Free The Player's Club: Lincoln by Cathy Yardley Page A

too matchy matchy for Juliana’s taste. She was wearing some red shoes that looked like Louboutin knockoffs and a candy-apple-red patent-leather purse.
    Power suit, Juliana surmised, with the quick addition of trying too hard.
    “How’d you know she’d be here?”
    Lincoln smirked. “We have our ways. All right, game on.”
    Terrence made his way over to the white-linen-covered table. It was before the dinner rush, but there were still diners seated around them, their conversations hushed and refined.
    “Heidi?” Terrence said. His voice bobbled slightly. She was pretty sure she could see him sweating, even from as far away as the bar.
    Juliana suddenly had a quick, painful premonition of doom.
    The blonde looked up from her chicken-Caesar salad. “Do I know you?”
    “Um, you used to,” Terrence replied, with a laugh. Nervous laugh. Juliana’s palms started to sweat in sympathy. “We went to high school together. I’m Terrence. Terrence Smith?”
    The blonde stared at him blankly.
    “From, ah, chemistry. And French class.”
    The stare never wavered. Juliana finished the rest of her wine in two quick gulps.
    Terrence rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “And, um, I gave you a ride home, junior year. When the bus broke down. Remember?”
    “Oh, right.” Her eyes narrowed as recognition bloomed. “It’s been a while.” She didn’t invite him to sit down, and irritation was clear when he did.
    Lincoln leaned closer to Juliana, and she was momentarily distracted by the spice of his cologne. He smelled delicious. “Terrence’s sponsor, Tucker, looks like he’s ready to kick her ass,” he said, nodding at the blond man who was glaring at Heidi from another table.
    “If she doesn’t thaw out a little,” Juliana muttered darkly, “I’ll help him.”
    “I just wanted to talk to you for a second,” Terrence said to Heidi, his face flushed, and he pushed his bangs away from his face. He was actually pretty cute, in a geeky sort of way, Juliana noticed. Given a few weeks, she could probably turn him into someone Heidi would look twice at, but Juliana figured it’d be wasted on the cold, haughty woman. “You seem to be doing well,” he observed, with a shy smile.
    “I am,” Heidi said. Then silence dragged out. Terrence shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
    “That’s great,” he splattered. “Um, seeing anybody?”
    Her smile was catlike and cruel. “Engaged.” She showed the engagement ring, a rock. “He’s a lawyer.”
    “Sorry. I’m sure he’s nice anyway,” Terrence said earnestly, and Juliana choked on a laugh as Lincoln glared at her.
    Terrence cleared his throat. “Anyway, I don’t mean to invade your dinner, or take up too much of your time, I just…” He took a deep breath. “I just wanted to tell you that I had a huge crush on you in high school. You were so beautiful, and you always smiled. You always seemed so happy. Driving you home that one day was one of the high points of my miserable high-school existence, and I never forgot it. Or, um, you.”
    “Thank God,” Lincoln muttered. “It’s over.” He took a long draw from the beer.
    Juliana’s eyes never wavered from Terrence and Heidi. Over? Oh, no. She knew better.
    “Really?” Heidi said, her voice shocked. “You came over here, just to tell me you had a huge crush on me in high school?”
    “Um, yeah,” Terrence said.
    “Wow. That’s…well, kind of sad, isn’t it?” Heidi shuddered. “Really…um, a little creepy.”
    Lincoln, Tucker and the few other embedded players in the restaurant snapped their gazes on her, uniformly pissed, Juliana suddenly noticed. Meanwhile, Terrence looked like a bunny in a rifle’s crosshairs, frozen as he sensed danger.
    Juliana stood up. “This is a train wreck,” she hissed to Lincoln.
    She rushed to the ladies’ room, peeling off her sweater hastily, tucking her glasses in her purse, pulling her hair out of the dowdy bun and touching up her lipstick in about two