On the Record (Record #2)(33)

She hadn’t felt like this in months. The last time had been when she found out about Brady’s new girlfriend, and before that New Year’s. She had moved on. But then why did she feel as if she was being torn to pieces with just one lingering look?

The panel concluded and Liz numbly followed Massey out of the auditorium. She was hanging with a group of sorority girls Liz didn’t really fit in with, but the benefit of that was that she didn’t have to say anything. They carried on the conversation just fine without any input.

The lobby of the campus conference center was full of people milling around after that last panel. There were two more panels after it, but Liz had assumed they would be smaller. A lot of the students wouldn’t be attending them. Liz was only going because she had helped Dr. Mires put the entire thing on, so she didn’t think she would be able to sneak away.

Liz caught sight of a head of long dark hair and smiled. Savannah. So she was here. Ever since the day that Liz had told her that she had actually voted for Brady, things had been different between them. Both girls had relaxed around each other at work and the few occasions when they hung out. Liz found that she actually liked Savannah best of anyone else at the paper. They had similar work ethics, and each was more determined than the other to prove herself.

Liz waved to her as she walked over to where Savannah was standing. “Hey, I didn’t see you in there.”

Savannah shrugged. “I’ve heard them speak a million times. I didn’t need to hear this one.”

“You didn’t miss much. It was pretty boring,” she said softly.

“Oh, I figured. Brady said at lunch that it was going to be.”

Liz breathed in and out as slowly as possible. Of course Savannah had lunch with her brother while he was in town. Nothing to freak out about.

“Well, he was right.” As always.

“Hey, I’m glad I ran into you. What are you doing for dinner tonight?” Savannah asked.

“Um . . . I don’t know. Why?”

“Want to come with me? I’ll pick you up and everything.”

“Are you asking me on a date, Savannah?” Liz asked with a half laugh. “You’re not really my type.”

“Okay, it’s super secret. Like, don’t even tell Hayden about it. Just tell him you’re going out with me, but we’ll have a good time, okay?”

“I haven’t even agreed,” Liz said, her interest piqued.

“Oh, did you not? I didn’t notice. I’ll come get you around eight,” Savannah told her.

“All right,” Liz said with a shrug.

“Brady’s going to be out in a second. Want me to introduce you two?” she asked. “I know you guys met on campaign, but I’ll introduce you to the real Brady Maxwell. He’s actually not as stuck up as he looks.” Savannah giggled and started dragging her across the room.

“Oh, no, Savannah . . . that’s okay. We’ve . . . we’ve already met. It’s, um . . . really not necessary,” Liz stammered out.

“Come on. It’s just my brother. He doesn’t bite.”

Liz disagreed. He most certainly did bite . . .

“Oh, there he is,” Savannah said, just as Brady walked out of a back door from the auditorium. “I had a feeling he’d come this way.”

“Oh,” was all Liz managed to get out as she stared at Brady standing there talking to his father. She felt as if her legs were made of lead and she wasn’t sure how she was dragging them along.

“Brady!” Savannah called as they approached.

His eyes snapped up to Savannah and he smiled. She knew that smile. God, how many times had she seen him look that happy? He loved his sister. They were really two peas in a pod. And then he saw Liz walking next to her and the smile dropped off of his face. Her legs didn’t just feel like lead then; her whole body felt like lead, sinking straight to the bottom of the ocean.

Savannah pulled Liz along behind her and kept that smile on her face. “Brady, this is my friend Liz. I work with her on the paper. She was my boss during the campaign. I don’t know if I mentioned her.”

Brady swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I don’t think you did.” He seemed to have composed himself, but his eyes were still hard. She felt two feet tall in the shadow of that gaze. Then he stuck his hand out. “Brady Maxwell. I believe we met on campaign. Yes?”

“We did,” she whispered, nodding. She took his hand in hers. Sparks flew as if someone had struck a match between them. It jolted her, and she actually jumped a little on contact. He took in a deep, even breath and then quickly dropped her hand.

“How nice to meet you again,” he said, that campaign mask firmly in place. She wouldn’t be seeing her Brady the rest of the conversation. Not that anything about him was hers anymore. “How was the rest of the campaign?”

Liz felt the weight of that question to her very core. “Same old, same old. It took forever to get to November,” she all but whispered. “Congratulations on your victory.”

“Thank you. I had a great team behind me. They really believed in me and my vision,” he said, each word stabbing her like a knife wound.

“That’s very . . . fortunate,” she said, not knowing what else to say.

Savannah smiled, oblivious to the underlying conversation going on between them. “I’m glad I could reintroduce you,” she said brightly. “I know Liz voted for you in the election and spent a lot of time ensuring students on campus voted.”