Page 43 of Love Me Boldly

“And that’s why we like you,” Eli said. “When we need a nap, you put us to sleep with all the fun talk about amortization schedules and the economic growth and development of third world countries.”

I snorted. “That was one time.”

In my defense, he’d started it by asking about my major and what I was learning.

“Besides, won’t you study immunology in medical school?” I asked.

He turned around and started walking backward ahead of us and jabbed a finger in my direction. “Didn’t I just say if I heard that word again I’d stab someone?”

“Better me than a med student. Or a patient,” I joked.

“Nah.” Graham squeezed me tight to his side. “The world can live with one less doctor. Not sure you’re replaceable.”

“Gross.” Eli coughed and made a gagging noise to punctuate it.

“Yeah, ’cause it definitely needs more bankers.”

“No.” Graham grinned down at me, and the softness in those gold flecks of his made my knees wobble. “Just needs you.”

Heat burned my cheeks. He was often complimentary, always polite. Definitely always sexy and patient, but this…this tenderness was new.

My phone buzzed again, this time getting Graham’s attention since it was in my pocket by his hip. “That’s been going wild. Does Tracey have an emergency?”

“With Tracey, you never know.”

I doubted it was Tracey. She was packing to leave tomorrow to go on a cruise with her family. I’d offered to take her to the airport, since I didn’t really have anything else to do, but instead, she was hitching a ride with another student to Charlotte and getting dropped off at a hotel near the airport.

“Probably Caroline wondering when I’ll be in.”

It could have been, but I doubted it.

“Hey, G!” He stopped, and a friendly smile swept over his face as Piper waved her arm.

“Hey, P. Thought you already went home.”

“No.” She grinned at him, and I noticed she made a studious attempt not to glance at me as she neared us. “Don’t you remember when we talked last night? Mom’s coming to get me later.”

She looked at me then, and if she thought I’d be upset hearing that they talked, she was wrong. Graham had taken to telling me every time Piper reached out to him.

“Right,” Graham mumbled, but his brows tugged in. “So what’s up?”

“I just wanted to wish you good luck on your trip. I know how nervous you always get flying.”

She held out her hand. In her palm was a small, square box wrapped in neon yellow wrapping paper with a hot pink bow on top.

Whatever was inside, Graham knew, because he scowled at the box and then at Piper. “Are you serious?”

For the first time, Piper stopped hiding the hatred she had for me in her eyes before nodding and smiling up at Graham. “Yeah. Of course I am. You know Fee would want you to have it. She had it made for you. Engraved and everything. I found it last week when I was visiting her parents.”

“Fee made you something engraved?” I’d tried…I’d tried so hard to stay out of their conversation. This wasn’t the first time Piper had shown up when Graham and I were together and took little jabs at how well she knew him or when they talked. What she didn’t know was that Graham usually shared them with me first, and yeah, I didn’t like it.

But mostly because there was a secret there. Something was brewing, and Piper’s presence always seemed to bring it simmering to the surface. Someday, it’d all come out, and I was trying to be brave enough to weather the storm.

“Yeah, our friend Sophie. She’s gone, died actually. Well, really she was killed last year by some loser of a drunk near here, but Graham and me and her were like best friends. They were going to get married…”

Water stormed my body, my ears, making everything else she said a giant blur. I barely heard a thing until she mentioned the worried “married,” and I stumbled back a step, out of Graham’s reach. “Married?” It came out as a rasp, and I took another step back as Graham tried to reach for me. Eli looked on, and humiliation and horror washed over me at the exact same time.

Eli hadknown.

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