Julia’s eyes widen. “Don’t say anything.”
“Seriously? Oh, ye of little faith. I told you I won’t. I’m not going to break your confidence.” I wipe my hands on my pants.
“Thank you.” She smiles as the phone rings again. “Hey, would you want to come over for dinner sometime?”
I arch my eyebrows. “Am I getting your shoes or filling your plate?”
She laughs and shakes her head no. “I promise I won’t ask you to get anything for me.”
“Then, I’d love to.”
My phone cuts out in mid-ring. I should get it, but I’m not in the mood to listen to one of his lectures. “It was nice hanging out with you. We’ll have to do this more often.”
“It was.” She stands and presses her lips together. “I’m sorry we were distant growing up. I was busy with my friends.” She shrugs. “And Heather–”
“Hated me.”
“Yes. Yes, she did. She does still hate you. I don’t understand it, but anytime I talk about you, she has something negative to say.”
“She hated we used to be close and wanted you all to herself.”
Julia studies me for several seconds as the waitress breezes by with a serving tray braced above her fingers. The combination of different colored alcoholic drinks is pretty under the flashing lights.
“I never thought about it that way, but you’re probably right.” She grabs the tab and taps it against her palm. “I’ve got the bill.”
Once my sister leaves, I hit my dad’s missed call and wait. The longer I wait, the more lectures I’ll receive. It’s surreal to get along with my sister. And for her to consider our precious cousin having a fatal flaw is even stranger. Maybe married life will do her good.
I tap on my dad’s phone number and wait.
“Hello?”
“Sorry, dad. I was busy and missed your call.”
“It’s fine. I was calling to tell you I spoke to one of the people on the interview panel for the university today.”
“Oh….”
“Yes, he says he’s rooting for you, but you’ve got to keep that grade up. The competition for the available spots will be fierce this year. But don’t worry. You have an in through me. I’ve sent you the link for the interview process. You need to get it filled out.”
“Thank you.” I scrap my thumbnail on the DB initial. Talking about medical school makes my skin crawl. All the studying. The practice. The years of dedication it takes. The sacrifice. The pressure. The lawsuits if something goes wrong. I wrinkle my nose. I’m scared spitless I’ll screw up.
“Don’t be nervous. You’re already in. As long as you don’t screw anything up.”
Exactly. That’s what I’m afraid of. “And that includes relationships that distract you. Jobs that take up too much of your time. People that encourage you to be irresponsible such as your friend Zoe.”
“Zoe isn’t a bad influence.” My jaw flexes. Every time, it’s something else he wants me to give up. Eventually, there won’t be anything left. I’ll move back in with him and mom and sit at his feet all day.
“She has no ambition.”
“She’s taking calculus with me as moral support. She doesn’t even need the class or anything and is paying for it with her own money. I consider that a hard-working friend.” My voice is sharper than I realized, and the people at the next table turn and look at me.
“That’s enough.” My dad’s voice barks through the phone, causing my ear to vibrate.
Shit. One of the patrons is Tripp. My sister’s friend’s brother. He smiles when he sees me, causing his dimples to pop, and he turns his baseball cap around backward. I’ve been avoiding him since the incident outside of class. His eyes travel up and down my body, paying special attention to my chest. Like his eyes never leave my tits.
What if Alexander is right? Is Tripp interested in me? He’s the quarterback of the university’s football team. It should be a compliment, but it’s not. Instead of giving me butterflies in my belly, seeing him sends a wave of unease through me.
“I appreciate your concern about my well-being, but I’m an adult and doing fine at navigating my future.” My shoulders ache as I slide out of the seat.