Timesurfers by Rhonda Sermon Read Free Book Online

searched the food line for Eve. “Eve’s
quite exotic looking. With that caramel skin and white-blonde hair,
she has to have Asian and Scandinavian heritage.”
    Close , thought Cate.
Eve’s father was Scandinavian, but her mother was Egyptian, not
Asian.
    “Well she likes you,” Rafe muttered. “Cate
won’t be far from her. Those two are joined at the hip. They’ve no
other friends.”
    Harsh, but true. She
changed feet to tie her other imaginary shoelace.
    “Cate’s legs may have been running from
Austin, but he pushed all her buttons.” Rafe nudged Austin. “If you
get my meaning?”
    “Who could not get
your meaning?” Rose answered.
    “You’ve totally scrambled her brains,” Rafe
said. “The lusting, loathing, feigned lack of interest and general
mayhem going on in her head are giving me a migraine. I think
you’ve woken up her teenage hormones, big time.”
    Gross! And not true ,
she lied to herself.
    “Spare me the details.” Rose screwed up her
beautiful face with dislike.
    A brick landed in Cate’s stomach as Austin
gave Rose’s shoulder a quick squeeze.
    “What do you think her deal is?” Rose asked.
“Make sure you listen out for her, Rafe.”
    “She thinks like an elephant. I can hear her
from a block away.” Rafe checked his hair in a spoon.
    “Son of a...” Cate itched to think “vomit”
super loud as payback for that comment. She slid onto the edge of a
bench filled with people and peered through a small gap.
    Rafe busied himself confirming the symmetry
of his eyebrows and grimaced at Rose. “I apologise in advance for these next words.
Cate’s not the only one lusting after Austin. I’m at a loss as to
why no one is thinking hot, sexy thoughts about me. What’s not to
like?”
    Rose opened her mouth and closed it. “That’s
too easy. My Austin is pretty much every girl’s cup of tea.”
    Her Austin? Cate’s
stomach lurched. The plastic from the seat bit into her backside.
She was about an inch away from ending up sprawled on the
floor.
    “I’m convinced I saw Jonah this morning,”
Rafe said.
    Jonah, Jonah? He was
the Ralph Lauren model from the bus stop who had nearly killed her,
while Rose watched and did nothing. Jonah had said something to
Cate before he started to choke her. She couldn’t remember what though.
    “I think someone is a bit Jonah paranoid.”
Rose rolled her eyes and checked her nails.
    “You should be nicer to me.” Rafe fluttered
his eyelashes. “You rely on me to make people think they’ve known
you for years. No one said anything about them having to like you.”
    Well, that explained why everyone at school
knew them! If you could get past the fact it involved Rafe using
mind control. Why did Cate see something different from everyone
else? It was like the bus stop all over again. Is
there some problem with my brain?
    “You wouldn’t.” Rose raised a perfectly
shaped eyebrow at Rafe. That figured. She could do the eyebrow
thing too.
    “While your constant rejection would be ample
incentive to a lesser man, I choose to take the high road.”
    “Stop bickering,” Austin snarled.
    “Someone’s testy about having to coerce Cate
to be his special friend,” Rose said. “I’m the only one with the
right to take issue with that.”
    Cate’s chest tightened. Austin had to make
her like him. That completely explained the “let’s be an item and
make Zach jealous” plan.
    “There’s a lot to like about her. She’s
feisty, athletic, and she knows how to throw a punch. I’ve had
worse missions, and it’ll be fun messing with Zach. The loser
dumped her by text.”
    She grabbed her phone, ready to text the
distress word to her mum and Pip. Her finger hovered over the
button. Once it was done, it couldn’t be undone. These three had
had ample opportunity to kill or kidnap her, but they hadn’t. She
didn’t love her life, but she certainly didn’t want to relocate and
start again.
    “Do you think it’s her?” Rose asked.
    Austin