“Too much information,” Lowe muttered into his coffee.

“That’s your definition of too much information?” I heard Claudia say as I followed Jake down the hall. “You have a lot to learn.”

“Was that an invitation?” he purred back.

I shot Jake a triumphant look but he shook his head sternly and pulled me inside, locking the door behind us.

He turned to me, completely serious. “Beck would lose it if anything happened between Claudia and Lowe.”

“But you heard him.”

“That’s just Lowe. He’d flirt with a houseplant. What he would not do is touch Claudia. He knows how Beck feels about her.”

“You know, I’m starting not to care about Beck’s feelings when it comes to Claud. He’s messing with her. He doesn’t want to date her but he gets pissed when some other guy does. No. That does not fly in Charley World, Jake. I’ve advised Claudia to move on.”

Jake gently pulled me close. “And you’re probably right. But don’t pit best friend against best friend.”

Feeling bad, I played with a button on his shirt. “I’m sorry. That’s not cool, I know.”

“Anyway, Lowe wouldn’t touch Claud.”

“Why not?” I glowered. “She’s smart and funny and prettier than all his groupies put together.”

I felt him shake with laughter. “Sheath the claws, sweetheart. I know your girl rocks but Lowe and Beck are tight. He wouldn’t do that to Beck, no matter how much of a dick Beck’s being.”

“Uh, he did it to you with me when you were being a dick.”

Jake tensed and I knew it was exactly the wrong thing to say. He released me and wandered toward his desk. Turning on his computer, he spoke without looking at me. “That was different. Lowe isn’t as tight with me as he is with Beck. And it was you.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “What was me?”

He gave me a sharp look. “Come on, you must know Lowe really likes you. You’re not just some girl to him.”

“If you know Lowe likes me, why do you rub us in his face?”

“I’m not.”

“The comment about the teeth marks. The comment just now. ‘Do not disturb.’”

“I’m just being me, I’m being us. I’m not going to stop being us. Plus, this way he’ll get over it quicker.”

“You were definitely far more concerned about protecting Melissa’s feelings.”

“That was different.” His face clouded at the mention of his ex. “Lowe wasn’t in a relationship with you. You didn’t tell each other you loved one another.”

Realizing I was digging myself deeper into unstable territory, I tried to stumble out the way I came in. “I’m just saying, I think there’s animosity between you two I don’t understand.”

“He tried to f**k you,” Jake snapped.

My cheeks flushed. “I think you’ll find that it was a little more complicated than that. He’s a good guy. He was there for me. All I want is the same for Claudia.”

Jake groaned and buried his head in hands. “Baby, I hear what you’re saying but please pick someone else. Not for my sake, not for Lowe’s sake, but for Beck’s.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “He doesn’t get to hold her captive while he messes around with other girls. I get it. I do. Advise her to move on, cut him out, whatever… just don’t… He’s got his issues but me and The Stolen are his only real family. Lowe is like his brother. Don’t do anything to mess that up for him.”

I softened. “You sure are giving me a lot of credit if you’re truly worried I could make something happen between Claudia and Lowe.”

Suddenly looking very boyish, Jake said, “I believe you can do anything you put your mind to, Charley Redford. You’re a force to be reckoned with.”

His words cast stillness over me, my eyes drinking in all that he was. “Totally worth it,” I murmured.

“What?”

I grinned. “Get on the bed. You just won bonus sex.”

His low chuckle tickled me in all my good-for-nothing places as my sweater fell to the ground. Standing, Jake unbuttoned his shirt, his fingers stalling on one at the sound of a ringing coming from his computer. He frowned at the interruption and glanced down at the screen.

“Shit, it’s my mom.” He hurriedly rebuttoned.

“You’re going to answer it?”

“I forgot I said I’d take her call tonight. If I don’t answer, she’ll keep calling.”

“Crap!” I yanked my sweater on just in time.

“Mom,” Jake greeted innocently into the camera.

“Jake, sweetheart, how are you?”

“Fantastic. Charley’s here.” He gestured for me to come to him.

Even though Jake said his family was cool about us being back together, after the chat with mine, butterflies invaded my belly as I walked slowly to the screen. Jake’s mom hadn’t changed an iota since I last saw her almost four years ago.

“Hi, Mrs. Caplin.”

Her eyes lit up. “Charley, it’s so good to see you. I was so happy when Jake told me you two were back together.”

My butterflies slowly abated at her sincerity. “Good to see you too. How are you?”

“I’m well, sweetheart, thank you. And you? You’re even prettier than I remember. Your hair is so much lighter. I like it. How are Jim and Delia? Are they well? How are the florist and the auto shop?”

“Mom, slow down.” Jake laughed as he pulled me onto his lap. “I just got her back. Don’t scare her away with the Spanish Inquisition.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” She grinned unrepentantly. It reminded me of her son. “I can’t wait for you both to get back here. You have to come to Chicago, Charley. Stay the weekend. We’ll have a big family dinner. I know Lukas is looking forward to seeing you again.”

I relaxed deeper into Jake, the stress of my parents’ disapproval eased under the warmth of Jake’s mother’s acceptance. “I would love that, Mrs. C.”

Chapter Five

After Claudia’s “asshole” outburst at The Brewhouse I chased after her. When I caught up to her she was hurrying down the street with the invisible smoke of her fiery rage pouring out of her.

“What happened?” I asked as I shoved her purse at her.

She snatched it off me, her nostrils flaring. “You first,” she snapped.

So I told her what had gone down between Jake and me. The resultant glower of her disapproval was nothing new. “And was he cool with that?”

I shrugged, not knowing what was going on with him. “I think so. It was weird. He wants to be friends.”

“Yeah, because that worked out so great for you last time. He didn’t put up more of a fight?”

“He was angry… but no.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Face carefully blank, I said, “We’ve both hurt each other. Maybe he gets that we don’t work.”

I received a grunt in response.

“So that as**ole thing? What did Beck say?”

She started fuming again. “It’s like he just assumed I was going to fall all over him.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, and I quote, ‘This ignoring me shit? I’m done with it. You made your point but life is short, babe, and I want to spend what time I’ve got with you. I missed you like crazy this summer.’”

I knew it would be wrong of me to say I actually thought that was kind of sweet so I kept my trap shut and listened to her tirade continue.

“And I said ‘until you get bored with me and end up nailing your groupies again.’ And he said, ‘I’m never going to get bored of you.’ Pfft!” she made a face. “So I said ‘Yeah, well, I’m bored of this conversation.’ I told him I didn’t trust him. I told him I want a guy who loves me enough to put his own bullshit aside. I said he blew it.”

“What did he say?” I was almost too afraid to ask. This confrontation between Beck and Claudia had been a long time coming. It didn’t surprise me that it had ended the way it had.

Claudia’s face fell, and her voice lowered as she replied, “He said that he was sorry and he wanted a second chance… a second chance to prove how he felt about me. A second chance to make me feel as special as I am.”

“That all sounds… good?”

“I told him it was all just bullshit words, and I know how good he is at lying to get what he wants.”

“And…?”

“Oh, he was pissed. He said he’d always tried to treat me with care and that I should trust him. I said I didn’t. He said I was being impossible. I said, ‘Screw you, I’m moving on,’ to which he replied, ‘If you actually took a chance and screwed me, babe, the only moving on you’d be doing is with me. Forever.’ So I called him an as**ole and got out of there.”

I was silent a moment before peeking at my friend out of the corner of my eye. “You were equally turned on as you were pissed, though, right?”

“So turned on I could kill him,” she snapped. “Arrogant asshole.”

We didn’t say anything else on the subject and two weeks later we still hadn’t discussed it further. We hadn’t talked about any part of that night. I hadn’t heard from Jake and I was trying not to think about that. I threw myself into my work and sometimes it helped. That’s why, while I laid on my stomach in our living room, surrounded by papers and textbooks, I nearly came out of my skin when my phone rang and it was Jake calling.

I could’ve ignored it but without really thinking about it, I answered and closed my eyes at the sound of his deep, rich voice on the other end of the line. He asked me how I was. I said I was fine. Studying a lot. And also that the apartment smelled of homemade soup all the time because Claudia was experimenting in the kitchen.

It was awkward and stilted… and painful… and I was thankful when Claudia got home because I had an excuse to get off the phone.

“I’ve got a date with the TA!” Claudia yelled as she stepped into the apartment.

I heard Jake groan on the other end of the line.

“Claudia’s home,” I said dryly.

“What she said… is that the kind of thing I have to tell Beck?”

“I don’t know. I’m not privy to the bro code.”

“Shit,” Jake muttered and I took that to mean under the bro code, he was obligated to tell Beck what he’d heard.

Claudia appeared in the doorway grinning, her eyes widening at the sight of me. “Oops, sorry, you’re on the phone.”

I smiled at her and said to Jake, “That’s my cue to go, I guess.”

“Wait. I’m, uh… I was actually calling to invite you to Lowe’s birthday party. It’s at the end of this month. We’re in off-campus housing together but Beck has friends at Bobb. One of the halls on campus. They’re letting us throw the party there. It would really mean a lot if you and Claudia would come.”

See him again? So soon? “Uh… I don’t know…”

“You should come. It’ll be—wait. Lowe wants to talk to you.”

I sat up, not knowing what to make of the invite and if I was perhaps reading too much into it to think that this was some kind of plan of Jake’s to get me back.

“Charley,” Lowe’s warm voice sounded in my ear. “You’ve got to come to my party.”

More than a little taken aback he was inviting me after his weirdness in the bar two weekends ago, I said, “Are you sure?”

“Of course. This summer wasn’t the same without you and Claud. Don’t make my birthday suck without you.”

“Let me just ask Claudia.” I covered my phone with my hand and turned to my expectant friend.

“What’s going on?”

“Lowe and Jake are inviting us to Lowe’s birthday party at Northwestern at the end of the month. You in?”

She bit her lip. “Are you?”

I shrugged.

And then, Claudia nodded. “Tell them we’ll be there.”

Feeling nervous at the mere thought of seeing Jake I said, “You sure?”

“Positive.”

I put the phone back to my ear. “We’ll be there.”

“Great. I’ll text you the details. See you then.”

“Bye.”

“Here’s Jake. Bye, Charley.” After some rustling, Jake was back on the phone. “Charley.”

“Hey. I better go, but I guess we’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“Great.” And he did sound like he thought it was great. It felt like a fist was squeezing my heart. “We’ll talk later.”

Yeah, because that’s what friends do and I’m an idiot. “Later.”

Once I’d hung up, I made a face at Claudia. “You think that was wise?”

“You could’ve said no.”

“Well, you could stop making soup,” I growled.

Claudia snorted. “Way to focus your anger elsewhere.” She wrinkled her nose. “It does kind of smell in here, though, huh.” She threw her bag down and collapsed on the couch. “So, Jake’s calling you?”

“Well, I am the idiot who said we could be friends.” I shoved my papers aside. “I just didn’t think he’d actually enforce said friendship.”

“He seems to be dealing with your break up quite well…”