The Third Kiss (Love's Mortal Coil #1)

Chapter 2 - Cora

Cora

"So did you, like, have trouble understanding them over there?"

I stopped my inventory of the soft drink selection and tried not to gape at the girl at my side. Was she serious? "They speak English in the States, Viv."

She tossed her bottle-bred, fire-engine red hair over a tanned shoulder and cocked her head, looking at me like I was the one asking the stupid question. "Yeah, I know. But we had to read that Huckleberry Finn book last year, and I couldn't understand half of what the characters said."

I fought the urge to shake my head. Or shove hers in the soft drink cooler. Instead I fished a Sprite out of the icy water and tried to remember why Beth was friends with this ditz.

"I was in Manhattan, not the Deep South, Viv." Not to mention in the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth, but that small detail would have been lost on her. Based on available evidence, I'd say even without the dialect she wouldn't have understood half of what the characters said. Clearly, the driveway still didn't go all the way up to Viv Feehan's garage.

"Hey, we had a guy move here from the States last year. Dark hair, gorgeous caramel skin. Real cute, in a computer geek kinda way." She pulled a soft drink from the cooler and popped the ring. "But I think he said he was from New York, so probably, like, on the other side of the country from you."

Give me strength...

I lifted my eyes to the clock above the drinks table and locked onto the seconds hand. One, two, three, four... How the girl ever graduated high school was beyond me.

"Anyway, it's cool that you're back." Viv smiled at me, genuine crinkly eyes and all. And just like that, guilt crept its way along my cheekbones. Red, like her fire-engine hair. Ditz or not, she'd always been nice to me despite me sitting slightly left of center on the social bell curve. So what on earth was wrong with me tonight? "Bitch" wasn't my usual default setting.

Maybe it was the jet lag. Or the heat. That stifling late January summer heat that clung to the skin long after the sun had disappeared. Only two days ago I couldn't leave the house without parceling myself up in at least three layers of clothing. Maybe my system hadn't adjusted to the new climate yet.

"Thanks." I smiled back and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "It's good to be home."

Viv nodded, then joined a group of heaving bodies on the makeshift dance floor, her mane flaming behind her.

I glanced at the clock again and suppressed a yawn. It was just after ten, which made it just after six in the morning in Manhattan, which made it God-only-knew-what-time according to my body clock.

Dad had suggested I fly back earlier, but then my surprise appearance tonight would have been a complete fizzer. Besides, main round uni offers had only come out last Wednesday, and Mom wanted to see mine spelled out next to my name and student number before she handed over the plane ticket—her last ditch attempt to make me stay and attend NYU as she had decided I should.

It wasn't like it mattered; I would have boarded a jumbo jet heading for home the day I turned eighteen three weeks from now anyway. Whether she liked it or not.

I'd told the twins I wouldn't make it back for their eighteenth, but my bags had been packed, waiting only for that email from the university admissions center. I made it back just in time. Beth was stoked. That only left Jonas.

Holding my Sprite can halfway to my lips, I paused and gave myself a mental frisking at the mention of his name. Annoying rush of butterflies? None. Abnormal hitch in pulse rate? Negative.