Robin Wasserman - Lust

“Are you kidding me?” Harper muttered to herself. “Maybe she won’t see-”

“Kaia, over here!” Beth chirped, waving the new girl over. “I invited her to come along,” she explained to the table. “I thought it would be nice-you know, she doesn’t know anyone, and-what?” she asked, irritated, as the boys laughed, while Miranda and Harper just rolled their eyes. “What is it?”

“It was a nice thing to do,” Adam assured her, laying a hand on hers. “I’m sure she appreciated it.”

“I know I do,” Kane added, quickly shutting up as Kaia approached.

“Am I too late?” Kaia asked as she arrived at the table, eyeing the empty ice-cream dishes.

“No, we haven’t even ordered yet,” Kane reassured her, shifting over to make room for her (now Harper too was smushed against the window-and if there was going to be a male body pressed up against her like this, Kane’s was really not the one she would have chosen). “Don’t worry, Harper just likes to eat dessert first.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Kaia asked, and while her tone was light and pleasant, Harper could feel the girls icy eyes boring through her.

“So, about this party…” Miranda began, trying to defuse the tension.

Harper kicked her furiously under the table, but it was too late.

“Party?” Kaia asked. “Sounds like I’m just in time.”

“We’re all going to help Harper organize this party thing in a couple of weeks,” Adam explained.

What was with the “we”? Harper wondered. He hadn’t sounded so enthused a moment ago. Before she walked in.

“Not all of us,” Beth added, her eyes darting away. “Sorry, Harper, I wish I could help, but I’m way too busy already”

“What are you talking about?” Adam asked. He whirled to face her, his mouth crinkling into a frown.

“You know, I have a bunch of after-school meetings, and this new job, and my brothers to take care of, and-”

“Can’t you just make the time? We never get to do anything like this together ,” he complained, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He took her hand in his, but she quickly pulled it away.

“No, I can’t just make time-it’s not that easy. And anyway-” Beth suddenly realized that the whole table was eagerly watching their back-and-forth. “Can we just talk about this later?” she requested in a more measured tone.

“Fine. Whatever,” Adam said sulkily. “I guess Kaia can take your spot.”

“I’m sure Kaia’s way too busy for that sort of thing,” Harper quickly interrupted. “Places to go, people to do, you know how it is.”

“Harper!” Adam turned toward her, shocked.

“What? She’s a big-city girl-why would she want to waste her time on small-town shit like this?”

“Uh, she is sitting right here, you know,” Kaia pointed out. “Though apparently you’d prefer it if I weren’t. Excuse me.” And, perfectly composed, she stood up and glided toward the door.

“What the hell are you doing?” Adam hissed. “Why are you acting like this?”

“Whatever, she said it herself this morning,” Harper told him. She raised her voice so that more of the restaurant-specifically, those who were putting on a big show of leaving in a petty snit-could hear her. “All she cares about are drugs and sex.”

“Which should give the two of you a lot in common,” Adam retorted, and pushed himself away from the table, following Kaia out of the restaurant.

Harper sucked in her breath sharply, and the rest of them stared at her in stunned silence. It was a pretty rare sight to see perpetually good-natured Adam turn ugly-and an even rarer one to see Harper as the target of his attack. Harper squirmed under their gazes and chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek. Picking a fight with Adam wasn’t part of tonight’s plans-but then again, having Kaia tag along with the whole party planning thing wasn’t either. There had been a brief, blessed moment, just after Beth had refused to play, when Harper imagined what it might be like, working side by side with Adam-long hours, private strategy sessions, laughter, flirting, and then one day, maybe, she would make her move. Or-even better-he would make his. One moment. And then Kaia had ruined everything.

Adam soon led Kaia back into the restaurant, his hand held lightly on her back as he guided her down the aisle and back to the table. As Kaia whispered something in his ear and Adam burst into quiet laughter, Harper was hit with a bizarre flash of déjà vu. Hadn’t this scene just happened, with a different starlet playing the role of female ingenue? She wondered if Beth, too, had picked up on the instant replay-then again, Miss Manners really had no one to blame but herself, since she was the one who’d invited the wolf to come have dinner with the lambs.

Not that Harper had any intention of playing the lamb in this little romantic grudge match.

Adam and Kaia sat down again, and Harper-after a stern look from Adam-grudgingly apologized. They ate in relative peace, but when the burgers, fries, and Miranda’s salad were gone, no one was in the mood for a second round of desserts.

As they rose to leave, Adam pulled Harper aside, and they walked slowly, out of earshot of the rest of the group.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “For what I said earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Harper told him, not quite meeting his eyes.

“No, I was totally out of line-it’s just, I’m just a little edgy these days.” They had reached the door, and Adam held it open and swept her through with exaggerated chivalry. She paused in the doorway and looked up at him, his face only inches away. If she stood on her toes, she’d be close enough to… well, it was close. She could smell his cologne, a cool, fresh scent that smelled like rain. Like Adam.

“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” Harper swallowed her pain and her anger and forced a smile, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I swear-all is forgiven.”

She glared at Kaia’s back, a few steps ahead.

Forgiven-but not forgotten.

Kaia took one last disgusted look at the Nifty Fifties Diner before following the “gang” into the parking lot.This town was pathetic. It was like being trapped in the Vegas stage version of a Dawson’s Creek episode-disgustingly earnest teenagers with boring middle-America issues, prancing around on a set lifted from a Travel Channel rundown of America’s Tackiest Tourist Traps. At least there was some good scenery to look at along the way. Exhibit A: Adam Morgan.

“You need a ride, Kaia?” he asked, taking Beth’s hand as they headed toward his car, a maroon Chevrolet with a dented fender and a discolored side panel that seemed lifted from a different car.

Kaia, who had parked her father’s Mustang around the corner, figured that she could find a way to retrieve it in the morning. Her father was, big shock, out of town-but there were plenty of other cars and people to use. If the maid didn’t have time to run her into town in the Beamer, then the gardener could do it in the Audi. Not a problem.

“Actually, I was just about to ask,” Kaia answered, smiling at Adam. “I got a ride here from my dad, but he’s out for the night-are you sure it’s not too much trouble? I live pretty far out.”

Beth laughed and jabbed her boyfriend in the arm good-naturedly. “Are you kidding? Adam loves to drive, don’t you? I think he secretly wishes I lived out in the middle of nowhere so that he’d have more chances to take his prized possession for a real ride.”

Kaia grinned naughtily at the thought of taking Adam for “a real ride,” but she kept her mouth shut-it was just too easy. Besides, she’d already committed herself to playing the wounded good girl role. Her little chat with Adam earlier had convinced her that he was just burning for a chance to play knight in shining armor to some fragile princess. And Kaia was happy to accommodate him-which meant the knee-jerk sex kitten comments would just have to go unspoken.