Page 31 of Devil in Disguise
“Do you know if your roommates are here yet?” her mom asked, when they were jammed into the elevator with all her stuff.
“Nope. They haven’t said that much. They already know each other, though, and they said they already arranged all the extras, so I didn’t need to worry about it, just bring stuff for my own bed and all. Which is helpful.”
“I didn’t realize they were friends already,” her mom said. “I hope they’ll include you.”
“Mom. You make it sound like I’m going to camp. I don’t have to make friendship bracelets with them.”
“It’ll be a lot more fun if you do,” her mom had to say, like Dyma didn’t have enough to worry about. The doors opened, Dyma pushed out the enormous wheeled cart, and her mom found the way. To the right.
Around them, doors were open, music blasting, and all at once, Dyma couldn’t wait. She was here. At college. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting. It was another of those shape-shifting moments, when her dream became her reality.
She was wearing her Owen earrings for luck, the ones she wasn’t supposed to notice were made by Cartier, and now, she took a hand off the cart and touched one of them. They had what looked like screws embedded in them, but they also had diamonds that were supposed to look screwed-in, too, and they were her favorite jewelry in the world, besides her bracelet from her mom and grandma. Those earrings told her that Owen got her, and that he didn’t want her to be anything other than what she was. Also that he was willing to spend more than five thousand dollars on her, because, hello, of course she’d looked it up. If that was true, and especially if he still loved her despite her possibly deformed vagina,andif she’d been able to find friends who were into multiplayer games and could make her laugh in Wild Horse, Idaho, why wouldn’t she be able to do it here? InSeattle?Where people were smart and techy and casually dressed, like they were her tribe? She’d bet they had an amazing vegetarian menu in the dining hall. Maybe she wouldn’t even have to cook animal flesh here.
She said, “Right. Let’s go.”
Her mom didn’t say anything, like she was trying her best to shut up now. She hadn’t even commented about the bike helmet thing—about Dyma’s agreement with Owen, that is—when Dyma had mentioned it in an offhand sort of way as they’d been packing the car, though Dyma could tell she’d wanted to. Even after Dyma had told her, “Congrats on the awesome self-control, Mom.” Of course, they’d had to do the Angst Game in the diner, but still. Dyma wasn’t gettinganotherflurry of last-minute Mom Talk, at least.
“This is it.” Jennifer stopped in front of a closed door. She was looking flushed and a little sweaty, and her hair was coming out of its knot, because it was hot, and she’d insisted on helping Dyma load the cart. Harlan was going to hit the ceiling about that if he found out, but what was Dyma supposed to do, body-slam her out of the way?
Her mom wasn’twearing any of her own jewelry today, as usual. “Because it just gets in the way,” she’d said when Dyma had commented a couple weeks ago, after finding her engagement ring in the soap dish beside the kitchen sink.
Another thing that drove Harlan nuts. “Harlan,” her mom had told him, when he’d noticed it this morning as they were loading the car with the final items, “it’s twocarats.”
“I know,” he said. “I bought it. I’d feel better if you had it on, that’s all.” Doing his Harlan-scowl that he reserved for Jennifer. Which was weird, to have a guy only be grumpy with you, as if that were some sort of love token, but maybe it got old having to be so charming all the time. Everybody had their own way of relaxing, she guessed.
Jennifer, of course, was totally unfazed by the scowl. In fact, she laughed. “What, otherwise some other guy’s going to make his move? Gosh, you think? I’m eight months pregnant, buddy.”
“That’s not it,” he said. “I just … I like it better when you wear it, that’s all. Besides, you still look great. I keep telling you.”
Privately, Dyma didn’t exactly agree with him. Her mom looked good for eight months pregnant, she supposed. She definitely looked ready to pop, though, and since she was wearing a horizontally-striped tunic that stretched tight over her bump today, you couldn’t exactly miss it.
She hadn’t said anything, though. Of course, her mom had. “Uh-huh.” She’d folded her arms, too. Her momneverfolded her arms, but she sure loved pushing Harlan’s buttons. “Then explain what it is. I’ll wait.”
Harlan tried, but he didn’t exactly have much. “I like how it looks,” was all he came up with.
“Yep.” Her mom lifted a bag of bedding from the driveway and handed it over, and Harlan grabbed it from her and said,“Stopthat. I’ve got this! You don’t carry things when you’re with a football player! It damages my masculinity. Would you go … have a cup of tea or something until I finish? You’re too pregnant to be lifting anything. I’m serious here.”
“Also,” her mom said, as if he hadn’t spoken, “we’re going to be hanging pictures and making a loft bed and who knows what else today. The ring gets in the way. Would you rather I took it off and it got dropped down a heating vent or something? And I’m going to be just fine, Harlan.” She stepped up close, then took his arms and wrapped them around her, and his face changed. Another superpower. Jennifer might be the one person who could make Harlan grumpy, but she could also make him way goopier than a Mr. Cool superstar wide receiver ought to be. “Even though you’ll be gone,” she said, “and so will Dyma, and, yes, Iamextremely pregnant. Annabelle will be here to notice if I fail to take my vitamin or whatever you’re worried about, and you can text me and remind me, too.” She lifted her face to his, and of course, he kissed her. Harlan and Jennifer were basically the king and queen of the PDA.
“Bug’s going to fix dinner tonight so you can put your feet up and rest,” he said once he was done with the kissing. “I’d still feel better if she were going up there with you. It’s not going to be an easy day. And stay out of that loft bed. I mean it. You don’t need to be climbing ladders.”
“Except that Annabelle’s in school,” Dyma said. “Excuse me, but I’d kind of like to say goodbye tomyboyfriend, too, since I’m the one who’s actually, you know, going to college? Which means we need to get out of here. I promise not to let Mom carry things or climb ladders, and I’ll make sure all the hot college guys stay away from her, too. Owen loaned me his cattle prod.”
Harlan smiled. Reluctantly, but still. “I guess Owen’s probably having an even harder time than me.”
“As I’m not hugely pregnant, you mean?” Dyma asked. “And don’t have a ring? Nope. He trusts me.”
“Uh-huh,” Harlan said, but he didn’t look convinced. He hadn’t been there to hear Owen make that promise, though, or to hear Dyma make her own. Love was a choice. Monogamy was a choice, too, and if you couldn’t trust Owen, who could you trust?
She wasn’t going to think about that anymore. She was here. Time tobehere. She knocked once on the door, then opened it.
“Hi,” she told the two girls inside. “I’m Dyma.”
* * *
It was seven-thirty in Houston,and Owen had still barely heard from Dyma. He’d texted her on the plane and hadn’t heard anything back until they were at the hotel.Made it,she’d said.Mom tried not to cry and failed. V emotional scene. Time for a call tonight?
He’d texted back, but nothing yet.Now, he was wandering around Neiman-Marcus with Harlan while Harlan looked at baby clothes. The Viking got his picture taken a bunch, and Owen didn’t. Same as always. Why was he even here? To be the bodyguard, that was why,alsosame as always.
