The Friendship List(43)

Now as they waited for their car, Ellen looked at her. “You know, we don’t have to go directly back to the hotel. We could make a quick trip to the campus if you want.”

Lissa wrinkled her nose. “No, thanks. It’s not the school for me. It’s tough to get in and I’d have out-of-state tuition. Why would I want my dad to pay all that when I haven’t figured out my major yet? Community college makes more sense.”

“All the schools we’re looking at are out of state.”

“I know.” Lissa’s voice was heavy as she spoke. “I tried explaining that to my dad, but he...” She turned away. “Is that our car?” She waved to the Prius pulling up to the curb.

On the drive back to the hotel, Ellen tried to make sense of what Lissa had told her. Was it really a money thing? She had trouble believing that. Keith had played in the NFL. He’d had a couple of endorsement deals. Although he’d never been a big star, he was articulate and good-looking. Sponsors had loved him.

She wouldn’t say he was wealthy, but she knew there was some money—enough that a pricey college wouldn’t be financially debilitating. Surely Lissa understood that as well.

They arrived back at the hotel. Lissa went up to her room to change into a bathing suit so she could hang out by the pool. Ellen collected her e-reader and joined her, careful to stay in the shade.

Getting comfortable in the lawn chair was nearly impossible, she thought, shifting on the chair.

“You okay?” Lissa asked.

“It’s a dumb place to get a tattoo,” Ellen complained, reaching for a towel to shove behind her back. “How am I supposed to sit?”

Lissa tried not to smile. “At least you can sleep on your other side.”

“I know. I shouldn’t whine. I did this to myself. It’ll be better tomorrow. It’s just, it looks so much easier on TV.”

She tried to read and watch the clock at the same time. At exactly two hours, she went upstairs to her room and took off the bandage before washing the area with the special liquid soap she’d been given. After that, she applied the salve, then pulled out the granny panties she’d brought along just for this moment. She pulled them on over her bikini ones to keep the cream off her crop pants.

“So sexy,” she murmured, laughing at herself as she left the room.

She went into the lobby and saw all the guys were back. Aidan was high-fiving everyone. When he saw her, he rushed over, grabbed her and spun her in a circle.

“Hey, Ms. F. You should have come with us. The campus is close to the beach and the girls are beautiful.” He released her and grinned. “Man, I so need to go here. I know it’s a UC school, but my academics are good and they have my major and maybe I can run track or something.”

His enthusiasm made her laugh. “Good for you, Aidan. Now let’s see if you still feel that way after you see the next campus.”

The rangy teen shook his head. “I’m a Triton all the way.”

“They’d be lucky to have you,” she told him, secretly suspecting Aidan was going to be just as interested in every college they visited. He just seemed like the type.

She made her way to Cooper. “How was it?”

Her son shrugged. “Good. It’s a nice campus, but not for me.” He glanced at his friend and grinned. “Aidan’s stoked.”

“I heard. So you’re still waiting for Stanford and UCLA?”

“Uh-huh.”

They would head out midmorning to arrive in Westwood in time for lunch. Cooper and Luka had afternoon meetings with the athletic department. The following morning, everyone would go on a tour of the UCLA campus, then Coop was meeting his dad for lunch while the rest of the group hung out on the beach.

When she’d first told him about his dad, he’d been super excited, but in the last day or so, he hadn’t mentioned the lunch. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to spare her feelings, or if he was nervous.

“Are you excited to see UCLA?” she asked, searching for some level of enthusiasm. Something that would show the plan was working.

“I guess.”

She held in a sigh. Not exactly what she’d been hoping for. “From what I’ve heard, it’s huge. Nearly a hundred thousand people go through it each day. That’s three times as many people as live in Willowbrook.”

He smiled at her. “You’ve been doing research.”

“I like to stay up on things. Don’t forget, after the morning tour, you’re meeting your dad.”

Emotions she couldn’t read raced through his eyes. He glanced away. “It’s no big deal.”

She wished she knew what he was thinking. “Coop, it is. Are you nervous?”

He shrugged. “Some. Maybe. He’s just a guy.”

She pulled him over to one of the sofas in the large, open lobby. When they were seated, she said, “Coop, this is a big deal. You need to be prepared for a lot of emotions that don’t make sense. You have ideas in your head about who your father is and they may not be close to the truth.”

“You’re saying I won’t like him?”

“What? No. Of course not. I’m saying that you have to understand that whatever expectations you have are about you and what you need. Jeremy won’t be able to read your mind. So if it doesn’t go how you imagine, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean your dad doesn’t care about you.”