Page 4 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

“I guess not.” Sunil held open the door for the other two. “He’ll be with his sister tonight.”

“He could have brought her,” Elliot pointed out. Immediately, a mental image of Lucy leaning against the staircase railing with a red cup of soda, twirling her hair around her finger as she talked to him, leapt into his mind.

“Not with you around.” Mike wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. “Dominic wouldn’t want his little sister at a party withyou.”

“No one would want their little sister at a party with you,” Sunil added.

Elliot rolled his eyes. “Come on. I’m not that bad.”

“No, but you certainly have a reputation. A well-deserved one.”

Elliot sighed. “I don’t have to listen to this. Come on. Let’s get some drinks.”

Elliot knew all about his reputation and normally enjoyed it, but he didn’t want to think about that just now. Instead, he led the way to the kitchen, where they each got a cup of beer before making their way into the living room. The music was loudest here, barring further conversation, which was exactly what Elliot wanted. He didn’t want to listen to more teasing from his friends.

It was true that he had dated a few girls since coming to college. More than a few, perhaps. But that was only because it wascollege.Why wouldn’t he play the field when so many wonderful women were interested in doing the same thing? It wasn’t like any of his dates were interested in a serious relationship, either. And Elliot enjoyed meeting a new woman at every party. The thrill of flirting and a first kiss far outweighed the benefits his friends seemed to get from long-term relationships, which often deteriorated into bickering and distance.

Elliot’s parents were a prime example of why Elliot had always steered clear of anything truly romantic. His mother and father had everything, at least on paper. They were wealthy. They were beautiful. They owned houses in San Diego, in Paris, and on the shore of Lake Como. Yet they’d never really seemed to love each other. Although they were still married, Elliot had rarely seen his parents hold hands, kiss, or even speak kindly to each other. The same distance had been extended to Elliot, who’d often felt like he was an unwanted obstacle to the lives they really wanted when he was growing up.

Elliot gave himself a little shake. There was no use getting caught up in the past, not when he was with his friends, music was playing, and the house was full of people having fun. Elliot perched on the back of a sofa with Sunil beside him and wished that Dominic were here, too. Dominic was great at parties. His fun, boisterous persona always brought new life to whichever room he was in.

Elliot wished Lucy were here, too, if only so that she could experience how funcollege could be. It wasn’t all boring orientations or endless classes. There was life to be had here, too.

“Dance with me!” A pretty girl in a tight red top and low-slung jeans sidled up to Elliot, shimmying along to the music. She was just the kind of woman Elliot would usually have danced with, flirted with, and perhaps ended the evening with. Yet tonight, he shook his head.

“Maybe later!” he shouted back over the music. The girl shrugged and held out a hand to Sunil, who allowed himself to be led into the center of the room.

Maybe Elliot’s attraction to Lucy went a little further than he thought. Or maybe he just needed a little time to ease back into college life after the summer break. Either way, Elliot ended up talking with Mike and Sunil on the back porch for most of the evening before they all headed home along the darkened streets of the small college town where Eastwick was located. Tomorrow would be the start of classes — and a new day. Hopefully, his attraction to Lucy would disappear in the midst of classes, basketball, and friends.

A few weeks had passed since the beginning of college, and Elliot could feel himself getting back into the swing of things. Classes and basketball practices and parties with his friends rolled together into a blur of work and fun. What made it all much better — and more difficult — was Lucy. Dominic invited her to join the friends at least a few times a week, often with her new roommate, Karin. Each time, Elliot found Lucy more fascinating.

At dinner the first week, she told them all embarrassing stories about Dominic as a child and teenager that had them all institches. One story, featuring Dominic and his childhood best friend jumping from the roof of their suburban house, onto the trampoline, and into the pool on a dare, was so funny that Dominic eventually declared there would be no more stories for the rest of the evening.

In the second week, Lucy and Karin joined them for a movie night in the common room of Dominic’s dorm. Lucy laughed so hard at one part that she snorted a little, then immediately covered her mouth and looked around nervously to see if anyone was watching. Elliot looked away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, even though the snort had been far more endearing than embarrassing, in his opinion.

A few days later, everyone got together for a game night. The Uno tournament they’d begun became so cutthroat that Sunil ended up with almost thirty cards in his hand while poor Karin counted herself out almost immediately after a brutal round of cascading draw-fours. The last round came down to Elliot and Lucy. They sat across from each other, their knees almost touching, as the remaining players formed a circle around them, snacking on chips and soda and cheering on their champion player.

“You’re going to lose,” Lucy said in a stern tone, a small curve of her lips the only sign she wasn’t entirely serious.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Elliot looked at his hand, which contained a mix of number cards and a few special ones. “You don’t have what it takes to win this game.”

“We’ll see. Because I have…” With great ceremony, Lucy selected a card and laid it on the discard pile. “A red eight!”

Even though the card wasn’t special at all, the watching crowd went wild with whistles and cheers.

“Fair enough, but have you seen my…” Elliot drew his card equally slowly, watching Lucy’s eyes sparkle with amusement as he did so. She had freckles, which he hadn’t noticed before. “Red three!”

More cheers broke out at the completely ordinary card. By the time Lucy had won with a wild sequence of draw-twos that would have been illegal in most games, Elliot was sure there was something between them. Though he’d tried to keep his distance from Lucy, he couldn’t deny that he felt a pull towards her. It wasn’t just her looks, either, although that had been the first thing to stand out to him. No, he appreciated her joking playfulness and how she took her studies so seriously, too. The more he got to know her, the more he liked her.

In the third week, Elliot was walking home from basketball practice one evening when he spotted Lucy coming out of the library alone. She wore her Eastwick sweatshirt against the September chill, and her long hair was loose around her shoulders. Elliot considered changing directions to avoid her, but that would be ridiculous, surely. Even though Elliot needed to keep his distance from her — he could never hurt Dominic’s little sister — he could still chat with her as a friend. It was late in the evening, after all. Any gentleman would walk her home.

“Hey, Lucy.”

Lucy turned and looked around, and then her face brightened when she spotted Elliot. “Hey.”

He closed the distance between them, and they fell into step together. In her ballet flats, Lucy only came up to Elliot’s shoulder, which he hadn’t really noticed until now.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

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