“Easier said than done.”
“Caroline. You think the person you were before is slipping out, but you’ve grown. You’ve changed. She’s in there; she’s just evolved. Give yourself more credit.”
“You weren’t there, Scarlett. You don’t know what I said and did.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad if his own sister witnessed it and asked you to reconsider your resignation.”
“It was bad.”
“Okay. Then consider this a challenge to your personal growth. You’ve faced adversaries and haters in the design department. And you know you’re bound to face it in the real world when you get a job. Creative people tend to get jealous.”
While I’d love to argue with her, she’s right. “Yeah.”
“Good.” I hear the smile in her voice. “I’m proud of you. You can do this, Caroline. You are in control of your reactions.”
“Easy for you to say since you don’t work with Reed much.”
“If you like, I can talk to him about you. Convince him you’re not so bad.”
My heart stutters. “Don’t you dare!”
“I’m joking. But I’ll try to get to know him a bit better. Maybe I can give you some insight to help you get along with him.”
“All right. But don’t be too obvious.”
She chuckles. “I’ll be discreet. Now I have to get back in the lab. But call me if you need to talk later, okay?”
“Thanks, Scar.”
I go home and take a nap then grab some dinner and head to the design studio. I haven’t the vaguest clue what to do for my project, but I need to figure it out soon. I’m not surprised to find several students already working on projects. Now that I’ve presented the dress I was working on last week, I have four weeks to come up with ten completed designs, as well as plan the show. I’m feeling the pressure of the looming deadline, but it doesn’t jog any ideas loose as I sit with my sketchbook and pencil. I end up sketching a dozen ideas, but none of them grab my interest. After I spend ten minutes staring out the window, I decide I’m not getting anything accomplished here, but I’m not ready to go home either.
Instead, I head to The Higher Ground, the campus coffee shop. It’s open until eleven and I need to study for my U.S. government test. I order a coffee but resist a muffin and find a table for two in the corner. This isn’t the best place to study. The coffee shop is usually full of socializing students in the evening, not studious ones, but I don’t feel like leaving campus and I hate the library. Thankfully, I’m good at tuning out the rest of the world, a necessary skill learned in a mobile home full of kids my mother babysat at night after her day job. I’m so zoned out that I’m startled when someone plops in the chair in front of me and drops her books on the table.
“Hi.”
I jump in my seat and look up into Lexi Pendergraft’s perky face. I resist a groan. “Hi, yourself.”
“Studying?”
I glance down at the open government book and my laptop. “Yeah.”
“My brother’s not that bad, you know.”
There’s no holding in my groan this time. “I’m sure he’s not.”
She leans forward, her palms flat on the table, and her voice lowers. “He has his reasons for being how he is, but I assure you, once you get to know him, you’ll discover he’s all bark and no bite.”
“No bite?” I scoff. “I find that hard to believe. He seems like he’s used to biting a lot.” The thought of him biting me brings a surprising twist in my stomach. No, Caroline. You do not want Reed Pendergraft to bite you. Focus. But my pep talk doesn’t appease the stir of my hormones.
Lexi grimaces. “Okay, he does bite a little, but again, he has his reasons.”
Not helping.
I resist the urge to take a deep breath. “Every time I’ve seen you, Reed was close at hand. How much time do you actually spend with him?”
She looks down, squirming slightly in her seat. “A lot.”
This girl confuses me. She might be a college sophomore, but she seems to have the maturity of a high school girl. Hell, I had more maturity in high school, but then I’m not a good judge. “Lexi, you seem like a nice girl, and while this is none of my business, I feel the need to make a suggestion.” I pause. “How old are you? Nineteen? Twenty?”
She glances up, her eyes wide, and she sits back in her seat, suddenly wary. “Eighteen.”
“Eighteen? Really? Wow.” But it explains a few things.
She lifts a shoulder into a self-conscious shrug. “I graduated early.”
“That’s okay.” I look into her eyes. “The point is that you’re in college now, and perhaps it’s time you cut the apron strings to your brother.” I wonder the wisdom of this since I have to spend the next four weeks working with her, but for some bizarre reason, I feel the need to help her. Maybe it’s because I like her, and I don’t think she should let a jerk like Reed run her life, even if he is her brother. Especially since he’s her brother.
Her gaze turns to the window. “I know.” She faces me again, plastering on a forced smile. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’ll let you get back to studying.”
As she starts to get up, I reach across the table and grab her hand. “Lexi, wait.” She seems so young and lost. Some protective instinct I didn’t know I possessed kicks into gear.