Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
I wasn’t sure I believed him, but the knots in my stomach loosened slightly. I ordered the least expensive entrée and water. I didn’t hear what Con ordered because I was too busy trying to think of what I could ask him to prevent another awkward silence from falling between us. I’d just decided that I’d ask him how he started his own agency when I realized that the waiter was gone and Con was staring at me.
He’d said something, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was.
“I said, how did you and Halley become friends?” he repeated, a small smirk curling the edge of his mouth in a way that made his face look the opposite of friendly.
“We met at rush week,” I said, latching onto the topic happily. Of course we should talk about Halley. It was the only thing we had in common. “She was a freshman fall rush. I became her Big.”
“I have to admit, I was surprised when she wanted to join a sorority.” Con took a sip of water, his eyes latched onto mine over the rim.
I bristled. I’d heard that tone a dozen times before. A seemingly innocuous comment except that it was underlined with derision. “Why is that?” I asked, keeping my voice bright and upbeat with effort.
He shrugged his broad shoulders negligently. “I just didn’t think she was the sorority girl type.”
“The sorority girl type?” I repeated, still determined not to let annoyance creep into my voice. I couldn’t be annoyed with Con. He was my boss, he was paying for this lunch, and most importantly, he was Halley’s dad. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Vapid,” he said bluntly. “More concerned with parties and boys—” here his lip curled down “—than going to class.”
I took a sip of my own water, cooling the hot words that wanted to spring to my lips. He watched me carefully, and I had the feeling he was amused. “I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea about sororities,” I finally said with as much saccharine sweetness as I could hold on my tongue without gagging. “Probably because you’re in an industry that doesn’t really understand the bonds of sisterhood and therefore reduces women to bimbos and sluts.”
He raised one eyebrow laconically. “Well please, enlighten me.”
This part was easy. I could list a dozen ways that sororities were beneficial. The hard part was keeping the irritation out of my voice when he was so clearly trying not to smirk. “Some sororities might focus on parties and boys, but not all. Ours was about community. We did volunteer work and held fundraisers. It’s about learning to be a leader. I was the vice president, so I basically learned how to run a household of forty girls, which taught me about budgeting and conflict resolution…”
I kept going until the waiter came by with our meals. He slid them in front of us and stood back politely, waiting for a break in my diatribe.
“And of course, the networking,” I finished up. “If not for the sorority, I might not have met Halley, and I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
I sat back, my heart beating fast. I wasn’t mad exactly, just passionate. My cheeks felt flushed, and my mind was already jumping ahead, anticipating his possible responses even as I murmured to the waiter that I didn’t need anything else.
Con inclined his head, and the man walked away. Another silence fell, but this one didn’t feel as awkward. He was watching me with something like speculative interest, like I’d surprised him. And instead of saying anything snarky, he said, “Okay, you’ve convinced me.”
My mouth dropped open. “Just like that?”
He raised his wrist and looked at his watch ironically.
The flush worked its way to my cheeks. “I have a lot to say about the topic,” I said defensively. “You wouldn’t believe what people will say to your face when they find out you’re in a sorority.”
“I can only imagine.” Con’s lips twisted wryly. “It’s good preparation for what people are willing to say to your face in this town.”
There was an exasperated note in his voice that told me he wasn’t just speaking off the cuff. I tilted my head, waiting for the story.
He shook his head. “It’s about an actress I’m trying to get in a movie, but it’s not something I can talk about really. Not yet. I can’t risk it leaking.”
I looked around as ostentatiously as he’d looked at his watch. “I don’t see anyone hiding in the potted plants,” I said.
He smiled again, and this time it was the closest thing to a real smile I’d seen yet. “Another time, maybe. But suffice to say, I’m glad that Halley never wanted to go into this industry.”
I looked up at him in surprise, wondering if he was joking. Halley absolutely wanted to go into this business.