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the cramps."
She was so dumbfounded by his chivalrous reaction that she tightened her hands around his
neck and held on as he paddled.
His lashes were long, blond, and spattered with drops of water from the lake. They even
clung to his eyebrows and to the soft shade of stubble on his chin. His chest was touching hers
touching! separated only by the thinnest of swimsuit materials.
Dante let go of her as he pulled himself up on the dock. By then, Edward and Georgiana had
come out of the water, and even Anne and Rick were standing there, waiting to pull them in.
Lizzie noted with satisfaction that in the chaos, Anne and Rick were standing inches apart, and
she could have sworn Rick's gaze kept drifting to Anne's face.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lizzie insisted as she realized Dante was going to pick her up and
what, carry her back to her room?
Dante seemed reluctant to let her get to her own feet, and he hovered over her as she pulled
herself onto the dock and upright.
"I'm fine," she said again, exasperated, as she shooed them off. "I only need to catch my
breath. I think I might be done swimming."
"Dinner will be served in just a few minutes," Rick said. "But if you'd rather have it in the
dining room "
"No, no, that won't be necessary," Lizzie said before everyone could stampede inside,
ruining her chances of checking out the office. "I'll just change into something warmer, and I'll
be back in ten minutes. Don't worry."
It took a few more minutes of convincing, but finally, Lizzie towel-dried off, made her way
inside, and pulled on her jeans and sweater.
Now for a detour back to the office.
* * *
Lizzie dug her phone out of her back pocket and snapped a photo of the wall of framed
pictures. She moved quickly, stepping to the right to take another round of photos, then another.
There were so many people in these photos dozens!
She recognized a few. She had covered the school fundraiser two years ago and interviewed
several prestigious alumni ooooh, that reminded her, she should create a list of alumni who
could be swayed to her cause.
How many minutes had passed? Certainly more than ten. But there was another wall of
photos yet to go, plus the pictures on the desk. Lizzie moved quickly to the other side of the
office, wincing when her shoes squeaked on the aging wood floor. She raised her phone to frame
the picture on the wall and slowly lowered it.
The picture was a Christmas shot one of Rick from a few years ago. He barely looked like
a teenager, and his mother looked like a movie star and very healthy. With them stood Dante,
Georgiana, and an older couple. Were they Dante's parents? They had to be.
Dante had an arm slung around Rick's shoulders and was pushing Georgiana, who looked so
young, away from him as she went in for a hug. Something about Dante's face was different. He
seemed younger, yes, but more relaxed. As if he'd found it easier to smile. What had happened to
change him?
Now, he was so serious and intent. Like when he'd dived into the lake to save her from a
cramp, even though she wasn't in any danger.
He would have done it for anyone, probably, she told herself. What a story for Georgetown's
college-entrance exam: Dante saves girl from drowning. Although, no, she had to give him more
credit than that. He hadn't been thinking of Georgetown when he'd jumped in after her. Probably
more likely that Rick didn't need a stupid girl drowning at the party his mom had made him
throw.
Rick and Dante being roommates was no coincidence. They were friends& or at least
friendly enough that their parents knew each other.
Lizzie heard a creak behind her.
"That was taken three years ago."
She spun around, heart pounding.
Dante stood a few feet away. His hair was still wet, and his T-shirt clung to his stomach.
"Sorry if I startled you. I& when you didn't come back after ten minutes& "
"I was just looking at some pictures. Is this you?"
Dante smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say you were," Lizzie said defensively.
"You were in this room earlier. I saw you, remember? I don't know why, but I'm sure you're
not just looking at pictures." He grinned, but crossed his arms, waiting patiently for an answer.
He was savvier than she'd given him credit for, and she knew a lie wouldn't work. Besides,
so what if he knew the truth? Dante didn't seem to care about the Academy one way or the other.
"Ms. Wright knows the new owners of the Academy, and I thought their pictures might be in this
room."
Dante's eye twitched, but otherwise his face remained impassive, giving no indication as to
whether he'd tell Rick's mom what she had been up to. Especially now that she knew they had
history. As much as Lizzie believed in her cause, she didn't want Ms. Wright to think badly of
her.
"There must be fifty people in these pictures," was all he said after a moment.
"That's part of journalism," Lizzie said with a shrug. "Research." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]