Free Personal Jurisdiction by Diana Minot Page A

felt less intimidating than a dress that looked like it was fresh off the runway. Lincoln, of course, continued to wear a suit to class every day.
    Thankfully, Whitney’s first experience with speaking in class came not from Professor Neals, but from Professor Chaplin. The case involved the infamous Erie doctrine, one of the more confusing elements of Civil Procedure. Professor Chaplin tried to guide students to the right answer instead of intentionally confusing them, and Whitney managed to stumble through his questioning with her dignity reasonably intact. She felt relieved and a little proud of herself. Unfortunately, Jamie and Elise had a meeting right after class, so Whitney could not rehash her performance with them right away. This disappointed her, but she replayed her answers in her mind as she took her time gathering up her books. As she smiled while thinking about an answer she thought was particularly clever, she looked up to find Ben standing in front of her.
    “Nice job, Whit,” he said, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. Whitney’s whole body felt as though it had been jolted with an electric current at his touch. He was wearing relaxed jeans and a fitted t-shirt. He had grey pea coat draped across one arm, and a leather messenger bag slung across his chest. He looked like he had just stepped out of a J.Crew ad, which Whitney could vouch for because she had been stalking the J.Crew website for sales since her shopping trip with Jamie. Whitney tried to admire Ben’s well-defined biceps without being too obvious.
    “Thanks,” she said, keeping her voice light. “I’m just glad my first time getting called on in class was not with Professor Neals.”
    “No kidding,” Ben said. “Can you believe I still haven’t been called on in any of our classes?”
    “No way, really?” Whitney said, feigning ignorance. She was well aware of this fact. She hoped every day that Ben would speak in class, but, so far, he had been silent. She wondered how well he would hold up under Professor Neals’ questioning.
    “Yeah. I’m dreading it. You did great, though. Really nice job. If only you had kept your word about studying with me, maybe I would be more ready for next week’s midterms.”
    Whitney felt her heart leap at Ben’s mention of studying with her. She wanted to tell him that she would study with him all day, every day, but she tried to maintain a little self-respect. “Well, if I remember correctly, I didn’t promise to study with you. You promised to study with me, and eat all of my snacks. Not sure exactly what I’m getting out of this deal.” Whitney raised her eyebrows at Ben. He laughed and squeezed her arm again.
    “Fair enough. But seriously, if you’re ever spending the afternoon studying in the library and want some company, let me know. Lincoln is fun to hang out with, but sometimes he drives me crazy as a study partner.”
    “Yeah, I bet. I don’t know how you can stand to listen to his constant typing all the time.”
    Ben laughed. “Headphones are key! Look, I’ve got to run, but don’t be a stranger. Let me know if you need another Friday night study date.”
    Ben winked at Whitney and turned to leave the room. She followed him with her eyes until he was gone, admiring his well-toned physique. Where was he finding the time to work out? There was no way anyone looked that good without at least some effort. As she finished gathering up her books, she tried to figure out what Ben meant by his invitation to study together. There had been a definite note of flirtation in his voice, but Whitney had seen him acting flirty with other girls, too. It was hard to tell whether he was just being his normal flirtatious self, or if he was hinting at something more.
    As Whitney left the room, she found herself face to face with Kate, who was blocking her path down the hallway.
    “Nice job butchering the Erie doctrine. You’re lucky Professor Chaplin went so easy on you.”
    Whitney was taken