Free Crushed by Laura McNeal Page A

couldn’t refuse. What’s the deal on that?”
    Audrey had no idea. The Exorbitance, as her father called it, was the car he “saved for sunny days.” He hadn’t mentioned selling it, and she hadn’t noticed it was gone because he kept it in the garage most of the time, protecting the paint from all forms of life. She said, “I guess we don’t have enough sunny days.” Then: “I know he said the repair bills were pricey.”
    C.C. said, “I think my mom was miffed he didn’t offer it to her first.”
    Audrey closed her eyes, not so much because she was tired as because she wanted to close this line of conversation. Lately, whenever Audrey thought of her father and money, a strange tightness clamped over her—it was as if something were wrong but she didn’t know what, and didn’t really want to know.
    Except for the engine and heater fan, it was quiet in the car. In slow succession Audrey’s thoughts drifted to Wickham Hill, to their sitting at her kitchen table, to him smiling his easy smile and suggesting . . .
    Tap-tap-tap.
    Audrey’s eyes flicked open and turned to her window, where—it seemed almost like magic—Wickham Hill was grinning down at her.
    â€œPhys whiz one minute,” he drawled, “Sleeping Beauty the next.”
    He had a red scarf wrapped around the collar of his coat, and you could see his breath in the air.
    Audrey push-buttoned her window down and realized that she’d been right—all it took was seeing Wickham’s face to make everything feel okay again.
    â€œHow’d you find us?” she said.
    â€œI’ve got my wily ways,” he said.
    After Audrey had introduced Lea and C.C. to Wickham (they both smiled beamingly up at him), she suggested he get into the car, out of the cold.
    He shook his head amiably. “Can’t. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment.”
    From behind Audrey, C.C. said, “So did Audrey get you a passing grade in physics?”
    Audrey flinched at the question, but Wickham’s genial expression didn’t change as he moved his eyes calmly from C.C. to Audrey. “She did,” he said.
    Audrey said in a soft voice, “What did you get?”
    â€œA seventy-two.” He blinked and smiled. “Didn’t want to overdo it.”
    There was an awkward silence; then Wickham said, “Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure we’re on for tonight.”
    Audrey nodded.
    He smiled down at her. “How ’bout if I meet you at Little Dragon around six-thirty?”
    Audrey realized that what she wanted to do more than anything in the world was to take hold of Wickham Hill’s scarf, pull him gently forward, and kiss him. Instead, she nodded and said, “Sure.”
    After he’d left, the girls sat silent for a while. Then Lea said quietly, “I feel like Mark Strauss just dropped by to check on my tennis elbow.” C.C. said, “I’m thinking Aud’s made some kind of deal with the Devil,” and Lea added, “I’m thinking maybe we should sign up, too.”
    C.C. was grinning at Audrey. “Wednesday-night study date. Thursday-night dinner date. You getting married on the weekend?”
    Audrey felt her cheeks pinkening. “It’s not a dinner date, C.C. We’re just going to Little Dragon.”
    But the truth was, she was already trying to figure out what she should wear.

Chapter 19
    Little Dragon
    Little Dragon was low-key—Audrey had been there a dozen times with her father or Oggy—but tonight she almost made herself sick trying to decide what to wear. She tried on what seemed like everything in her closet before she finally decided on a slouchy, proletarian look—cargo pants and a spaghetti-strap tank top with a cardigan.
    Wickham Hill was sitting at a corner table when she walked into Little Dragon ten minutes late. He smiled, stood, and waved her over.
    â€œSorry