Given New Worlds Read online

  “My name isn’t Jamie,” she said with a smile and a nervous glance towards the entrance. Nope. Still no security.

  “I figured. But I saw you with that book, so I’ve been calling you Jamie.”

  Jamie was the name of the main character in A Walk to Remember. Abby felt another shot of adrenaline. He’d noticed what book she was reading? That was huge. Nobody noticed things like that. They only noticed what she was wearing, or where she was going, or what they presumed her mood to be that day.

  “So, what is your name?” he asked.

  Abby almost laughed. She liked this game. He was good at it too. Not a hint of a false arrogance nor inferiority complex.

  “I’m Abby.”

  “Short for Abigail?”

  “Yes.”

  They sat and stared at each other for an endless moment. His eyes were the kind of cocoa brown that welcomed you in like a warm cup of coffee. His jawline had a hint of growth proving he wasn’t concerned about keeping up with a clean cut. It made him handsome. He wore a tight blue t-shirt that revealed his muscular arms and Abby wondered if he would be offended if she decided to latch on and measure their girth right there in the middle of the library.

  “Do you row?” she asked, sure that he must be a member of the crew team.

  “No. I mow.”

  Abby didn’t understand. She hadn’t heard of a club or team of that name. Maybe it was a new exercise like the ones Veena was constantly trying to get her to participate in.

  “What’s a mow?” she asked.

  Sean began laughing, distracting a nearby study group from their laptops.

  “It’s not that funny,” Abby said, wondering if maybe the guy was psychotic, and she should start running. She looked back at the entrance again. Nope. No security yet.

  “Mowing,” Sean said, wiping at his eyes. “Like mowing the lawn?”

  “You mow a lawn?” she asked.

  “I mow a lot of lawns.”

  “Why?” Abby had never actually talked to anyone that had mowed a lawn before. She would give the usual head nod to her gardeners but had never had an actual conversation. Most of them didn’t speak English anyway.

  “Why do I mow lawns? For the money. For the exercise. It’s relaxing.”

  Abby felt her breath catch in her throat. The awkwardness factor entered the conversation and she covered her mouth in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  Sean tipped his head and raised that eyebrow again. It was so sexy.

  Did her brain just say sexy? Abby shook her head and tried to get it out of the gutter. “I mean, it’s too bad you have to mow lawns for money. I mean… there’s nothing wrong with being poor. It’s just… Oh gosh. I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Jamie. You don’t have to apologize for having money. You grew up a certain way. I grew up a certain way. It’s all cool.”

  “My name’s Abby,” she corrected him, relieved that he wasn’t offended by her lack of poise. What the heck? She’d been trained in eloquence. There was no reason for her to be fumbling her words like this. But he was so cute. And that dimple. And that eyebrow. And those arms.

  “I like Jamie better.”

  Abby giggled like a grade schooler. She couldn’t believe this. Here she was, talking to some guy her parents didn’t know. Thinking about his sexy eyebrow. And no security detail in sight.

  “So, I guess that means you were thinking about me then.”

  “A bit,” he said, leaning back in his chair and reaching his man-arms up so he could run his fingers through the back of his hair. Abby watched muscles stretch and flex under the thin fabric. It was a vision to behold. Abby thanked God for his detailed placement of muscles and tendons of the man in front of her. Because surely, she would never get this experience again.

  “I was thinking about you too.”

  “Were you now?” Sean leaned forward and clasped his fingers together. His line of vision danced straight into Abby’s eyes and down to her heart. She felt like the Grinch when his heart increased threefold. If it were any bigger it would burst.

  “I hadn’t planned on coming into the library today. I was just going for a run. But I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “You say that now, but when security gets here it’ll be a different story.”

  Sean lifted an eyebrow and Abby sensed the elation of pretend minimize. The game was over. Back to reality. Now it would turn into one of those boring conversations where he asked about what it was like being the daughter of a celebrity and a politician. He would ask if all the stories he read on the internet were true. He would wonder if she was hooked on drugs. He would be curious about how she handled life in the limelight. Same old rote questions.

  “Campus security?” he asked. His eyebrows settled into a concerned scowl and worry lines appeared between his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

  “No. The regular security.”

  “Yes, you mean campus security. That is the regular security.” He was agitated for some reason, but she couldn’t figure it out. As if there was something he couldn’t tell her, something he had tucked into his back pocket burning a hole in his butt.

  “No. My security,” Abby explained, trying not to think about handsome Sean’s hot butt.

  Was it possible this guy didn’t know security followed her around 24/7. Sometimes people had no idea that the guy standing around in khakis and a polo was being paid sixty thousand dollars a year to make sure nobody got near a famous daughter. Especially poor people. Abby felt herself redden with embarrassment again. She shouldn’t refer to him as poor. Maybe he just liked to mow lawns. That was a thing, right?

  “Your security.” Sean frowned and flipped the top of his computer up again. “So, what,” he asked, feigning disinterest. “Is that code for your boyfriend or something?” He looked angry.

  “What are you talking about?”

  He flipped the laptop closed and leaned towards her again. “When you left me the note, I didn’t realize you were looking for a second fiddle. I thought maybe you were interested. Don’t play me, okay? I’ve got enough going on in my life.”

  Abby couldn't make heads or tails of his statement. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Well then, what is this security thing you say I’m not going to like? A pack of girlfriends coming to rescue you from me?”

  Abby stared at him. He was picking at the lid of his laptop with his thumb nail, surely itching to get back onto Google and dig up more pictures of Abigail Ellwood at the Academy Awards, Abigail Ellwood coming out of Neiman Marcus with three shopping bags, Abigail Ellwood in her bikini at St. Barts.

  “Show me what you’re looking at,” she demanded. She’d had enough of this guy’s pissy mood. Abby had been sitting at the table for no more than ten minutes and he was going all drama king on her. It was time to turn the tables. She was going to show him how much she hated stalkers, even the sit at a library table and pretend to study neuroscience while hunting celebrity daughters on the computer kind of stalkers.

  He raised his eyebrow and Abby tried not to let her arms get jiggly with attraction.

  Ignore it. You’ll be rid of him in twenty-eight seconds. As soon as he refuses to show you what he was looking at on his computer.

  With a flick of his wrist, Sean slid the computer towards her. “Chemical biology. A thrill a minute. Have at it.”

  She could almost feel her eyes wince as they narrowed in the direction of the innocent-looking laptop.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ABBY lifted the top and saw an article about combinatorial chemistry. But she’d been familiar with computers and stalkers for a long time. She knew how to dig into a computer’s history better than any hacker out there. She perused and clicked while Sean sat, his arms crossed, and that infuriating eyebrow raised.

  “What, exactly, are you looking for?” he asked.

  Abby glanced up at him and could see what appeared to be t
rue confusion on his face but having a mother as an actress had taught Abby that hiding emotions was an easily acquired skill. She continued to dig into his search history.

  siRNA producing viruses

  phosphorylation

  mulcher blade replacement

  husqvarna zero turn mower

  protein phosphorylation

  And then a more interesting line of searches appeared as she dug further.

  a walk to remember

  nicholas sparks

  campus sororities

  wedgewood college directory

  wedgewood girls

  After searching through the data, Abby came to a realization. This guy really had no idea who she was. Could that be possible?

  She looked up at Sean. His arms were crossed, and he was tipping the chair back in frustration. “Find what you were looking for? Need to call security now?” He leaned forward pointed his finger at her. “And just so you know - I don’t look at porn. I’m not a stalker. And I definitely don’t hack into other people’s computers.”

  “But you were looking for me,” she said. The directory searches themselves were evidence of that. “You don’t know my name?

  “I see a pretty girl in the library. She showed interest. So, I was curious. I tried to find your name, but this college has its information locked up tight. Go ahead, shoot me for being attracted.”

  “Attracted?”

  Sean tipped his head and rolled his eyes. “Yes. You’re hot. I’m a guy. Enough said.”

  Abby needed to tell him the truth. Her heart wasn’t in it, but she couldn’t let this guy go on not knowing.

  “I’m Abigail Ellwood,” she admitted, her breath pouring out of her like lava from a volcano that had been plugged up for centuries, now releasing its torrent of destruction and ruin.

  “Good for you. I’m Sean Court.”

  “Court? Like judicial court?”

  “No. Like basketball court.”

  Abby once again found herself in that weird staring contest where she tried to decipher his thoughts while he showed off his gorgeous profile and well-defined musculature.

  “Stop doing that,” she said, as he once again stretched his arms up.

  “Doing what?”

  “That thing with your arms. It’s very distracting.”

  Sean put his arms down and chuckled hoarsely, the deep timbre of his vocal chords hitting Abby in places she didn’t want to acknowledge.

  “What’ll you do if I don’t stop. You going to call your precious security on me?”

  “You really don’t have any idea who I am, do you?”

  “I’m beginning to think you’re quite a bitch. Very different from the Jamie in my dreams last night.”

  Abby scowled at him and tried to ignore his dream comment, but it injected itself into her mind and she knew she’d be debating it for the next few weeks. In the meantime, it was time to scare him off. No more lies. She clicked into the search engine of his computer and typed her name. Then, she bit her lip and turned the computer around.

  Sean rolled his eyes and pulled the computer towards him. She watched as he clicked and scanned. Several minutes passed, his eyes not revealing one emotion.

  After he’d had his fill, Sean closed the lid of the computer and ran his fingers through his hair. “Holy shit.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “YEAH, holy shit,” Abby whispered, tasting the soil of the uncomfortable expletive on her lips. Now would come the questions. The awkwardness. It was okay. The fifteen minutes of a fantasy normal moment was enough to carry her for the rest of her life.

  “So, if you’re such a princess, where is this security team you’re trying to scare me with?”

  “Probably stationed outside, waiting to drag me away and give me a lecture about talking to strangers.”

  “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”

  Abby felt a headache beginning to take hold. She pulled out the band holding her hair in a ponytail and ran her fingers through it, hoping to ease the pain within.

  “Stop doing that,” Sean said.

  “Doing what?”

  Sean leaned back, lifted his arms and mimicked Abby’s hair adjustment. She watched his biceps flex once again and felt an odd tingling run through her body. She shook her fingers lightly in her hair, shimmied her shoulders, and pouted. If he wanted to play games, she was all for it.

  He smiled and shifted his arms into a Mr. Universe pose.

  Abby practically deflated. She lifted her torso and tugged down on her running shirt, revealing more of her chest than she was used to. But this was war.

  She must have won, because Sean sat back, and the grin dropped from his face.

  “Giving up so soon, cowboy?” Abby asked. She was feeling brave and decided to go one further. She stood and began a pose that would send his testosterone flaring when he flicked his eyes her way. She got the message. Security had arrived.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  DAD’S voice carried the weight of the world, even all the way from D.C. “Your mother has informed me that you are communicating with two very nice young men. There is no reason that you should be talking to outsiders.”

  Abby wasn’t sure how to respond. She would never see this guy again anyway. After the way security had belittled him in front of everybody in the library, he would probably run screaming from campus never to return. Abby had been escorted to the waiting SUV in silence and driven forty-eight miles to her parent’s estate. No explanation. None needed. She was old enough to drink, to vote, to buy a gun, but she was grounded.

  “He goes to the medical school at the college. Doesn’t that make him an insider?” Abby laughed, trying to make light of the conversation.

  “Is this a joke to you, Abigail?”

  “No, sir.”

  “He could have been anyone off the streets. Don’t you know by now? Everyone is suspect. And you are the victim.”

  Abby wanted to slam the phone down. He was overreacting. Normally, she would let it float off her back and try to be understanding. But this time it was different. Something inside her was telling her that her world was about to change. Be it for better or for worse. She could almost taste the new.

  She listened to the rest of the conversation with half an ear. Mom and Dad wanted her to stay at the estate for the rest of the week - make sure that the situation would blow over. Have the videos erased. Scrub the internet for any leaked images that might have been taken by other students at the library. This ‘incident’ was going to cost money and her dad was sure to make it blazingly clear.

  Abby floated through the rest of the week in a desultory fog. A convenient donation from the Ellwood family secured Abby a week away from her studies, allowing her to work via internet, but she knew that her fellow students would be giving her the fish eye when she returned.

  On Friday, Dad came home with a frown on his face.

  “You’re back to school on Monday,” he said.

  “Yes, I know.”

  “You’d better not pull any of that crap again.”

  “No sir.”

  “I saw the videos from the library, Abigail. What were you thinking?”

  Abby had thought they’d finished this conversation over the phone. Apparently, Dad wasn’t over his anger yet. “It was nothing. I was just joking around.”

  “You pulled your shirt down. You almost revealed your breasts.”

  “That is not true, Dad. You’re exaggerating.”

  “You’re on thin ice, young lady. I would suggest you refrain from arguing. I could easily pull you from that college. You can attend online accounting courses through the community college if this keeps up.”

  A hundred responses filled Abby’s mind, but she knew the proper one without having to think about it.

  “I understand. I’m sorry.”

  “Very well then.” Dad rubbed at his head. Abby could see the worry lines digging into his forehead. Guilt ran through her as she realized that the worry
lines were her fault. She wished she could take it all back. That she’d never gone on that jog. That she’d never stopped at the library. That she’d never seen Sean Court. Actually, now that she thought about it, this was his fault. Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did she have to be so attracted to him? Why did he have to have that voice, and those arms, and that dimple?

  She watched Dad as he walked into his office and shut the door. Her heart hurt for him. He was under so much pressure and she had just added to it - times ten. Abby hadn’t seen him like this since he’d been on the campaign trail. She stood outside of his office and placed her hand on the dark, wooden door. And she prayed.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  WHEN Abby returned to the condo, Veena had a cupcake and a Welcome Home card sitting on the counter with her name on it. Abby dropped her bags in her bedroom and made her way to the workout room where hip hop was blasting through the speakers.

  When Veena saw her, she grabbed her phone and immediately turned the volume down before running over to give Abby a hug.

  “Was it my Dad that told you about the volume thing?” Abby asked.

  “Indirectly, yes.”

  “Sorry about that. I really don’t mind it.”

  “I know. But when the senator speaks, we say ‘yes sir’. Isn’t that right?”

  Abby laughed and nodded her head, getting the unspoken message loud and clear. They both knew that her dad was restricting her movements. Especially after ‘the incident’.

  Veena squeezed Abby’s hand and winked. She understood, and she was on Abby’s side. It was going to be okay.

  Classes over the next few weeks were a welcome challenge, and Abby poured herself into her work, managing to keep everything else out of her mind but medical terminology.

  Dad had attempted an argument in favor of Abby spending the holidays at the estate, but the pressures of school and the promise of Veena staying at the condominium provided her the ability to remain near campus. Besides, her parents were always busy with parties and hobnobbing in December. It was easier for them if Abby was out of their hair.