Page 6 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

“Let’s see. He told me that you grew up on the West Coast somewhere — San Diego, I think. You’re a business major, like him, and you play basketball, which you’ve also told me.” She hesitated, then shook her head. “That’s about it.”

“Well, all that is correct. What else do you want to know?”

“Well, you’ve seen me with Dominic. Do you have siblings?”

“Nope, I’m an only child. Dominic likes to joke that he’s adopted me as a sibling, too, so that I can experience the joys of having a brother.”

“Oof. I wouldn’t call it a joy.” But Lucy was smiling, as she always did when she spoke about Dominic.

“I have to know.” Elliot leaned forward. “What’s it actually like, having him as a brother?”

“It’s mostly great. I mean, he’s wonderful, very supportive, and so much fun. He can be a teensy little bit overprotective, though.” Lucy held two fingers an inch apart to demonstrate.

“I can imagine. In what way is he overprotective?”

“Oh, you know.” Lucy blushed. “Just brother stuff. Like telling me not to stay out too late or reminding me to do my homework.”

“Sure.” But Elliot suspected there was something else Lucy wasn’t telling him. “He does the same stuff with us.”

“Still, you have no idea. As his little sister, I get all his worrying.”

She finished her sandwich a few minutes later, and they both stood. She put her basket back on the counter, then followedElliot out into the chilly September night. Shivering slightly, she wrapped her arms around her stomach, and Elliot fought the urge to shrug off his light jacket and drape it around her shoulders. That would be way toofirst-date, and this wasn’t a date. This was just a guy helping his best friend’s sister get safely back to her dorm and eat enough calories to survive.

“This is me,” Lucy said, stopping in front of one of the older buildings, which was built with brick, unlike the newer wooden ones. She hooked a thumb at the doorway. “Genty Hall.”

“Genty, Genty, since eighteen twenty,” Elliot said.

Lucy wrinkled her nose, grinning. “What?”

“Haven’t you heard that? It’s the unofficial theme song of your hall. Since it’s so old, it looks like it was built in eighteen twenty.”

“I thought all the dorms were this old. Are the stairs not supposed to creak like a haunted mansion whenever you climb them?”

“Shockingly, no.”

Lucy chuckled. “Have you ever lived here?”

“Yes, sophomore year. It was either this or Hollis Hall, which is like a twenty-minute walk from most classes. I was roommates with Dominic then. We were half convinced there was a ghost living in the wardrobe on his side.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. Half-joking and half-serious, she said, “I hope not.”

“Don’t worry.” Elliot smiled at her. “I’ll keep you safe.” The moment stretched as Lucy looked up at him, her blue eyes wide, one of her pink lips tucked between her teeth. A few imageshe should definitely not have of his best friend’s sister flashed through Elliot’s mind before he quickly added, “Dominic would have my hide if I let a ghost kill his sister.”

“Right!” Lucy laughed and took a step back. “Of course. Thanks for walking me home. Good night, Elliot. See you tomorrow night. How’s seven?”

“Perfect.”

With that, she disappeared into her dorm. Elliot walked back to his own building, his steps slow, memories of his evening with Lucy replaying in his mind. It had been easy enough to ignore how he felt when she was just one person in a group, but when they were alone, it was harder. Tomorrow’s study session would be a challenge.

CHAPTER 3

LUCY

Lucy was pretty sure she’d made a mistake. Allowing Elliot to walk her home and buy her dinner — albeit with his meal card instead of cash — had been acceptable. After all, it was nighttime, and despite the safety of the campus, it had been nice to have company.

Accepting his offer of help with her assignment was another matter entirely. The idea of spending a little more alone time with Elliot had been too appealing to turn down, but Lucy wasn’t sure if she’d be able to keep her crush under wraps when it was just the two of them, alone together. Even now, Lucy couldn’t stop replaying the moment outside her dorm when Elliot had promised to keep her safe. Of course, he’d just been worrying about her brother’s wrath, but it was still the kind of swoon-worthy moment that belonged in romance novels and rom-coms, not in real life.

Lucy climbed the stairs to her dorm, listening to each step creak as she went, and slipped inside. Karin was already in bed, watching a show on her laptop. She took off her headphones and smiled at Lucy when she came in.

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