Page 37 of Feels Like the First Time

“Why?” Zoe asked bluntly.

“Oh, all kinds of reasons.” Julie’s eyes turned a little brittle, but her smile didn’t drop away. “Reunion   business, old times. Some dirt on Brad Young, if you’re interested. A shot at paying Candy back for being such a bitch to you yesterday…”

Zoe arched a brow. She didn’t care about anything except the dirt on Brad. And then only if that dirt had to do with his job. But she knew the game. It was the whole enchilada or nothing, so she’d have to play nice to get the one piece of info she wanted.

“I was just getting something to eat,” Zoe said, poking her thumb over her shoulder toward the restaurant. “C’mon.

Not the most gracious invitation, but Julie obviously didn’t care. She sent a snide look at a few of the gawkers, lifted her sculpted chin in the air and stepped in time with Zoe to the restaurant. From the whispers that followed them, Zoe surmised that Candice had already started stirring up gossip and Julie wasn’t doing herself any favors by hanging out with the geeky Goth-girl.

Irritated despite herself, Zoe pretty much ignored Julie until they’d been served tea and pie. Once the waiter set the slice of dutch apple in front of her, Zoe scooped up a bite, humming her pleasure. She looked at the redhead sitting across from her nursing a very unappetizing-looking piece of sugar-free chocolate cream.

If that was the price of popularity, Zoe would stick with her dutch apple.

“So, what’s up?” Zoe asked.

“Like I said, I wanted a chance to chitchat. You know how these reunion  s go. Everyone going every which way, all the events so planned and organized. It’s hard to find time to sit and talk about old times.”

Zoe took another bite, savoring the cinnamon richness as she contemplated the pretty redhead’s words.

“So you want info and figured cornering me would get you an exclusive? Or at least a head start on whoever else is up for the crown of reunion   gossip queen?”

She waited for the snarl. But Julie surprised her. Instead of getting ugly, she just smiled. A genuine smile. The kind that crinkled the skin around her blue eyes and made her look like a real person, not a made-up doll.

“I always remembered you as clever, but I must have missed the blunt element of your personality,” Julie said, taking a bite of her own pie.

“Since I can barely recall more than three encounters between us in the three years of school, I doubt you noticed any of my more charming personality traits.”

Julie smirked. Then she set her fork down and leaned forward, her elbows planted on the table. “I think I like you,” she said.

Zoe didn’t know what she thought about that declaration. She knew she should sneer, but her heart warmed a little at the words. What was the other woman after? Instead of asking, she took another bite of spiced apples and waited.

“Look, I’m curious. Maybe we didn’t hang out in school, but I do remember you. And from what I recall, you weren’t exactly Little Miss School Spirit. I’m surprised you came to the reunion  .”

“Was there a level of spirit required to revisit old times?”

“No, but the general recollection is that you hated old times.”

Aha. “General recollection? Translation, the gossip mill?”

Julie’s lips quirked and she pressed her coral fingernail to the tip of her nose.

“I guess it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say that I wasn’t fond of old times,” Zoe mused. Then she shrugged. “But that was then. This is now. And I’m here at the reunion  . Defies logic, doesn’t it?”

“That it does. But I’m betting there’s a reason you came back. And I figured that maybe that’s where we could help each other out.”

Zoe gave her empty plate a sad look. She should have eaten more slowly. She had a feeling it would have been wise to have something to do with her mouth for the next few minutes.

“Why would you want to help me out?” Sans pastry, she wanted this conversation over with as fast as possible. She felt weird sitting here talking like girly buddies with someone she’d actively mocked for years. The realization that Julie wasn’t a total snotty, humorless bitch wasn’t sitting too well with her pie. “And why would I want to let you?”

“First off, you must have come back for a reason. I have an idea what that reason is, and I’d be happy to help you. Why?” she asked before Zoe could. “Because you’re my best shot at getting what I want this week.”

Zoe waited.

“You’re trying to find someone, right? Someone named Gandalf?”

“Do you know who it is?” Zoe asked, leaning closer and holding her breath.

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