Aries Rising (13 page)

Aquarius is Fixed Air, which means we aren’t as adaptable to change unless we initiate it. I sure wasn’t liking the changes in my life. Why had Jeremy changed the message on his phone? And who was that girl? I could only hope he would call back soon.

I was grateful for a chance to escape that Friday to San Francisco. Chili and Paige had their excuses for missing that day. Head cold for Chili, and cramps for Paige. We arrived in the city and broke through the fog the same time the sun did.

We were supposed to be at the hotel early, and, thanks to Chili we were. The wind was sharp and damp, but fall was actually summer in the city, and the weather wouldn’t stay cold for long. I was glad that I’d worn my gray knit beanie, which would at least keep the back part of my hair from frizzing. Paige had no worries in that department. Her pale hair was pulled up into a messy bun the wind only enhanced. She carried a notebook that she had told us contained sketches for Stacy’s Queen of Hearts costume. Her goal in her jeans, white shirt, and herringbone heels, clearly was to look older, and she was pulling it off.

Chili’s goal was, although different, just as obvious. The low-cut top, layered over a tank, clung to her curvy frame and killer glutes. Tiny gold beads glittered in the black mesh sweater that flowed around her, and the simple white pants made her seem both proper and sexy.

“If you two looked any better,” I said, “they would fire Arianna, put you on the cover of the magazine, and save a ton of money.”

Chili laughed. “Tell me the truth. Do I look casual enough?”

“That’s not exactly the word I was thinking of,” I said. “Nothing about your butt in white pants is even remotely casual. I think you’ll get the response you want from a certain chef, though.”

“That’s the plan. Paige designs Stacy’s costume. I get Alex to take me to the party. You get the astro column. Great goals, aren’t they?”

My lip quivered. Couldn’t help it. I wanted so much more than the column. I wanted Jeremy. How sick was that, when he had another girl’s voice on his voice mail now?

Paige stepped between Chili and me on the sidewalk. “It’s okay, Logan. Maybe Jeremy is traveling with his dad or something. You said he was going to do that.”

“Sure. Maybe.” This wasn’t the time to explain to them about the voice on his phone.

The hotel waited ahead. This time we took the real elevator. Weird, but I still felt nervous. Chili edged beside me, and I knew that she was remembering last Friday in the service elevator as well.

As we got off, Alex Keen pushed his way inside, all full of himself, blond curls perfectly styled to appear anything but.

“Alex,” Chili said. “What’s going on?”

“My chef’s kit. My freaking knives.” That was his hello. The slam-shut sound of the elevator door was his good bye.

“He didn’t even look at me.” Chili said. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” I told her. “He’ll be back once he finds his stuff.
Don’t worry. Knives to people in his business are like underwear to us.”

That made her smile. “I’m not exactly concerned about underwear, if you know what I mean.”

I glanced down at the white pants, that smooth curve from waist to leg.

“Chili, you didn’t go commando for this.”

“Well, actually, I ...”

“Hey, Logan.”

For a moment, I thought of Dina’s insane greetings at school. Wrong scenario. I turned in the direction of the husky cheerleader voice.

There, emerging from a huddle of hotel staffers, stood Arianna, hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore only a spray-on tan and two strips of multicolored fabrics, one on top, one on bottom. I realized that they matched her hair, and that every inch of her killer flesh must have been waxed. That was the only way she could show that much of herself.

“Hi,” I managed.

“Just finished the second photo shoot.” Once she made sure everyone in the room had checked her out, she slipped into a sea-green ruana that covered most of her top and drifted around the rest of her.

“You can’t believe what’s going on here this morning,” she said. “Someone stole Alex Keen’s knives. He’s doing his usual nonstop rant.”

“So we gathered. We passed him on the elevator.”

Before I could say anything else, I realized that she was
not alone. Behind her, stood Cory Scott. Make that towered. His blue-black hair was longer, his jaw even stronger than what I remembered from
Mellick
. And he was beyond my wildest dream cute.

“Cory,” she said, “This is Logan, the astrology chick I was telling you about.”

“Ari told me that you drove all the way up here to help her out,” he said. “I guess I’m your reward.”

Now I felt totally clueless, the punchline of the joke. I was-n’t sure if I could speak.

“I’m sorry. I ...”

“Dude, stop teasing her.” Arianna nudged him. “Can’t you see she’s nervous? You’ll get used to him, Logan. When you told me how much you liked him, I thought you might want to interview him for your college newspaper.”

College newspaper.
I didn’t know what to do. He thought I was a college student. How had Arianna screwed that up? It was too late to try to explain, and I wasn’t going to tell him otherwise. I just needed to get away from him and this ridiculous situation.

“Works for me.” Cory grinned again. “Ari needed you that night. She deserved way more than she was hoping for from someone else.”

“Who?” The moment I spoke the word I knew that I shouldn’t have. I also reminded myself that Cory had been Arianna’s boyfriend before she’d gotten together with Josh.

“Forget about that,” he said. “All I know is that I’m a Scorpio. Too secretive and sexy. Right?”

“Cool,” I muttered, and my cheeks burned. “You already know about astrology?”

“Just enough to understand a few things.”

“Well, you’re right. Scorpio is a Water sign. Lots of deep emotions, moods, and secrecy there. But your Sun sign is just part of it. What’s your Moon?”

“I don’t know. Can you figure it out?” He moved close to me, invaded my personal space, and didn’t seem to care. I wasn’t sure if I cared either. “And aren’t you going to interview me?”

For a college newspaper that doesn’t exist.
Uh, not.

“Interview him,” Arianna demanded. “Your college friends will love it.”

Except I wasn’t in college. I was only a junior at Terra High.

Cory hadn’t taken his eyes from me. They were nice eyes too, pale blue highlighted by thick, black lashes.

Just then I realized that maybe an article about him in the Terra High paper was just what I needed to restore my credibility. No one would think I was a witch who was out to get them if I interviewed the cutest guy on the planet.

“You’re right,” I told Arianna. “All of my friends love Cory.”

“And what about you?” Those eyes focused on mine. I realized I was living a dream, and I had no idea how to step out of that dream and get back to my real life.

“Me too,” I said. “When can I interview you?”

“Right now?”

This guy was too hot, too famous to be looking at me like this. But he was, he was, he was. All I could do was my best.

He took my arm, and chills shot through me. “There’s a table over there by the balcony. Want to ...”

“What the hell have you done with my knives?”

Alex Keen stormed into the room, and immediately took ownership of it.

Francis, the hotel chef, glanced up from the menu he held. “Surely you misplaced them.”

“I don’t misplace, and I don’t lose.”

“Interesting. One of the waiters found this inside the smoker.” He reached into a cardboard box and took out a cloth-wrapped bundle.

Alex snatched it from him. “Very funny. I didn’t leave them there, and you know it.”

Francis shrugged. “I have no idea how well you take care of your property. You’re lucky they weren’t thrown out.” Head held high, he turned and left the room.

Alex glared after him. Then slowly, he turned toward us and broke into a Sagittarius smile.

“There you are,” he said to Chili in that disarming accent. “Sorry I was delayed. Jealous old chefs are so very boring, aren’t they?”

Cory and I exchanged glances, and Chili and Alex went off to bond over the kufta and the yalanchi.

“What’s your sign?” Cory asked me. “Libra?”

“Why would you say that?” I could barely hold my pen, but I needed to get down the sound of his voice, the black tee he wore, his tanned arms, those biceps.

“Just a guess. Libras are Air signs, and they’re articulate,
aren’t they?”

“Sometimes,” I told him, and tried not to gush. “I’m Air too. Aquarius.”

“So my guess wasn’t too far off. I used to date an Aquarius. You seem more down-to-earth than she was.”

“Aries Rising,” I said. “Not sure how down-to-earth that is.”

“Fiery.” He made it sound like the sexiest word in the world.

“We’ll have to find out yours,” I said, “as soon as we finish the interview. I really appreciate your doing this, Cory.”

“I’m happy to. When Ari asked me, she said you were cute. She just didn’t say how cute.”

My cheeks were blazing. “Thanks. Um, do you think we could get started now?”

“Whatever you like.” He pulled the chair close to mine, and I could smell his subtle citrus scent. “Are you with anyone?”

“I drove up with Chili,” I said.

“I meant are you with a guy?” He grinned. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Yes.” I could hardly get the word out.

“Too bad.” He pulled his chair even closer. Our arms were almost touching. “And now tell me what you need to know for this article you’re writing.”

 

16

LISTEN, AND YOU WILL HEAR WHAT YOU MUST LEARN
IN ANY SITUATION, REGARDLESS OF HOW DIFFICULT IT
MAY SEEM. FIRE SIGNS, DO NOT IGNITE. EARTH SIGNS,
DO NOT INSIST. AIR SIGNS, DO NOT ARGUE. WATER
SIGNS, DO NOT IGNORE. JUST LISTEN.

 

 

 

 

 

It really happened. I really did interview Cory Scott, who was more than a little flirty. Arianna was generous to introduce me to him like that, and there was no way I could correct her when she said I wrote for a college newspaper. He had a Virgo Moon, which probably made him even more self-critical and hardworking than most Scorpios.

I’m wasn’t going to kid myself, though. I knew that Cory could never be interested in me. When he asked me if I
would be at the launch party and said he hoped to see me there, he was probably just trying to give me a thrill. And that’s exactly what he did. Still, he was just a fantasy, and with my phone continually silent and the memory of that girl’s voice in my head, I could use a little fantasy in my life.

Chili, Paige, and I talked nonstop from San Francisco to Terra Bella Beach. Chili announced that she had succeeded in her attempt to impress Alex. He had invited her to the launch party with him. We spent the rest of the trip discussing important, life-changing subjects such as what we would wear.

Paige had already worked on designs for Catwoman and Batman, even before Alex asked Chili. She took out her sketches and passed them to me in the front seat. My Sherlock Holmes costume was short and edgy, complete with mini trench coat, houndstooth hat, magnifying glass, calabash pipe—and a convenient pocket notebook.

I told her I loved it, and I did. I would need the powers of Sherlock if I was going to figure out how to stop whatever was going to happen the weekend of the party.

I realized that it had been almost a month since I had gotten the internship. That Monday, kids were friendlier but still looking at me weird, as if wondering if I might stop in my tracks and put a hex on them. I started to wait outside the cafeteria for Chili and Paige, and then decided not to be a coward.

Terra High was a small school, and so was the cafeteria. Its walls were washed with a light aqua tint that was
supposed to remind us that we were a beach school. The padded backs of our benches were once the same color, but they had faded and cracked over the years. It was only a big long room with lots of people in it, I reminded myself. Nothing to fear.

Still, I hesitated just inside the door.

“Hey.” Sol headed toward me, and I was actually glad. His pale blue shirt matched his eyes, and in the sun, he had almost as many highlights as Chili. I wondered if they were natural. I could never tell with guys and always assumed that girls’ highlights were not. “How was your weekend?”