Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman Read Free Book Online Page B

swings around. “Where?”
    “I said don’t look!” Chloe hisses.
    “Who?” I ask, confused.
    “Josh Mayer!” Darcy says too loudly.
    Chloe clamps a hand over Darcy’s mouth and says to me, “The hottie from Underwood I told you about?”
    “Oh, scheisse !” Instinctively I duck. “He can’t see me or we’re screwed.”
    Chloe’s eyes widen. “You’re right! Hide in a store. We’ll text you when the coast is clear. Darcy, come with me.”
    Darcy looks over her shoulder again. “Where?”
    “To go flirt with him, of course!” Chloe arranges her bangs and applies fresh lip gloss. “Hurry, Natalie! He’s headed our way.”
    I keep my head low and dart into the nearest store, an up-scale kids’ clothing boutique. The lady behind the counter is talking to an extremely pregnant woman. As I burst in, casting furtive glances over my shoulder, they offer raised eyebrows followed by wooden, strained smiles.
    “Can I help you?” the saleslady asks.
    “No, um, just looking!”
    After an awkward silence, I edge my way over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and peek around a rocking horse. There’s Chloe, tossing her hair, laughing. She’s talking to the guy who must be Josh. I can only see him in profile, but I have to admit he does look pretty damn beautiful. He has flawless skin, bright blue eyes, and long, ropey muscles that bulge under his thin yellow T-shirt. His dark blond hair is meticulously arranged to look ever so slightly boy-band messy.
    Darcy stands nearby, outside their orbit, studying her Frappuccino with intense concentration. I feel kind of bad for her. I know what it’s like to be Chloe’s wingman when she’s working it—how abruptly you can feel invisible. I don’t blame Chloe for turning her full attention on this Josh character, though. Wow. He’s one of the prettiest guys I’ve ever seen in real life. If all the guys at Underwood look like that, I’ll need a bib to catch my drool.
    “Natalie! What a surprise.”
    I turn to see Summer Sheers watching me with a bemused expression. She’s wearing an olive green dress with her D&G boots, looking fresh and radiant as ever. Beside her is a slightly older version of herself—equally blond, equally skinny, equally dewy and ethereal, but twenty-something instead of sixteen.
    “Summer!” I squeak. “Hey.”
    Summer gestures at the girl beside her. “This is my sister, Autumn.”
    “Nice to meet you.” I shake her hand.
    “Same here.” Autumn smiles politely before drifting over to the infant clothes.
    “We’re shopping for a baby shower. What are you doing here?” Summer tries to see past me to the scene outside.
    I block her view. “Nothing.”
    “Nothing, huh?” She doesn’t look even remotely convinced.
    “I just really love baby clothes.” I grab the nearest item—a god-awful little dress in garish lime green chiffon, and jerk it around like a headless puppet. “So cute!”
    “Mm,” she says doubtfully. “Wow, your hair is . . . short.”
    My hand shoots up to yank on my bangs. “Yep.”
    “What inspired that?”
    Scheisse! Summer’s the last person I need suspecting anything. Not only is she my total nemesis, she’s also in the play at Underwood. She could screw everything up, and would no doubt love every second of it. “Just wanted a change.”
    Outside, Chloe explodes in laughter, and Summer’s eyes drift again to the window. “Oh my God, Josh Mayer’s out there!”
    I throw a quick look over my shoulder. “Oh. Yeah.”
    “Do you know Josh? No, I guess you probably don’t. Come outside with me and I’ll introduce you. He’s so nice. All the guys at Underwood are amazing .”
    “No thanks,” I say too quickly.
    Her eyes narrow. “Didn’t you come here with Chloe and Darcy?”
    Scheisse, scheisse, scheisse! “Yeah . . .”
    “But you’re in here”—she looks around—“and they’re out there?”
    A high-pitched trumpet of laughter escapes my pursed lips. “We’re not attached at the