Stepbrother Untouchable Read Free

and I pull it back out to see her response: Feel better!
    I envy Cara. Everything seems to come so easy to her. She
can fit in anywhere, make friends with anyone. I guess I'm just not that kind
of person, much as I'd like to be.

 
     
    CHAPTER THREE

     
     
    The words are a blur on the page in front of me. I rub my
eyes. I didn't sleep well last night, and now I can't concentrate on my notes.
We have a few days off at the beginning of the week to study, and then final
exams. I can't let myself slip just because I got a Lawn Room, but the events
of last night are distracting me and studying right now is nearly impossible.
    My phone rings on the desk next to me.
    “Hey, Mom!” I say as I pick up.
    “Hey, honey! I just saw you called me a bunch yesterday! I'm
sorry. I was out with Pierce.” Her melodic voice sounds a little breathless, as
it always does when she talks about this new boyfriend.
    “Well, I have some good news.”
    “Me, too!” she replies.
    “Oh! Um, do you want to go first?”
    “Actually, I'm going to be in town tonight. Pierce and I
were hoping to have dinner with you.”
    “You're in town?! That’s great news.”
    She laughs. “No, that's not the news! Do you want to wait to
tell me your news until then?”
    “Um, sure. Why not? Everything's OK, though, right?”
    “Everything's great! We have a reservation for 7 o'clock at
Decanter. Should we pick you up?”
    “No, that's OK. It's just a short walk from campus.”
    “Wonderful! Oh, I'm so excited to see you!” she says.
    “Me too!”
    I shut my phone feeling dumbfounded. Now I'm really not
going to be able to study. My mom's never surprised me like this before. I frown.
Could she and Pierce be engaged, and she wants to tell me in person? I guess
I'd be happy for her, but I've never met this guy before. What if he's just one
more jerk in the long line of lowlifes that she seems to attract?
    My mom is so gorgeous and always loved the attention her
looks brought her, but her vanity has always worried me. Men are so willing to
do everything for her, but they never seem to be the right kind of men.
Regardless of their character, she’s always had a constant stream of admirers,
and has never had to do anything for herself. She doesn’t know who she is or
how to be alone.
    When I came along, my dad showed his true colors and
abandoned us, and she had no skills to fall back on as a twenty-two year-old
single mother. I always promised myself that I wouldn’t let myself depend on a
man like her. I had to make sure I could make my own way in the world, which is
probably why I've had my nose in a book my whole life.
    After several more hours of fruitless study, I decide to get
ready a little early so that I can take a walk around campus before I meet my
mom and her new boyfriend. I put on a cotton summer dress and grab a cardigan
in case the restaurant is chilly.
    I start to feel a little calmer when I reach the lawn and
see the Rotunda's white dome in front of me. The architecture always inspires
me, and next year I'll actually be living here. I stand in front of the women's
side of the Lawn—genders are separated—and wonder which room will be mine.
    My mind drifts back unbidden to last night. I so hoped to be
able to expand my horizons a little. As wonderful as I know getting a Lawn room
is, it's not everything.
    The way Nate's body looked in the low light from the
hall…the small tuft of hair that showed just above his boxers…the way he looked
at me. I realize I’m tugging at my braid absent-mindedly, and shake my head at
myself—I need to get it together. It's time to meet my mom and her new
boyfriend, and hear their big news.
     

     
    I glance around as I enter Decanter. Its architecture is
modern and elegant, a mix of cream fabrics and dark wood. I've never been here
before—way out of my price range. I'm about to approach the hostess when I
recognize my mom in a prime booth in the corner. I walk toward her between a
row of tables,