Hiring Mr. Darcy - Valerie Bowman Page 0,79

was definitely drunk too. I’d only seen him drunk one other time, at the history department holiday party last year when Dr. Holmes had talked him into drinking brandy. Harrison had had a lot to say about just about every one of our colleagues on the walk home and none of it particularly nice. I’d been a little shocked and a lot amused.

But drunk or not, I refused to allow him to be mean to Jeremy. I pulled my hand from the wall and placed it on my spinning head. “He’s not a Neanderthal,” I insisted. “And you’re being rude.”

Harrison took a deep breath. “I just want to talk to you, Meg. Privately.”

I glanced at Jeremy. He looked like he wanted to punch Harrison, but I knew he’d leave if I asked him to. “No,” I said, lifting my chin. “I’m not in the state of mind to talk to you tonight, Harrison. You’re just going to have to wait.”

It was a night of truth, after all, and that was as truthful as I’d ever been. I was drunk and I was confused by Jeremy’s kiss. Talking to Harrison would be a superbly bad idea, and thank God I was still sober enough to at least recognize that.

“You heard the lady,” Jeremy said to Harrison with a smug smile perched on his face. “Now, leave before I go Neanderthal on you and kick your ass, you douchebag.”

Harrison’s eyes narrowed on Jeremy’s face. “Threats of violence? You just proved my point about you being a Neanderthal.”

“And you just proved my point about you being a douchebag,” Jeremy said. “I wasn’t kidding about kicking your ass.”

Harrison spun around and strode away down the hallway, mumbling under his breath.

Jeremy shut the door and turned to face me. “You okay?”

I was still blinking, surprised over the exchange I’d just witnessed. “I’ve never heard him raise his voice.”

“Yeah, he seemed pretty pissed.” Jeremy’s grin widened. “I don’t think he likes us rooming together.”

I pointed a drunken finger in the air. “Well, he shoulda thought of that before he made out with Lacey Lewis.”

“Agreed.” Jeremy nodded.

“Thank you for making him leave,” I said, afraid my voice was turning sad.

“My pleasure,” Jeremy replied in his best English accent, bowing. “Anything for you, my dear Miss Bennet.” He came back over to the bed and sat facing me again.

I lowered myself to the couch and placed my palm on Jeremy’s cheek. “You’re great, you know that?”

“Am I?” His voice was warm. His green gaze held mine.

“Yes, you’re a great friend and a really good kisser, too.” I patted his rough cheek.

And with that pronouncement, I fell backward onto my tiny couch/bed and passed out.

Chapter 24

Saturday

The next morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. I was alone in the room and sunlight poured in the window, mocking me for my indiscretions last night. Plus, I was pretty sure I’d snored.

It was acting day. I’d deserve a frickin’ Oscar if I could pretend I didn’t give a damn about what I’d seen last night between Harrison and Lacey.

Harrison sent a note asking me to meet him for breakfast. I ignored it and ordered a pot of coffee and some scones to be brought to the room. I gnawed on the scones and halfheartedly sipped the coffee while I contemplated both what Harrison had done with Lacey and what I had done with Jeremy. Which of course was only one little truth-or-dare kiss (with tongue), but I still felt like crap for it. Cheating was cheating, and I hadn’t officially ended things with Harrison. I was still mulling over both events, along with the testosterone-charged exchange between Harrison and Jeremy last night, when Harrison knocked on the door, startling me and making me drop my scone into my lap.

“Meg, are you in there? We need to talk.”

I scooped up the scone and took a big bite, chewing and swallowing without saying a word. I fully intended to pretend I wasn’t there. It was petty of me, but at the moment I wanted to be petty. Petty was my middle name.

Eventually Harrison stopped knocking and wandered off down the hall. I could hear his footsteps receding. I got up and dressed in the least fancy of my gowns. The really grand one would be saved for the ball the next night. The focus today was on the lines and the acting, not the clothing. Lady Waverly-Jones was one of the judges today. Would she be swayed by Lacey Lewis’s fame? Would