Only One (Ward Sisters Book 2) (4 page)

Jenna smiled automatically. “He's cute. Sorry. I wasn't hitting on you. I don't like girls. I mean, not like that. Not that there's anything wrong with being gay. My best friend from high school is gay.”

“Oh yeah? She hot, too?” Catie asked with a smirk.

“He. His name is Chris. And, yes, he's drop-dead gorgeous. He's at Parsons and we've planned to visit each other. You'll have to meet him. He's one of the coolest people I know.”

“Does that mean we're going to be friends?” Catie teased.

“Uh...”

“I'm giving you a hard time. Relax. Too many fake bitches in this world. I like me a real girl. I need a good wingman who won't shovel the shit, you know?”

“I hear you. I miss Chris.”

“Yeah, I miss Liam. He was my very best friend my whole life.” Her eyes got a little misty. She smiled and took a deep breath. “So, we gonna party this weekend?”

**********

Boston, Massachusetts, twelve and a half years ago...

Catie bounced on her toes.

“Stop that. You're driving me nuts. It's not like you're hoping to hook up with him. You have a boyfriend and he's gay.”

“Sorry. Nervous habit. I love meeting new people, but I get antsy when they're important, you know?”

“You think Chris is important?”

“Jen, he's your best friend. Of course I think he's important!”

Jenna smiled. She and Catie had grown close the past two years. Unfortunately, between Jenna's social obligations and Catie's swim practices and meets, they didn't get to spend a lot of time together. It was even less these days. Catie was dating Tony Donati, whose mother went to law school with Jenna's dad. Jenna thought Catie could do better than Tony, but she seemed smitten.

Just then her phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hey there, beautiful!”

“Chris! Are you here?”

“Waiting downstairs. Oh, wait, someone is coming through the door. I'll be up in two shakes.”

He hung up the phone and Jenna grinned at Catie.

“Someone let him into the building.” Catie looked even more nervous. “Will you just relax? You'll love him and he'll love you.”

A firm knock echoed through the room. Jenna opened the door and there was Chris. He scooped her into his huge arms and swung her around.

“Oh, you are a vision,” he said. Then he put her down and leaned back. “Okay, maybe a vision who needs some work. When was the last time you had a trim? Allison must be beside herself when she drags you to those charity functions. And what the hell are you wearing?
A school logo sweatshirt
? As if you're seriously into sports, Jen. Please. Just because you go to a sports-obsessed school, it doesn't mean you have to jump on the bandwagon.”

Then, he noticed Catie. “Oh, well, who's
this
lovely creature?”

Chris held out his hand to Catie and she took it. Like he'd done the first time he'd met Jenna, he kissed her hand.

She rolled her eyes. “I told you about Catie. We met in psych.”

“By psych, I assume you mean a class and not the psych ward? Unless you've failed to mention a stint in the looney bin. God knows this room could drive a person to drink, if not insanity. How do you live here?” He grimaced at the bland institutional walls.

“I think I liked you better when you were in the closet and not so vocally judgmental,” Jenna joked.

“Oh, please. You love me and you know it.” He grinned at her. Then he turned his attention to Catie again. “You, my dear, are gorgeous. Anyone ever tell you that?” Before she could answer he waved his hand. “Of course they have. Look at those
cheekbones.
And the boobs are
amazing.
B-cup?”

Catie's eyes grew wide. “Uh, yes. Thanks. I guess.”

“Don't mind him, Catie. Chris, don't you
dare
feel her up.”

“Oh, fine. I can tell they're real, anyway. You need a bra with better support, honey. Is that a
sports bra
you're wearing?”

“Um, yes. I, uh, I'm on the swim team.”

“Honey, we're in a dorm room, not at the gym or the pool. Sports bras are for athletics. And in your case, since you swim, I'm guessing you don't even need them when you're working out unless you're cross-training. When you're not exercising, sports bras are just ugly. We need to get you some decent lingerie. You won't catch a sexy man with a sports bra.”

“Oh, well, I've got a boyfriend...” Catie began.

“And that gives you an excuse to wear cotton and Lycra?” He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head.

“Actually, Tony buys me lingerie all the time. He doesn't want to see me unless I'm wearing something sexy under my clothes.”

“He's a barbarian like that,” Jenna said, annoyed. Tony was such an ass. He didn't deserve Catie.

“Wait, is this the creep who came to your mom's party on the Vineyard two years ago?” Chris asked. Jenna had told him that her friend was dating the guy they'd called The Perv at her mother's Labor Day party during their freshman year in college.

“Yes. Same guy.”

“Oh, honey, you're
way
too fabulous for that scum. Seriously, Jen, didn't you tell her what a freak he is? Or that he hit on every single woman at that party?”

“Well, I
tried
to tell her that he's a bit of a douche. I just didn't get that detailed into why. We hadn't been friends for very long when they first started dating.”

Catie frowned at Jenna. “You don't like Tony?”

Jenna sighed. “Well, no. Not really.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Like I said, we hadn't been friends long at the time when you met him.” She looked at Chris. “We ran into him and his Harvard cronies at a bar on Boylston Street. They were slumming.” She turned back to Catie. “Not that I think you're low-class, Catie. Just that the Harvard guys show up on this side of town when they're looking for a piece of ass. You should hear them talk about it at the stupid charity functions my mom makes me attend.”

Catie blushed. “What does that make me, then? Since I'm his girlfriend?”

Chris looked at Jenna, put on his best smile. He took Catie's hand. “It makes you the perfect creature you are and it makes him the luckiest bastard on the planet because you gave him the time of day.”

“Thanks,” Catie said, forcing a smile.

Chris changed the subject. “Well, I think we need to prepare for a night on the town. I'm only here for one night and I want it to be memorable. Show me your clothing choices, ladies, and let's get dressed to the nines. We'll have dinner and drinks, then you two can show me how to live it up in this city.”

Both girls smiled and they went to work.

A few hours later, they were sitting at the bar on Boylston Street where Catie had met Tony. Jenna and Chris sat at a table, talking, watching Catie as a group of guys from her swim team flirted with her by the dart board.

“She's too good for that sleazeball,” Chris said, sipping his Scotch on the rocks.

“Tell me about it. But she has blinders where he's concerned.”

“She'll learn. One of these days.”

“She has a thing for this guy on her team. They hang out all the time and she's always talking about how sexy he is.”

Chris looked at her, confused. “Why is she with The Perv?”

Jenna shrugged. “Hell if I know. She doesn't talk much about her childhood, but I get the impression that Tony's money holds a lot of appeal.”

“Are you saying she's a gold digger?” Chris seemed appalled. Whether it was the implied accusation or the possibility of Catie actually being a gold digger, Jenna wasn't sure.

“No. Not like that. She had a big family and little money. You can imagine that it's hard to let go of a guy who showers you with gifts. Though, truthfully, I think Tony does it to distract her more than anything. He ignores her all the time. It's no wonder she's always with that guy from her team.”

“And The Perv doesn't mind if she spends time with...what's his name?”

“I don't know. She won't tell me his name. I think that she subconsciously realizes that her relationship with him isn't really appropriate when she has a boyfriend.”

“Well, let's hope she dumps The Perv and hooks up with Swim Boy sooner rather than later. That girl is fabulous. She needs an equally fabulous partner. What about you?”

Jenna laughed. “Come on, Chris. You know how bad I am at the whole meeting guys thing. I'm too damn picky.”

“Let's find you someone while I'm here. Ooh! Look! There's a hottie coming in the door right now. Oh, and he's sitting at the bar. How about if I go chat with him and see if he's interested?”

“In you or me?”

“Well, whichever.”

Jenna laughed. “Go for it.” Chris sauntered over to the very attractive guy he'd seen enter a second before. Catie appeared at Jenna's elbow and plunked into the seat Chris had occupied.

“You two done gossiping?” Catie asked, grinning. She was feeling good about herself from all the attention the swim team boys had given her. Too bad she didn't realize that she never looked this happy after spending time with Tony.

“For now. Chris is trying to score one of us a new man. Ha! He's wiggling his eyebrows. That means this one is gay.” Jenna turned to Catie. “So, what do you think of him?”

“Honestly? He's insane. Awesome, but insane.”

Jenna laughed. “That he is. He's like a caricature of his high school outward persona. I mean, I always knew the real him, but he put on an act with everyone else. Except my mom. He was always himself with her. She thinks he walks on water. Hey, you should come meet her. I have this tea at her house in a couple weeks. She said I could bring a friend. Frankly, I think she's afraid I don't have any.”

Catie chuckled. “Well, besides me and Chris, do you?”

Jenna smirked. “No. Not really.”

“I'll go with you, if you promise that you'll meet Liam when he's next in town. He said he'd bring his roommate and I've been trying to get in Robbie's pants for over two years. Liam makes it impossible. He threatened to beat up Robbie if he looked at me sideways.”

“What about Tony?”

“Oh. Damn. Right. Well, you should meet Liam anyway. He's tame compared to Chris.”

“I bet he is.”

She wouldn't object to meeting Catie's brother. She'd seen enough pictures of him at Catie's place to know he was her type. Plus, he played hockey, which was a huge turn on when you were a big hockey fan. Chris laughed at her BU sweatshirt, but she wore it whenever the team played a home game. This was the first weekend she and Catie had both been around for a hockey game when they weren't going to both weekend games.

Jenna laughed and smiled inwardly that Catie had forgotten Tony for a moment. Maybe there was hope she'd ditch him before they got too serious. She looked over at Chris, who was motioning to the guy at the bar and another hot guy who had shown up since Catie sat down at the table. The three of them wandered in the girls' direction.

Chris introduced the two men, both tall, fit-looking, brunettes with blue eyes. “Jenna, this is Paul and his best friend, Eric. You can't have Paul, because he's mine. But Eric is free. Sorry, Catie. You're already taken. Right?”

Catie sighed. “Yeah.” The guys all laughed and sat down.

Eric squeezed in next to Jenna. He leaned close to her ear and said, “You don't have to pretend you're interested in me.”

Jenna blushed. “I wouldn't be pretending.”

A huge grin spread across his face and he stuck out his hand for her to shake. “In that case, I'm Eric Lyman. I'm studying music at Berklee. I play bass in a local band. What about you?”

“Jenna Ackerman. I'm studying computer science at BU. I love music, but I can't sing or play to save my life.”

“You should come see my band play next weekend. In fact, why don't you all come to the show?” he said, louder.

“I'd love to come back for that, but I've got a huge fashion show for school,” Chris said, making a small pout.

“I'll come,” Catie said. “You're in The Shredders, right?”

Eric nodded. “You know us?”

“Been to a couple of your shows over the years.”

“Well, you should definitely come, then. I'll get you and Jenna backstage access if you want.”

“Awesome!” Catie said.

“Will you bring Tony?” Jenna asked. God, she hoped not.

“No. He hates concerts except the symphony.”

Jenna rolled her eyes. Tony was such a douche.

“Are you going to bring Swim Boy?” Chris asked coyly.

Catie whipped her head toward Jenna. “What'd you tell him?”

Jenna took a sip of wine and shook her head. “Nothing. Just that you hang out with...what's his name?”

Catie gulped her beer and subconsciously peeled the label on the bottle. “Never mind. I'm not bringing him. Besides, I think he said he has a big family thing next weekend.”