Brazen Girl by Ali Dean Page 0,40
giddy to be in our presence, or Griffin’s presence maybe. I zero in on Daisy, and while I catch her checking me out, I don’t necessarily register the same type of crazy vibrating off Fliss.
“Hey Beckett,” Felicity says once she’s standing with us. “Remember us from Moses’s house? You gave us a ride.”
“Yeah, hey. So, are you on vacation in the area or did you fly overseas just to watch this event?”
Griffin steps on my foot and Brie coughs. What? Maybe I’m not being all that subtle, but it’s a fair question.
Daisy takes a step closer until she’s almost in my personal space. “I live in London, Fliss came to visit me. Great job out there today, Beck.” She turns to flash the other competitors a smile. “All of you.” Then she puts her hand out to Brie. “I’m Daisy, by the way.”
Brie shakes her hand, introducing herself.
All five of us are scrutinizing the two blondes but if they notice, they don’t seem the least bit put off by it.
“So, you’re skateboarders then?” Brie asks, but I think she already knows the answer from our conservation a minute ago.
“We’re skateboarding fans,” Fliss responds. “But we don’t really skateboard.”
“I tried it but I don’t have the patience,” Daisy adds.
“Big fans then, to come out for the competitions and get VIP tickets, too?” Taylor pushes.
“Biiiiiig fans. Especially of you all.” Felicity’s eyes linger on Griff as she speaks. “See, I grew up in Summerside so even though I don’t skateboard myself, I know all about it. I heard of you even before you came to college at Summerside.”
As Fliss yammers on about Griff’s various career highlights, he attempts to maintain a neutral expression. The rest of us exchange looks that say, yep, this girl is red flag material.
“What about you, Daisy?” I finally get a chance to ask.
“Oh, Fliss got me into it. I’ve always thought skateboarding was cool and all but this is the first time I’ve watched a competition.”
I’m actually a bit disappointed Daisy isn’t sending off the same warning bells as Fliss. She even seems a bit aloof, like she’s just here as Fliss’s wing-woman. As we continue talking to the girls, I don’t notice Daisy paying me any special attention. Fliss, on the other hand, is basically drooling over Griff.
Did this girl fly overseas for this moment with him? The more she talks, the more it becomes clear this trip to see her friend was only a convenient excuse. If Fliss is the one who threatened Jordan, and sent pictures indicating she was following her, now what? Soon she’ll learn Jordan’s with me, not Griff, but does that mean Jordan’s safe?
Maybe Daisy had a thing for me back in the fall and got over it. But it’s hard to imagine someone threatening to take out Jordan’s legs over me and then losing interest in me shortly afterward.
I feel the weight of eyes on our group, which isn’t unusual, but as I take in the people at this party, some clearly waiting for their opportunity to talk to one of us, I can’t help but be suspicious. We might have found Griff’s stalker, but what about mine? Is she still out there?
Chapter Seventeen
Jordan
Just like last time I picked up Beck from an airport, I can barely contain my excitement. The only difference is that this time, I know it’s okay to show just how excited I am to see him. Sure someone could see us and blow our cover a few weeks before the contract is officially up, but who cares? At this point we can handle some speculation until we can make it official. The only thing I’m debating is whether I can get away with a kiss and maybe an ass squeeze.
My train of thought comes to an abrupt halt when I spot the person walking between Beck and Griffin. Felicity Bernstein?
When my eyes meet Beck’s, he’s smiling at me like everything is totally normal. I glance at Griff, who isn’t giving me the easy-going grin I’d expect. I haven’t seen him in seven months, but instead of opening his arms for a hug, he’s kind of cringing at me and shaking his head.
Uncertain what the hell is going on, I lift my hand in a dorky wave. Beck picks up his pace, and when he lifts me in his arms and twirls me around, I relax. Nothing can be all that wrong if Beck is giving me one of the greetings I’ve been imagining all day.