Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) by Suzy Duffy Read Free Book Online Page A

New Flame?

    “Never again,” Jessie mumbled to herself as she waved off Rick’s car. If he glanced in his rearview mirror, he would see her smiling even though she was anything but happy. Jessie was shattered and glad to be heading for bed. She pushed open the glass door to her dormitory building and was hit by a blast of welcome warm air.  
    “Who knew so much could go so wrong in just one night?” she said to herself as she pressed the elevator button.  
    A group of students walked past the open doors. “Elevator’s busted,” someone said.
    “Just great.” Jessie groaned as she considered the daunting prospect of climbing four flights of stairs with her huge bag of books.
    “You can come with us?” A boy from the group winked at her, but she forced a smile and waved him off. There weren’t supposed to be men in the building, but it was crazy late on a Saturday night and not her problem.  
    Feeling utterly shattered, Jessie hauled her bag over her shoulder and headed for the stairwell. Even though she was twenty-three, it was her first time living away from home. She’d commuted to university in England, because living there would’ve cost more money and Jessie’s family didn’t have much of that.  
    Things were different in America. She’d earned an academic scholarship to Wiswall, and part of that package was accommodation on campus. Before coming to the States, Jessie hadn’t realized how many different types of rooms there would be, and because hers was free, she’d taken what she was given. The first shock, however, was she had been placed in an all-girl building. It never occurred to her they’d be segregated from the boys. Okay, separate bathrooms and bedrooms were a good idea, but buildings? What did American guys do that was so naughty they had to be kept in another building?  
    A bigger shock had been the discovery she was in an alcohol-free community. Jessie was in college, damn it, and she was already one degree down and doing a master’s. She was of age and deserved a drink if she wanted one. At first, Wiswall had seemed more like an old Victorian boarding school than a huge, progressive American college. Her alcoholic concerns had dissolved, however, in the first few weeks when she got invited to some of the wildest parties of her life. And even the absence of men in the building had its advantages.  
    For a start, her roomie was the best buddy ever. Ely Briskin came from South Carolina. Like Jessie, she was studying psychology. But unlike Jessie she was rich—very rich. Even though they were the same age, Ely was just starting her degree.

    “Welcome,” her new roommate had said as Jessie entered the dorm room for the first time. “I’m Ely. Well, actually I’m Elyse, but I hate that, so call me Ely.” She spoke without getting off the bed she was lying on.  
    Jessie had just flown in from London to Boston and caught a taxi to the college, so she was exhausted. She had two enormous pieces of luggage and was beginning to feel the strain of jet lag combined with leaving her mother for the first time.
    “This bed mine?” Jessie asked.
    Ely shrugged and nodded, so she fell onto it without any bedding or even a pillow and closed her eyes.
    “Come a long way?” Ely asked. “Got any help with your stuff?”
    “London and no. I’m alone. Name’s Jessica, but you can call me Jessie.”
    This made Ely sit up. “London, England? You’re British? Hey, that’s cool. I didn’t know you were going to be foreign. I like that. It makes us more sophisticated—international.” She got up and pulled Jessie’s second suitcase into the room.  
    The noise made Jessie open her eyes. “Oh, thanks, but don’t worry. I’ll do it. I just needed a minute to catch my breath.”
    “I’m not doing it for you, sunshine. I’m doing it for me, so we can close this dang door and share a quick drink to celebrate your arrival.”
    That was when Jessie discovered they were in a dry, all-girl