Play Fling (A Stupid Cupid Book) Read Online Free Page A

Shope missed it? What if her co-conspirator
failed? She wanted her grade. This time, it might finally be better
than a B.
    Brooke slipped a dollar into the snack
machine. Home early, snuggled up in yoga pants and fuzzy socks with
one of her new novels sounded divine. She sighed. Four new novels.
If she was honest with herself, it was terribly sweet of Blue Eyes.
She should have at least thanked him. Especially for the Scottish
highlander. Hmmm. What if she dropped her ten pages of hard labor
off at Shope’s office instead? Just this once. She could study
extra as punishment.
    But her books were still in the room.
    A quick glance revealed Shope at the door,
talking with the brunette. Brooke bit down. Now or never. She
slipped past them and grabbed the novels. She jammed the four that
would fit into her bag and tucked the fifth under her arm.
Hesitating only a moment, she hurried past again, trying to look
rapt in concern with her cell phone to her ear. “Oh now,” she said
aloud, for effect.
    A hand on her shoulder stopped her. “Excuse
me.” It was the brunette. Her big brown eyes held Brooke’s. “Can I
ask you something?”
    Shope stood at the door, rocking on his
heels.
    “Um, yes,” Brooke said, itching to slip away.
She closed her phone.
    “My mom’s birthday is next Friday and I was
just wondering if you could help me. She’s about your age and I
really need help with a gift. Maybe music or something?”
    Brooke clasped her hands together. “Okay,
sure.” The possibility of a sale occurred to her. She dug out a
business card. “What year would you say your mom graduated?” It was
a nice way to ask a person’s actual age.
    “Oh, I have no idea,” the brunette said,
rolling her eyes. “But it’s her fiftieth birthday, kind of a big
deal. What year did you graduate high school?”
    Brooke coughed, trying not to sputter. Fifty?
She looked fifty? “Um—I…well, I uh…. Hmmm. That is a big deal,
huh?” She had no idea what to say. She handed over her card with a
high twittering laugh. To her horror, tears stung in her eyes.
“Maybe this will help.”
    Brooke’s phone rang. Startled, she dropped
it. It skidded across the floor, dangerously close to where Shope
had just been standing. The brunette giggled, covering her mouth
with Brooke’s card.
    “Good luck with that,” Brooke mumbled,
retrieving her phone. It rang again. She answered, her voice
clogged with emotion.
    “Brooke? Oh good. I found you. Where are
you?”
    “Millie?” Brooke hadn’t expected her. She
headed for the exit. “I’m just leaving class. Where are you?”
    “I’m home, and I’m so, so, so sorry I missed
you earlier.”
    Oh yeah. That . She sniffed. “I was
almost late for class,” Brooke said, hating the pitch in her voice.
“I had a paper due.”
    “I know, I know. I said I would read it for
you. I’m really, super sorry.” Millie paused. “Let me make it up to
you.”
    Brooke bit down. Why did people say that?
Like anything could ever really be made up for.
    Millie pressed on. “I’ll bet it was just as
good as your other ones.”
    She didn’t want good. She wanted better. But,
Millie’s voice sounded unusually tight. More than just guilt?
    “Brooke, you always do a great job on them. I
don’t even know why you have me read them.”
    She almost snapped that she didn’t either but
held back. Sniping at Millie wouldn’t change the past. And in the
grand scheme of things, she knew a missed coffee was small
potatoes. The whole thing sucked, though. She used to have more
people in her life she could count on for these kinds of quirky
little things. Especially, for the little things, quirks or
not.
    “Well, it doesn’t matter now,” Brooke said,
heading down the basement panel of offices. Shope’s was the last
one on the end. A light was on. His protégé must be hard at work.
Perfect. “I’m turning the thing in now and going home.”
    “No,” Millie said fast. “Don’t go home. Let
me make it