Pretending Hearts by Heather Topham Wood Page B

mother said I had a cold beauty and men were likely to find me intimidating. I lacked the warmth girls like Georgie and Autumn seemed to carry around in spades. I was the icy blond who showed nothing behind her steely blue eyes.
    “We just met and you expect me to just blurt out all my problems?” I asked, my voice rising in indignation.
    Levi shrugged. “Well, if your ex already knows about whatever you were hiding, it’s not exactly a secret anymore, is it?”
    His reasons were sound and my argument died on my tongue. “Do you know who Blake Preston is?”
    “Of course I do. The only other famous person to come out of Cook was the guy who invented that pancake thing.”
    “The pancake thing?”
    “You know that pan that promises to create perfectly round pancakes?”
    I bit on my cheek to conceal my smile and shook my head. “Anyway, Blake’s my brother.”
    His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at me—most likely he was trying to make sense of the head case before him. “Is that a bad thing?”
    I figured I could safely assume Levi wasn’t the type of guy to read gossip magazines and he likely missed the story about my father. The college would make an effort to sweep the story under the rug. Blake was their shining star and they wouldn’t want to scare off beneficiaries whose contributions would help build Cook’s new football stadium.
    “My father, Blake’s stepfather, went to jail for sexual assault. He was accused of trying to rape a student,” I blurted out. Keeping family secrets hadn’t done me any favors, so I figured why not blab my problems to a virtual stranger. “Years into my dad’s sentence, Blake met the girl who accused my father. Blake didn’t tell her who he was at first and they became friends. Blake fell for her and now they’re engaged.”
    I took a breath and awaited Levi’s reaction. His non-reaction gave me pause. I expected him to make up a lame excuse and leave me alone to wait out my ride. In a few brief sentences, I had painted a clear picture of how fucking nuts my family was.
    “I don’t get why your ex or roommate would care about who your brother is engaged to or your dad’s past. What does your family’s private lives have to do with you?”
    I felt soothed in a way I hadn’t since I left the dorms. Levi’s words affirmed my feelings toward Georgie and Wyatt. I was my own person and that was the reason I hadn’t told either of them about my dad or Blake. What was my crime? Was I to be shunned for standing by my father?
    Maybe my crime was maintaining my belief in my dad’s innocence. I had faith in my father’s version of events. Autumn had been a confused girl who regretted an affair with a married man. And Blake chose to forgive her lies. Because Autumn at seventeen was different from the Autumn he met as a freshman at Cook. I had to believe my version. I had no other choice.
    Levi appeared ready to continue our conversation, but he stalled once we both spotted a figure heading toward us.
    I swallowed hard and said, “Thanks for waiting with me. This is my ride.”
    He didn’t move and I shifted uncomfortably from side to side. I was surprised to find his eyes glued to my face when I dared a glance in his direction. As soon as Autumn had come into view, I expected him to be as drawn to her like all other men seemed to be.
    “Hi,” she said, and I noted the awkwardness in her tone. I stayed quiet and did a quick onceover. Autumn was as beautiful as ever: golden hair, perfect skin, and wearing yoga pants and tank top hugging her curves. However, I did note the exhaustion etched into her features. I wasn’t the only person scandalized on campus over the course of the day.
    “Hi. I’m Levi.” Levi sidestepped around me and held out his hand. Autumn shook it and gave him a demure smile.
    “Thanks for staying with Delia. It was very kind of you.”
    “My pleasure,” he said and his tone hinted that he was being completely honest. Maybe finding a