by S E Holmes
“I’ll beg if I have to, Nate.”
Nic struggled to keep his tone civil, arms crossed and feet planting the flowered Axminster of the O’Connor sitting room. The invalid rested like Nero on a throne, swaddled by cushions on the lounge, remote and a bell within easy reach.
“Relax, Nic. Take a seat.”
He waved his good arm magnanimously. Riley bounded in, smiling brightly and handling a tray packed with biscuits and hot chocolate as only those with waitressing experience could. If one more person told Nic to relax, a positive outcome was not guaranteed.
“Oh hey, Nic! Wow! Have you been working out? I heard you’d been sick.”
“Huh?” he said, annoyed by the disruption.
“Would you care for a hot chocolate?” She scrutinised his bare arms with far too much significance. He’d decided to abandon the dumb bicycle and jog home, changing from his uniform into training gear.
“You hitting the ‘roids or something, mate? Seems like you’ve grown more muscular in days. Drugs’ll shrivel your dick and make you talk like a girl. You’ll develop man-boobs.”
“I’m not abusing steroids!”
“Okay, no need to get testy. Geez, what’s your problem?”
“Are you coming Friday night?” Riley interrupted again and this time Nic was grateful. She raised an eyebrow suggestively, bending to place the tray on a low footstool so as to offer a view down her top of breasts plumped in scant pink lace. Nate ogled as her mini hitched up her thigh.
“Err... Sure, whatever. Anyway, Nate, Smithson said if you changed your mind, he’d run the exam. I really need a chance to bring my English marks up. I’d owe you big time.”
“What a drag! I’m officially done with school and you want me to go back?”
“Four hours, tops. I know it’s an ask. I wouldn’t be here if I really didn’t need the favour.”
Nate issued a put-upon sigh. “Let me think about it. I’ll see how my recovery progresses. Let you know in a couple of days.”
He patted beside him for Riley to sit and she fed him a Tim-Tam, giggling. Nic stifled an image of wringing his neck.
“I’ve got until Monday coming to let him know.”
“Yeah, no worries.” It was clear Nate’s engagement with the topic was over. He whispered in Riley’s ear, un-bandaged hand stroking circles on her arm. She laughed again.
“Right. Thanks, Nate. I’ll leave you be.”
“Oh, wait! I’ve got a great idea. I’ll sit the test, if you monitor Lily on Friday night. Keep her out of trouble. The whole town’ll be there and that’s a lot of testosterone floating about.”
He didn’t think elaborating Nate supplied the biggest concentration hereabouts wise, unwilling to jeopardise this slim hope. “You want me to hang out with your sister?”
The prospect of holding Lily at arm’s length without reducing her to tears appealed as much as attending a social gathering at all, not to mention keeping the town Lotharios at arm’s length. But there was simply no other option. Without a scholarship, Nic could kick med-school goodbye. He prayed Mrs O’Connor didn’t get wind of the arrangement, encouraging false hope of a relationship.
“I trust you. Lily trusts you. Better you than anyone else.” Riley pouted at the lost opportunity. She obviously liked to keep her options open. “We’ll collect you on the way passed. Seven sharp. And I’ll need my skinnies back, clean and pressed.”
“No you won’t,” Riley asserted. “It’s black tie. Thank god,” she mumbled the last. “Someone should take those awful dacks out the back and shoot them to smithereens.”
“Are you besmirching my beloved skinnies?”
“I stand besmirching! Gladly,” she said. “You may have trouble with size, Nic. Considering how broad you’ve become.”
For the first time, Nate seemed aware of her overt flirting. And that his friend unintentionally attracted the bulk of her compliments. He glared mutinously at Nic.
“Wait a minute. Passed where I live?” It meant only one thing.
“The Arkady house-warming. Check your letterbox, the invite’s all swirly silver writing. Very classy. They’re sending a Limo.”
Nic gave getting out of it a last ditch attempt. “CJ won’t attend. I don’t think it’s fair without him.”
“Are you kidding? Anatoly offered his mother a job on salary at three times the award rate. CJ’s coming up in the world. He knows who to thank. Emma threatened to drop him if he put up a resistance.”
Nate was on a first name basis with ‘Anatoly’? No-one was immune and Nic experienced rising despair at the brilliance of his adversary. “What happened to ‘there’s something seriously messed up with those Arkadys’?”
“It might be insensitive to mention horses, mate, but you never look a gift specimen in the mouth.”
***
Chapter Twenty-Six