Page 634 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Oh I get lots of advice from people about how to run my team.” He gave her an appraising look, taking in her jeans and simple v-necked red sweater. “But I have to say that none of them look as good as you.”

Kendall wasn’t one to throw around compliments. “Thanks.”

“Why don’t we leave your jeep here and take my truck?”

“Which restaurant are we going to?”Sydney asked.

“We’re not.”

“What?”

Kendall smiled. “We’re having dinner at someone’s house.”

“Oh? Whose?”

“An old friend of mine—Jessica Winters.”

Sydney’s eyes widened. She had to bite her lip to hold back the groan in her throat. Of all the people. She and Jessica hadbeen friends, had hung out together at cheerleading practice, had even spent the night at each other’s houses—until Sydney beat Jessica out of the head cheerleader spot. That’s all it took for Jessica to turn against her and become her fiercest enemy.

“You’ll like Jess. She’s a lot of fun and an excellent cook.”

A wrinkle formed between Sydney’s eyes. So it wasJessinstead ofJessica. Sydney’s culinary skills were limited to chicken noodle soup and microwavable pot pies. Her thigh began to ache, and she rubbed it and grimaced. Was it her imagination or was it starting to hurt more often?

“Are you okay?”

Sydney plastered on a smile. “Of course.”

“They left the driveway for us.” Kendall drove in and turned off the engine. Even though it was dark, the headlights from the truck were bright enough for Sydney to detect that the brick house was new.

They got out and went to the door. Kendall knocked once and then opened it and motioned for her to follow. They walked through the living room, decorated in vivid reds and yellows, and into the kitchen. The dining room and kitchen were one large room separated by a bar. It was a cozy floor plan that leant itself well to entertaining.

Kendall put an arm around Sydney’s shoulder. “Everyone, this is Sydney Lassiter.”

From the grand way he announced her, Sydney half expected a drum roll to sound. Kendall’s friends rushed to greet her.

Emma was the first person to her side. Sydney extended her hand, but Emma gave her a bear hug instead. “Hi, Sydney. It’s good to see you again.” The warmth in Emma’s voice helped ease some of Sydney’s tension. “This is Chuck Lingerfelt—the love of my life.” Emma put her arm around his waist and gave him a tight squeeze.

Age had been good to Chuck. He’d filled out to match his height. His pimples were gone but had left pits in his cheeks. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, giving her hand a swift yank, making Sydney think that Chuck’s bashfulness had vanished with the years. His nose was too large for his face and jumped out at her. However, once she willed it to step back and get in line with his other features, there was something attractive about him. Sydney decided it was the sparkle in his eyes—or it could have been his full lips that looked like they could break into a grin at any given moment.

Sydney looked past Emma and Chuck into the kitchen where Jessica was standing. She was still as beautiful as Sydney remembered in a flashy sort of way. Her shoulder-length curly hair was almost black. She was as tall as Sydney but curvaceous where Sydney was athletic. Her brown eyes were like big balls of chocolate, and she had deep dimples in her cheeks. Jessica wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and then sauntered over to meet Sydney.

“Hello.” Jessica extended her hand, her eyes raking over Sydney.

In the pause that followed, Sydney recognized instinctively where she would stand with Jessica. Jessica’s dark, narrowed eyes were saying what her lips never would—that she was used to being the queen bee, unaccustomed to having any competition. Sydney met her eyes in a quiet challenge. Jessica smiled, but her eyes remained cold.

“Please,” Jessica said in a stately manner. “Make yourself at home.”

Chuck gave Kendall a shove. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sydney. You’re all Kendall talks about lately, except football of course.”

She looked at Kendall’s face for validation, but it was a blank. What she did notice, however, was the scowl that crossed Jessica’s features. It was quickly replaced with a wooden smile.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Jessica said.

“Umm. Sure smells good,” Kendall said. “What’s on the menu?”

“Chicken parmesan, mandarin salad, and garlic bread.”

Kendall smiled. “My favorite.”

---