You scared now, Red? You should be.
My father and Kurt Ackerman were very good friends, as Kurt had covered a lot of the community work my dad had done over the years. Dad was very active in the art world, had several galleries and his charity work by far exceeded the most generous man. My dad and my parents in general liked to give back, and that had gotten the attention of the papers. Kurt was one of the first Dad called to take photos for events he hosted, and the papers loved splashing what he did for others across their pages.
Fawn was seeing that now, that connection. Dad grabbed Kurt’s hand before hugging him. My dad and I were very similar. At least, physically. Dad was slightly taller and broader, but our facial features resembled way more similarly than my mom and me. My twin, Sloane, looked more like my mother, but when it came to similarities anywhere else, my sister was more like my dad. They had a kindness about them and an overall forgiving nature.
Yeah, she was definitely more like him.
I grinned watching Kurt and Dad together. Kurt braced Dad’s arm.
“Speak of the devil,” Kurt said to Dad. “Your morning meeting go okay?”
This was another nod to my dad. He’d been cutting checks all morning. He and my mom donated a ton of shit to this university. Dad was actually in town today to do that, which was how Kurt had collided with the pair of us this morning in the first place. And of course, we’d made that lunch date.
And what a coincidence that all happened to be on the very day Kurt had his meeting with Red, happenstance a crazy thing, wild…
I studied Ms. Greenfield, as Dad and Kurt chatted. The two were wrapped up, and I took the initiative to close the distance.
She noticed, her head shooting way,wayup. I had well over a foot on her like I did most people, and she wasn’t short, average. Her freckled jaw moved a little. “You know Kurt Ackerman.”
She had those same freckles on her lips, and I think I only noticed due to her lack of makeup.Again,she’d been trying to be a chameleon for today. Her lips had been painted bloodred the last time I’d seen her, this girl faker than shit. My eyes narrowed. “He and Dad are old friends.”
“Old friends?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my head about the same time something sweet touched my nose, sugar or honey or some shit. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it. I wet my lips. “He’s covered a lot of events my dad’s done. Charity work.” I looked at the pair. “We all ran into each other on campus this morning. Dad’s in town to donate money to the school.”
She looked at them too, and I noticed a visible jump hit her throat. I wondered if I’d feel her pulse if I grabbed it, squeezed…
This was probably a sick thought, but at the moment, I didn’t give a shit. This girl had crossed me, and here we were now in the thick of it.
“And he donates money because you go to school here,” she said, putting two and two together. Smart. She chewed her freckled lip. “We both go to school here.”
We do, little red.I angled in. “Fancy that.”
“Yeah, fancy.” She analyzed me, a full tilt down my face and across my shoulders. I was a foot away from this girl, and she didn’t step back. Like stated before, ballsy… She folded her arms. “Too much to request an olive branch?”
