Page 14 of Cold Front
Eli strolled in, eyes scanning the rows like he was searching for someone. Definitely not me. His attention skimmed right over where I sat, and for some reason, that irritated me more than it should have.
I wasn’t sure why I even cared.
Still, I watched as he lingered near the aisle, gaze flicking from one section of the room to the other, like he was weighing his options. He took his phone out of his pocket and frowned at it for a moment before typing what was probably a message before slipping his phone back into his pocket.
A restless energy settled in my chest. I wasn’t hoping he’d sit next to me. Not really. But I alsowasn’thoping he wouldn’t. Before I could figure out what the hell that meant, he turned and started down my row.
I dropped my focus to my notebook, forcing my fingers to loosen around my pen. It wasn’t a big deal. Just another guy in class. Just another seat.
The chair beside me creaked as he slid into it.
“Hey, fancy seeing you here.”
His voice was easy, amused, like this was some casual run-in instead of a class I wasn’t entirely prepared for.
I looked up. “Eli.” His name came out rougher than I meant.
His grin faltered, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face before he smoothed it over. “Didn’t know you were in this class.”
I shrugged, feeling the weight of his gaze. “Yeah. I, uh... missed last week.” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling heat creep up. “Had practice.”
That wasn’t true. I’d had a mandatory team meeting. So why the hell had I said that? It wasn’t like missing class for a meeting was unusual for an athlete. The school notified professors when we had scheduling conflicts. Professor Williams had probably gotten the email and just hadn’t cared enough to acknowledge it. Still, I didn’t correct myself.
Eli’s gaze flicked over me, his smile easy. “Guess that means you’ll need to catch up, huh?”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
“You can borrow my notebook if you want,” he said, sliding it across the desk toward me. “It’s not like I need it during the lecture.”
The last thing I expected was his offer. I stared at the book, then at him. After how I’d been acting? Why the hell was he being so... nice? And why did I feel like an idiot taking it? I didn’t even need the damn notes—I had them already from last year. But saying that would mean admitting I’d flunked this course. That I was back in this room, sitting through the same lectures, because I couldn’t get my shit together.
And I sure as hell wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Thanks,” I managed, taking the book carefully.
“No problem,” he said, leaning back in his chair just as the professor strode into the room, clapping her hands together.
“Good morning, class,” she said, her voice cutting through the last of the chatter. “I hope you all enjoyed last week’s introduction to marketing principles.”
A few students chuckled. Someone near the back groaned. Williams smirked.
“Excellent enthusiasm. Let’s get started. Quick review—who can remind me what the number one rule of marketing is?”
Several hands shot up. Eli’s was one of them. I glanced at him, surprised.
Williams pointed at a guy in the front row, who answered, “Know your audience?”
“Correct. But let’s take it a step further. If you don’t know your audience, what happens?”
Eli’s hand was still raised, and this time, Williams called on him.
“Your message won’t land,” he said easily. “You’ll waste time and resources marketing to the wrong people, and your product won’t sell.”
Williams nodded approvingly. “Exactly. Targeting the right audience is key. Great answer.”
I side-eyed Eli. He was just... casual about it, like this was basic knowledge. Like he hadn’t just answered with more confidence than half the room.
“All right,” Williams continued. “Let’s challenge the athletes in the room. Mr. Caldwell, since you missed last week, let’s see if you’ve been doing your readings.”
