My Know-It-All Nemesis - Maggie Dallen Page 0,6

in The Heights. And my pool parties were legendary.

One had to give her credit. She could make a direct hit without so much as a blink in my direction.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and watched her as she did her whole bubbly-sweetheart routine.

Fake, fake, and more fake. Every second of it. Yet, I got the feeling I was the only one who could see how uncomfortable she was right now. How much she hated that we were seeing her working here, and wearing that skimpy outfit.

I could admit it—I checked her out. I was only human, after all, and after years of hiding herself away behind high collars and swooshy skirts, I was...curious. Yup, it was just curiosity that had me cataloging the perfect curves and the flash of toned skin beneath the edge of her cropped top, which had the Hot and Wild logo stamped across her chest.

“Isn’t that right, Miller?” Cal said. He shifted to the side so I had an unobstructed view of her. And her of me. For the first time since she’d first spotted me, Kate’s gaze clashed with mine.

Hers held a challenge. As usual.

Everything else about this little tableau? So not usual. How was no one else freaking out right now about the sight of Kate in normal clothes? How was everyone just standing around chatting like this wasn’t the most mind-blowing moment of their lives?

I had to fight to swallow. The air in here had grown way too hot.

Logan smacked my arm. “We were just saying how she should wear this little getup to your Halloween party next weekend, am I right?” He laughed good-naturedly as he turned back to her. “No one would recognize you, Kate.”

I was almost certain I was the only person who even noticed the blush that was creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. “It’s just a stupid uniform,” she said.

“You should see what I have to wear when I caddy for my dad,” one of the guys said.

This launched a whole side conversation about awful uniforms that seemed to put Kate back at ease. Everyone’s friendly neighborhood overachiever—that was Kate. The sweetheart with the heart of gold…

And the claws of steel.

How did no one else see the claws of steel?

Even now, I could spot them just below the surface when I was drawn into the conversation again.

“You look hot in that uniform,” Tim said in his typical, oh-so-subtle style. “Nothing at all like…” He turned to me with a goofy grin. “What was it you called her, Miller? Gidget?”

I held back a groan as her gaze met mine, filled with suspicion and accusations. “Gidget?” She sounded annoyed and confused.

Not surprisingly. She’d probably never heard of Gidget either.

“Yeah,” Tim continued, oblivious to the murderous glint in her eyes. “You know, because you wear all those retro clothes.”

Her eyes snapped up to meet mine. Accusation was there in her stare, but no one else seemed to notice. “I don’t dress retro,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, you do,” one of the guys said. “Miller was totally right. You dress like one of those fifties chicks. What are they called?”

Everyone looked to me. I didn’t answer. I’d gotten myself into enough trouble as it was, thank you very much.

One of her brows hitched up. “I dress like a fifties chick, huh?” She shifted so one hip was leaning against the edge of the counter. “I suppose that’s a compliment?”

My lips twitched up in amusement. “Not really.”

She gave a huff of amusement. “That’s what I figured.”

“It’s not an insult, either.”

“Uh huh,” she said, making a point of turning her attention to the computer screen before her. “So glad to see you’re on board with playing nice during the election, Miller.” She shot me a sidelong look that seemed to pin me to the ground where I stood. “I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for another Braindead Barbie poster...maybe this time she’ll be wearing a poodle skirt.”

She managed to say this in a cheerful tone, making all the guys around me laugh.

Only I seemed to be aware of the dark undertones here, the sheer malice in those baby blue eyes.

“I didn’t call you braindead,” I started.

But she cut me off. “What can I get for you, Cal?”

One by one, everyone placed their order. By the time me and my credit card got to the front of the line, the other guys had claimed the big table in the back.

“And what can I get for you?” she asked, her tone brisk