Free The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber Page A

mom. Ms. Stevens’ tight black-and-white animal print top bares most of her cleavage. She shimmies toward me in tight white jeans and high heels. I hope she doesn’t notice my double take.
    “Happy Birthday, Lucy,” Ms. Stevens says through overglossed red lips as she hands me a small wrapped gift. She leans in to give me a hug. Her cloying perfume is overwhelming. I try not to make a face.
    “Thank you, Ms. Stevens.” I set the gift on the counter next to me, then hug her back. Over her shoulder, Katie scowls, her arms wrapped around her stomach.
    “Good to see you, Marcus.” Ms. Stevens flashes him a flirty smile. “Is your brother joining us tonight?”
    “He’s at work. He may come by later, though.” Marcus’ tone is polite. I’m impressed that he never once checks out her boobs.
    “Well, I hope so.” She winks before joining my uncles on the other side of the room, accepting a glass of wine.
    “Sorry about that,” Katie mutters, her face beet red. “Apparently she and Jerry had a huge fight, so tonight she wants to flirt with Aiden.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” It’s a relief to know that I’m not the only one with embarrassing parental situations. “It’s funny, though, you really look nothing like her.”
    I want to talk to Marcus about the mysterious security measures, but not in front of Katie. I recall Jude Morgan’s comment that Aiden works for him and I want to ask him about that, but don’t want to have to explain Jude to Katie, either. Besides, if Ms. Stevens hears us talking about Aiden, she might come back. “So…you go to St. Pat’s?”
    Marcus raises an eyebrow slightly and nods. I guess subtlety isn’t my strong suit. “Yeah, I’ll be a junior. What about you?”
    Our eyes lock and it takes a moment to find my voice. “Um…I’ll be a sophomore. I don’t know where I’m going yet.”
    “We’re hoping she’ll be going to St. Aquinas Academy with me,” Katie says as she grabs a plate and fills it with fried pickles, dip, soft pretzel bites, chips and salsa.
    I nod. “It would be nice to start the school year knowing at least one person.”
    Katie talks to Marcus about some people they both know and what they’re up to. I nibble on a pretzel bite, relieved to have a break from the pressure of small talk. I try not to be obvious as I stare at him, studying the slightly messy style of his hair and how he looks at the floor whenever he smiles. He’s got dimples. And a small scar above his lip. I wonder how he got it.
    His voice is gentle but commanding—Katie hangs on his every word. Do I look like that when he’s talking to me?
    I love his frown. I love the way he looks at the ceiling when he can’t find the right word. I really love how he took Ella’s hand off his arm when she flirted with him at the mall.
    I see why all the girls at Katie’s middle school were crazy about him. When his intense brown eyes fix on me, I can’t think straight. It’s as if he’s trying to see inside of me, to peek at all my secrets. I look away quickly, not wanting him to know that beneath the cute clothes, I grew up in a trailer park shopping with food stamps.
    “Where do you go every morning?” I blurt out. He and Katie pause their conversation and turn to me. My cheeks grow hot. I can’t believe I said that out loud.
    “I’ve been helping out at St. Pat’s Church, a remodeling project with Father Bill.” He tries to suppress a smile. “I’m surprised you noticed. You’re gone a lot.”
    “That’s because us girls have been keeping her busy.” Katie laughs awkwardly. “Actually, it’s all because of Ella and Caroline. They’re always on the hunt for the next hot guy hangout. Not that we’re…not that Lucy’s looking…”
    Marcus averts his gaze, his mouth pressed in a grim line. I resist the urge to kick Katie and open my mouth to explain, to tell him I’m not spending my time chasing guys. But before I can say a word, the doorbell rings. The pizzas have