“Scott, this is Gabby,” Peter said when we stood next to the table.
I smiled a tentative greeting but didn’t offer my hand.
“A pretty name you don’t hear often,” Scott murmured, pulling out a chair for me.
Taking the chair he offered would put me across from Rachel and force me to sit between the two guys. Clay wouldn’t like that. He didn’t like the comment about my name either, but other than a twitch I’d felt with my hand on his back, he behaved.
“Would you mind if we switched spots, Scott? That way our dog won’t be so close to people walking by. He’s very friendly, but big. I don’t want anyone to be intimidated by him.”
“No problem.” He gave me a reassuring smile and pulled out his own chair for me.
Loosely holding Clay’s leash, I moved to the chair next to Rachel. Scott politely pushed the chair back in as I sat. Then he leaned close to move his drink. Clay quickly went to lie between my chair and Scott’s. He nudged Scott’s chair further away before Scott could sit. I pretended not to notice.
We made small talk while we perused the menus. I felt Scott’s gaze continually return to me but refused to look up.
After we ordered, each of the more experienced students shared their knowledge of the university. Scott offered—twice—to take me on an official tour when I admitted I didn’t know many of the campus locations they mentioned. As soon as I declined the second time, he looked less like the nice guy I’d met and more like a guy who would give me problems. I looked down at Clay. He still lay next to me, head on his paws. Only the twitch of his ears indicated his attention to the conversation.
“Why not have a drink with us, Gabby?” Scott asked, pointing at my water.
He hadn’t worried about what I drank until I’d turned down his invitations for a tour.
“I’m a bit younger than the rest of you.” I glanced at Rachel and saw her studying me. Crap! Was she noticing? Was she getting mad? I should have stayed home. Folding my hands in my lap, I tried to play it cool.
“Really? How old are you?”
“Eighteen. I’m not much of a soda drinker either, so water works.” I tried to turn the conversation off myself. “How much longer until you graduate?”
“It depends on how far I want to go,” Scott said, his intense smile relaxing a little. He nodded toward Peter. “Peter told me he declared his major freshman year and has never changed. I, on the other hand, have changed twice. I like what I’m learning now, so I hope I won’t change it again, but you never know. What about you?”
“I’m going for massage therapy. So, I won’t be here as long as the rest of you.”
“Massage therapy? I hear they ask for volunteers to come in for those classes.” He leaned closer with a fascinated smile on his face. “If you ever need someone to practice on, let me know. I’d be happy to come in.” He reached over to pat my hand. The timely arrival of our food saved me from having to avoid his touch.
Clay nudged my leg with his surprisingly warm and dry nose, and I glanced down. He stared at me a moment then shifted his gaze to Scott, who was moving his drink for the waitress. Clay returned his glance to me and pulled his lips back in a silent snarl. Without the growl, it looked more like a scary, crazy wolf smile, but I got his meaning. Scott was getting on Clay’s nerves, and Clay wouldn’t put up with too much more.
Peter spoke up while Scott was distracted. “I think you’ll both be in some of the anatomy classes next semester, Gabby. If you want a study group, you should let Rachel and I know. I’ve already been through them.” He gazed admiringly at Rachel. “And since you’re graduating in spring, I know you have, too.”
“Thank you, Peter, but I really do study best on my—”
“That’s a great idea,” Scott said. “We should start now so the class won’t be so hard later. What do you think about Tuesday nights?”
“It’s a good idea to get a head start,” I said ignoring Clay’s insistent bump against my leg. “But I’m so swamped with classes and homework now that I don’t even have time to take poor Clay for walks.”
I reached over to pat Clay reassuringly, but stopped when I noticed Scott’s gaze drop to my chest. The cowl neck had dipped away and revealed a little glimpse of the shadows within. Scott’s eyes went from glassy fixation to glazed obsession. This was getting ridiculous.
Turning back to my dinner, I stuffed a few bites in my mouth to prevent me from needing to converse. Unfortunately, Scott took the opportunity to try to slide his chair a little closer. Thankfully, Clay didn’t give an inch.
“What’s your dog’s name?” Scott asked, looking down at Clay.
“Clay,” Rachel answered after seeing my mouth full.
Clay, I noticed, didn’t look up at the sound of his name. Instead, he tensed and laid his ears back. Time to go.
“Nice name,” Scott said, but I could tell he didn’t care. “Let’s bring him home after this and go out to a new club that opened downtown.”
“Rachel?” I looked at her pleadingly, hoping she’d know that I wasn’t begging to go out dancing. Her perceptive gaze locked on Scott.
“I see it,” she said with a serious expression.
“See what?” Peter said. His gaze bounced between the three of us.
“Exhaustion. She’s been studying like crazy.” She waved over the waitress and asked for boxes and the check for the two of us.
“And she needs rest, not a night out. Although, I am really glad we came.” She looked at Peter with a smile.
My weak smile didn’t cover my gratitude at her diplomacy.
I reached for my purse which I’d hung on the back of the chair. Desperate, Scott moved to grab my hand. Clay stood abruptly. He successfully knocked Scott’s hand out of the way but also bumped the table in the process. Peter reached out to steady his and Rachel’s drinks, and I hurried to pull a twenty from my purse.
The waitress returned with the bill and the wrapped up leftovers. Since Rachel was still digging in her purse, I just handed the waitress the twenty after a quick glance at the bill. I was willing to pay for Rachel if it helped us leave faster.
“I better drive her home,” Rachel said to Peter. “You have my number. Give me a call if you want to do something next weekend.”
I stood, and Rachel shadowed me, ready to go. Clay bumped into me, knocking me off balance so I had to grab Rachel for support. I looked down at him and noticed Scott stand and hand the waitress his portion of the bill.
“Rachel, you can stay with Peter. I don’t mind taking Gabby home,” Scott said. Oily enthusiasm dripped with each word, and I didn’t even need to look at Rachel for her to decline.
“No, Scott, I think we’re done for tonight.” She waved to Peter and grabbed my hand.
Poor Peter looked at us all, bewildered. His night out with Rachel had fallen apart fast, and I truly felt bad about it.
I went with Rachel, relieved to escape before Scott’s recklessness grew. An “oof” sounded behind us, and I panicked, realizing I’d forgotten Clay. I spun around in time to see Scott hit the ground. He’d tripped over Clay in his hurry to catch me. I suspected Clay had done it purposely to slow Scott down.
Clay wasted no time. He ran to me and bumped his head against my back to get me moving before Scott could pick himself up again. There wasn’t yet enough distance between the table and us to mute Peter’s next words.
“What the hell is wrong with you, man? You come on too...” What he still had to say faded as we quickly walked away.
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said. “You told me, but I didn’t really get it. Even the men sitting around us were eyeing you.”
I’d been too busy keeping an eye on Scott and Clay to notice. We continued to speed walk to the car.
“No big deal. You should see me in some of my classes. ‘No’ is the most common word in my vocabulary. Scott’s reaction was worse than most because he already considered me his date. If you say ‘no’, consistently and to everyone, it doesn’t get so bad.” I handed Rachel the keys when we reached the car. “You really can drive.”