When we’d worked together on that first story, I’d ended up getting kidnapped and almost killed. Almost, because Chase had been there to save me at the last minute. And as soon as Chase had rescued me, he’d kissed me.
Briefly. In the heat of the moment. When emotions were running high.
It was a night neither of us had spoken of since, and I was 99 percent sure that it had meant nothing at all beyond relief on both our parts that I was still alive.
But that other 1 percent still persisted just enough that in situations like this—where the scent of his fabric softener was making me lean in so close that I could feel the heat from his body on my cheek—I still wasn’t sure whether I thought of Chase as sex in a pair of jeans or a guy who was a little rough around the edges.
“This is good,” Chase said, bringing me back to the present.
“Thanks.” I felt myself grinning at his praise.
“But you can do better.”
And just like that, my grin dropped like a football player’s GPA.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WHILE WRITING IS USUALLY A VERY SOLITARY JOB, IT TAKES a village to turn one writer’s thoughts into an actual book. So I have to acknowledge my very cool village, starting with the amazingly perky-and-helpful-at-crazy-early-hours-in-the-morning crew at the Blossom Hill Starbucks for all their support, friendly faces, and excellent lattes (the fuel that drove this book). Michelle, Holly, Angie, Daina, Dave, Kevin, Danielle, Angela, and Mike, you guys rock!
A great big thanks to Nicky, my teen linguistics expert, who has saved me from looking totally lame more than once.
Thanks to the Romance Divas for always having my back and being my BFFs 4ever.
And finally a big, heartfelt thanks to my Agent Awesome, Holly Root; my incredible editor, Erica Sussman, and her fabulous assistant, Tyler Infinger. Thanks for helping me bring Hartley and her world to life!
About the Author
When Gemma Halliday was sixteen, she wanted to be either a rock star or Marilyn Monroe. Instead, she ended up working as a film extra, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary-tattoo artist, and a 900-number psychic before settling on the career of author. Since then, her books have been published in several countries, have been optioned for television, and have won lots of cool, shiny trophies, including a National Readers’ Choice award and three RITA nominations. Gemma now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where she loves watching reality TV shows, eating takeout pizza, and shoe shopping. You can visit her online at www.gemmahalliday.com.
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Credits
Cover art © 2011 by Daria Zaytseva
Cover design by Michelle Taormina
Copyright
Deadly Cool
Copyright © 2011 by Gemma Halliday
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Halliday, Gemma.
Deadly cool / Gemma Halliday. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: When sixteen-year-old Hartley Featherstone finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, she goes to his house to confront him and suddenly finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery.
ISBN 978-0-06-200331-7 (pbk. bdg.)
[1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. High schools—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H15449De
[Fic]—dc22
20112011010036
CIP
AC
11 12 13 14 15 CG/BV 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
EPub Edition © SEPTEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780062093219
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