Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2) (15 page)

Bri didn’t think Cole noticed, but
she saw Lynette’s smile falter ever so slightly, and a hint of disappointment
clouded her eyes. 

Jordan laughed and nudged Lynette.  “My
man Cole, here, has it all wrong, Mrs. G.  You don’t play basketball at Duke
for a degree.  You come here to make it big in the NBA.  Poor boy is all kinds
of confused.”

“We’ll have to set him straight, you
and I,”
Lynette
laughed back.  She tried to sound like she was joking, but there was a serious,
determined gleam in her eyes.  “So, are you dating anyone, Jordan?”
she asked.

Blushing, Jordan smiled.  “Not
seriously.  I like to keep my options open.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”
 
Lynette beamed
like she’d found a long lost friend.  “Young people like you shouldn’t settle
down and get serious.  There’s too much you haven’t experienced yet, so much
life you haven’t had a chance to live.”

“That’s what I keep telling this
guy,”
Jordan
grinned smugly at Cole, and Bri threw him a glare.  She was very aware that
Jordan thought Cole was crazy for having a serious girlfriend when he could be
living it up on campus.  Jordan was always ribbing Cole about it, and while he
claimed he was just kidding, Bri knew Jordan was serious.  “There are too many
fish in the sea to settle on one yet.”

Lynette nodded.  “That’s what I tell
him, too.”

“Alright, that’s enough,”
Cole growled
angrily.  “I’ve told both of you that I’m not having this conversation any
more.  It’s extremely rude of you to be talking about this in front of Bri,
like she’s not even here.  Like it or not, Bri and I are together, and will be
for the foreseeable future, so get used to it!”

Warmed at his defense of her, Bri
moved to his side and he pulled her against him.  She turned a glare on Lynette
and Jordan, angry at them for upsetting Cole like this.  It was obvious that
neither of them were interested in what Cole wanted.  They wanted him to live
his life how they thought he should.

“So Jordan,”
Carl interrupted the stare off,
seemingly oblivious to the tension and anger in the room.  “Any chance you were
named after…”

“Number 23, himself,”
Jordan nodded.  “My
dad was a huge fan.  It’s always been his dream that I follow that path.”

As Jordan, Carl, and Lynette
continued their inane dribble, Bri whispered in Cole’s ear.

“I’m sorry they upset you.  They
seriously need to get over themselves.”

He kissed her temple.  “I’m sorry
they were so rude to you.”

“Thanks for kicking their butts for
me,”
she
smiled.  “I guess it’s a good thing we don’t care what they think, huh?”

“Right,”
he smiled.

“So, screw them?”

“Screw them,”
he chuckled.  Bri felt him relax and
snuggled closer into his side.  They wouldn’t let anything come between them. 
They were stronger together, and nothing was going to threaten that.

Lynette and Carl were leaving the
next day.  They asked if Cole would meet them for breakfast before they left to
go back to New Jersey.  Bri had bristled at her obvious exclusion from the
invitation, but was happy to have an excuse not to go. 

Cole made her come anyway. 

Not that she hadn’t put up a fight;
spending time with Lynette was about the worst thing she could think of.  But
Cole had pointed out that Lynette would think she’d won if she was able to
exclude Bri from family gatherings.  So reluctantly, and only to rub Lynette’s
face in it, she’d agreed to go to breakfast. 

The tight, forced smile on Lynette’s
face made it totally worth it.  She was obviously less than thrilled that Bri
had shown up, and Bri took pleasure in ruining Lynette’s plans. 

After eating breakfast and
exchanging strained, polite conversation, Bri and Cole followed Lynette and
Carl out to their car to say goodbye.

“Oh, Cole,”
Lynette pulled him into a tight hug.  “It’s
been so much fun spending time with you.”
 
Cole began to pull back, but she squeezed him tighter, not letting him
go.

“Yeah, Mom, it’s been great,”
he replied flatly,
finally extracting himself from his mom’s embrace. 

“You know, it’s not that far a
drive.  We’ll have to do this more often.  At least, as often as we can until
you go pro and get drafted somewhere else,”
she winked, but Bri caught the excited gleam in Lynette’s eyes.

“Well, that won’t be happening for a
few more years at least, if it happens at all,”
he replied, and Lynette hit him on the arm.

“Don’t talk like that, of course it
will happen.  You just have to be ready to seize the opportunity when it
arises.  Don’t get too stuck on this school stuff.  You could always finish
your degree after you get drafted.”

Bri’s heart stopped and her stomach
dropped.  Suddenly, everything clicked into place.  Lynette just showing up all
of a sudden, after all those years of indifference.  Her aggressive interest in
Jordan and his plans.  Her extreme dislike of Bri and Cole’s relationship. 

The NBA.  That is what Lynette had
been after all along.  She wanted Cole to go pro, and as soon as possible.  But
why?  Money, her brain answered.  If Cole went pro, that meant a lot of money. 
Money he wouldn’t even consider giving to his dead beat, absent mother.  But,
if he and his mom were closer, if she was part of his life again, he might
consider giving her some of that money, and that would benefit apathetic Carl
as well.  That was it, that had to be their plan.  Did Cole see it?  She glanced
up at him, but Cole didn’t seem to be making that connection.  He just looked
glad his mom was paying attention to him.  Bri needed to talk to him, to help
him see, but she could
n
’
t spring that on
him now, not with his mom right there.  She’d have to wait until later.  But
that didn’t mean she couldn’t defend him now.

“I think Cole is smart for wanting
to finish school,”
she
smiled smugly at Lynette, not about to let her win.  “Even if Cole does go pro,
it’s always smart to have something to fall back on, in case something happens.”

Lynette gave a derisive laugh.  “And
what is it exactly, that you think would happen?”

“Basketball players get injured all
the time, and those injuries can be career ending.  If Cole has his degree, at
least he can still have a future if that happens.”

“Hmm,”
Lynette replied noncommittally.  “I just don’t see something like that
happening.”
 
She
turned back to Cole.  “Well honey, call me if you need anything.  Maybe I can
come down and visit you again.  This has been fun.”

“Yeah, maybe,”
Cole replied. 

Lynette beamed and pulled him in for
another hug.  “Take care, baby, and don’t be a stranger.  We’re not that far
apart, so we’ll be better at keeping in touch.”

“Okay, Mom.  See you later.  Bye,
Carl.”

Carl nodded and he and Lynette
climbed into their car and drove off.  Bri noticed that neither of Cole’s
parents bothered to say goodbye to her, but she wasn’t going to let it get to
her.  She was just glad they were gone.  She didn’t know for sure if she was
right about Lynette’s ulterior motives, but Bri wanted to keep Cole as far away
from that woman as possible.  She didn’t want Lynette to get close enough to
influence and persuade him.

After the car turned out of sight,
Cole let out a long breath and turned to her with a lopsided smile. 

“Well, that wasn’t as bad as I
thought it was going to be.”

“Yeah, other than the part where
your mom hates me, and totally disapproves of our relationship,”
she nudged his
shoulder.  He wrapped his arm around her and they headed to the Jeep.

“She’ll come around.  It’ll be
interesting to see if she’s serious about keeping in touch.  She’s never cared
much before.  I guess we’ll  have to wait and see.”
 

Bri glanced over at Cole, and
despite his bleak words, she saw a spark of hope in his eyes.  Worry clenched
her stomach, and she really hoped that he wouldn’t be let down again.

Bri sat at an outdoor table, eating
lunch with Stephanie and Stacie, and enjoying some much needed girl time.  The
late-September weather was starting to turn cooler, and there wouldn’t be many
more days that they’d be able sit outside.  Fall was definitely on its way.

Suddenly, the chair next to her
scraped back, and Matt slid in, dropping his lunch on the table.

“Hello!  Mind if I join you, ladies?”
 
He flashed them
all a dazzling smile.

“Not at all,”
Bri quipped.  “Please, have a seat.”
 
She motioned to
the chair he was already sitting in.  “It’s not like you are interrupting us,
or anything.”
 
She
raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, Bri, I’ve missed your spunk,”
he teased her as he
tore into his lunch.  “So what’s new with you guys?”
 
He addressed the whole table, but Bri
noticed that Matt’s eyes kept straying back to Stacie.

“Not much, we were just trying to
think of something fun to do this weekend,”
Stephanie replied.  “Oh, congrats on starting this season.  That’s
awesome,”
she
smiled at him.

“Thanks.  I’m excited.  Two years of
sitting on the bench gets old really fast.  So, is this a girls only thing you’re
planning this weekend?”
he asked probingly. 

“No, I’m sure Bri will bring Cole,
and Steph will bring one of her many boy-toys, and I’ll be lucky enough to be
the fifth wheel.”
 
Stacie
smiled bitterly, but Matt perked up.

“Wait, I thought you were dating
what’s-his-name?  Did something happen?”
 
The eagerness on Matt’s face almost made Bri laugh.  She remembered him
and Stacie hitting it off over spring break, but Stacie had been dating someone
then.  Now that she was single…

“Yeah, he and I decided to part ways
when I tried to run him over with Bri’s Jeep.”

“You tried to run him over?”
 
Matt couldn’t hide
his smile.

“With
my Jeep
?”
Bri replied
incredulously.  Stacie had managed to leave out that tiny detail earlier.

“I caught him cheating on me,”
Stacie shrugged.  “What
was I supposed to do?”

“Mow him down, back up, and run over
him again,”
Matt
nodded.

“In someone else’s car.  Remind me
never to let you borrow it again.  I don’t need dead boyfriend bits all over my
baby,”
Bri
eyed Stacie sternly.

“Yeah, well that won’t be happening
again anytime soon.  I’m taking a break from lying, cheating assholes for a
while,”
Stacie
stabbed at her salad viciously.

Matt’s face visibly fell, and Bri
got a devious idea.  What better way to pay Stacie back for almost committing
homicide in Bri’s Jeep than to set her up with Matt.  Not that being set up
with Matt was a punishment.  Bri loved Matt, in a friendly,
annoying-older-brother kind of way, and had long thought that he just needed
the right girl to make him denounce his philandering ways.  He was a great guy
and deserved to find happiness, like she and Cole had.  She just wanted
everyone to be as happy as they were. 

Oh crap.  She’d officially become
Layla.  She’d found true love, and was now plotting to set up all of her
friends in an attempt to help them find true love, too.  Maybe she should
rethink this.

But as Stacie laughed at something
Matt said, the first real laugh she’d had since almost killing her ex, Bri
realized that there was already something there between them.  It just needed a
little nurturing.  And maybe a little push to get going, considering Stacie’s
anti-guy attitude right now.  But, it could work.  It could definitely work.

“Why don’t you come with us on
Saturday?”
she
asked Matt, barging into whatever conversation had been going on that she’d
been paying absolutely no attention to.  Her plotting had been too consuming.  “Addison
is coming, too, and I think Steph was going to invite a few more people, so it’s
not going to be like a couples’
thing.  You should come…
when we decide where we’re going.”

“Oh, I know!  We should go dancing,”
Stephanie bounced
in her seat.  “I heard about a great club in town, and it would be perfect for
those of us who are single and want to meet new people.”
 
She looked meaningfully at Stacie,
who ignored her.  “What do you think?”
 
She glanced around the table expectantly. 

“I think that sounds perfect,”
Bri joined
Stephanie’s enthusiasm.  What better way to nudge Stacie and Matt in the same
direction.  “Don’t even start,”
she cut off the complaint she saw on Stacie’s lips.  “You don’t have to
meet anyone.  You don’t even have to dance.  But you do have to come and hang
out with us,”
she
eyed her friend pointedly.  “And you’re coming, right?”
she asked Matt with a look that dared
him to disagree.

“Yeah, sure, count me in,”
he replied.

“Then it’s settled,”
Stephanie clapped
her hands happily.  “I’ll see who else wants to go.  Yay!  Well, I gotta run
for class.  Later!”
  

That night, Bri headed over to Cole’s
room.  The only good thing about him rooming with Jordan this year was that
Jordan was never there.  Between his frat and his girlfriends, Jordan rarely
slept in his room.  Which worked out perfectly for Bri, as she rarely slept in
her room, either. 

“That sounds fun,”
Cole agreed when
Bri told him the plan for Saturday night.  “Maybe I’ll see if Jordan wants to
come, too.”

Bri hadn’t told Cole how much she
disliked his roommate.  Jordan was arrogant and
conceited
,
and everything he did or said rubbed her the wrong way.  It got even worse
after Lynette and Jordan hit it off so well.  Now, Bri’s hackles rose every
time she was around him.  But, she couldn’t tell Cole that.  He and Jordan had
gotten to be friends in the past couple of months, and Cole didn’t need any
more drama in his life.  So, as much as she wanted to absolutely forbid him
from inviting Jordan, she just smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, sounds good.  How’s practice
going?”

“Good.  We’ve got a really strong
team this year.  Coach wants me to work with Jordan, help him work through his
propensity to panic.  I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do that exactly, but
hopefully I’ll figure something out.”

“If anyone can help him, it’s you. 
You’re pretty amazing like that,”
she smiled up at him. 

“I’m only amazing because you’re
amazing,”
he
pulled her against his chest.  “Speaking of amazing, did I tell you today how
amazing you look today?”

“You might’ve, but I can always hear
it again,”
she
smiled, and captured his lips.

Saturday night, Bri frowned at
Stacie sitting alone at their table, and at Matt who was dancing with some
slutty girl.  This wasn’t working out at all like she’d hoped.  Matt had been
bombarded by girls from the moment he walked in, and Stacie refused to leave
her stool for anyone.  Her steady stream of alcohol, thanks to her fake ID, was
keeping her company.  Bri was at a loss on how to fix this.

“You’re pouting,”
Cole’s voice in her
ear drew her attention back to him.  “We’re supposed to be having fun.”
 
His warm arms
pressed her close to him as they danced.

“We are,”
she smiled, feeling a little guilty at
being so happy while her friend was so miserable.

“Then what’s with the protruding
bottom lip?”
 
He
sucked on her bottom lip to prove his point.

“Maybe it just wanted some
attention,”
she
smiled coyly.

“Well, I’ll give it all the attention
it wants,”
he
grinned wolfishly.  “But really, what’s bothering you?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,”
she sighed.  “I was
just hoping that Matt and Stacie would spend some time together tonight.  But
Stacie is practically dating her beer, and Matt’s been accosted by every skank
in the place.  I don’t think they’ve said more than three words to each other
all night.”

Cole let go of her and stepped back
with an arched brow.

“You’re not trying to play
matchmaker, are you?”
he said sternly.

“What?  They’d be good together,”
she shrugged.

“Do you remember how obnoxious and
annoying Layla’s matchmaking was?”

“Her heart was in the right place. 
That counts for something,”
she defended.  “Plus, I got a hot date out of it, so really it was a
win-win situation.”
 
He
gave her an angry look, and she couldn’t contain her laugh.  “I’m kidding.  You
do have a point though, it was bad.  I just think they’d be good for each
other.”
 
Her
eyes darted between Stacie and Matt for the millionth time.

“I’m just warning you, they may not
appreciate you butting into their lives.  It’s nice of you to want to try,
though,”
he
smiled warmly at her and pulled her back into his arms.

“I just want everyone to be as happy
as we are.”
 
She
snuggled into him, enjoying his closeness.

“I know.”
 
He kissed the top of her head.

So, Bri gave up on her matchmaking
aspirations.  But a couple of days later, she was in the library studying when
Matt sat down next to her.  Looking up from her book, she smiled.

“Hey, Matt.  What’s up?”

“Um,”
his face flushed in embarrassment.  “I was just wondering…
What’s the deal
with Stacie?”

Bri had never seen Matt this
flustered before.  She could tell it was killing him to ask her, but she knew
he must really be interested to suffer like this.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean is she still getting over
her ex?  Is she dating anyone right now?  Is she even interested in dating?”

“Why?”
 
She was enjoying his discomfort a little too much, but she couldn’t help
it.  “Are
you
interested in her?”

“Yeah,”
he ran a hand through his hair.  Then
his eyes widened as he realized what he’d just admitted.  “I mean, no, not
really.  I’m just curious is all.”

“Right,”
she laughed, “you’re just curious. 
That’s why you’ve suddenly turned into a bumbling fifteen year old asking about
a girl you like.  I’ve never seen you this thrown off your game before.”

“Okay, okay, are you done teasing me
yet?”
he
grinned sheepishly.  “I really could use your help here.”

“I’m done,”
she promised.  “So, you’ve got a thing
for Stacie, huh?  Tell me, what kind of thing?”
 
She leaned closer, giving him her full attention.

“I don’t know,”
he looked away,
embarrassed.  “She’s cool, and hot, and fun.  I’ve been thinking about her for
a while now, but she had a boyfriend.  Now that she’s unattached, I guess I
just don’t want to miss my chance.”

Bri grinned.  “Okay, I think I can
help you out.  But,”
she
looked at him seriously, “you need to understand something.  If you do this,
and it works, this can’t be like your normal dating routine.  Stacie is
different, and she’s one of my best friends.  You can’t treat her like all the
other girls.  You can’t use her.  You’d better decide if you’re ready for a
real, grown-up relationship, because you can’t just hook up with this one. 
Even if she’s okay with that, I’m not.  Got it?”

“
Geez
, Bri.  I’m
not a complete scumbag.”
 
He looked a little hurt.  “I know you don’t think it, but I am capable
of some kind of commitment.”

“I’m just making sure we’re on the
same page here.  I’m not helping you out with a booty call.  And if you hurt
her, I’ll hurt you.  I’m serious.  Your manly parts will tremble when they hear
my name.”

“Fair enough,”
he conceded.  “I
promise I’m after more than just a quick hook up.  I really like her.  I’ll be
good.”

“Well then, I’ll see what I can do,”
she smiled.

A week and a half later, Bri couldn’t
help but smile as she watched Matt and Stacie head off on their first date.  It
hadn’t been easy convincing Stacie to give Matt a chance, she’d known his
history after all, but Bri had finally broken her down.  She just hoped Matt
didn’t do anything to mess this up.  Stacie was already skittish, and didn’t
need an excuse to bolt.  But they made a really cute couple, and Bri kept her
fingers crossed that things would work out.

Cole’s birthday was coming up, and Bri
had spent weeks trying to come up with the perfect gift for him.  He was
turning twenty, and she wanted to do something special.  The art museum on
campus was doing a dinner and art date night, where they closed the museum to
the public and offered dinner and a private museum tour.  When Bri had seen
that, she’d immediately bought tickets and told Cole not to make any plans for
his birthday.  It was perfect. 

The day before his birthday, Cole
met Bri after her last class.  Surprised to see him, she smiled.

“Wow, this is a nice surprise.”
 
Cole gave her a
nervous smile, and she paused.  “Uh oh, what’s wrong?”
 

“Nothing.  It’s just…”
 
He trailed off,
and apprehension filled her.

“It’s just what?”

“Please, don’t get mad.  The guys on
the team want to take me out for my birthday tomorrow,”
he winced.

“Seriously?”
she exclaimed.  She’d warned him weeks
ago not to make any other plans. 

“We can still do whatever you have
planned,”
he
help up his hands to ward off her disappointment.  “I’ll go out with the guys
for an hour or so, and then we can do your thing.  Just tell me what time you
want me to pick you up, and I’ll be there.”
 
He gave her his most charming smile.

“Cole,”
she shook her head, upset he was
changing their plans.

“Please, Bri?”
 
He pulled her
tight against him and leaned down to her ear.  “I promise, I’ll make it up to
you,”
he
whispered, dragging his lips lightly down her neck.