Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1) Read Online Free PDF

can do dinner.”
    “Oh. Sure.” Was I really planning a date with Toby? “Where should I meet you?”
    “I can just pick you up.”
    “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
    “Really, I don’t mind at all,” he insisted.
    I needed to find out how well Jess knew this guy before I shared my address. I glanced at her, and she pretty much read my mind. “Did you know that Toby and I went to high school together? He dated my best friend.”
    Toby paled. “Here’s my number. Call me when you decide.” He slipped a thick, cream-colored business card into my right hand. In the process, his fingers touched mine and we looked at each other. I wondered if he enjoyed the momentary contact as much as I did.
    “Sure. I’ll call you.”
    He nodded before leaving. I waited for him to turn around to look at me again, but he didn’t. He just walked right through the doorway.
    “Toby just asked you out.” Remy grinned.
    “Technically, he asked if I wanted to make plans.”
    “He asked you out,” Jess said excitedly. She was one of those bubbly types whose excitement was kind of contagious.
    I let myself enjoy it. “All right, he did.”
    Jess bounced a little in her seat. “I wonder where he’s going to take you? You know he’s loaded, right?”
    “Really?” He wore suits all the time, but that didn’t mean he was rich. I’d always assumed he was older.
    “Yeah. He has some family business that he runs. He was one of the wealthier guys in high school, but not like he is now. It’s like his funds are unlimited.”
    “Unlimited?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about the new info. I didn’t want to change the way I felt about a guy just because he was rich, but it made any real relationship seem less likely. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself anyway. It was only dinner.
    “Hot, rich, and single?” Remy grinned. “And I thought those guys were extinct.”
    I shrugged. “Evidently they buy their coffee at Coffee Heaven.”
    Emmett joined us, handing Jess another drink. “Did Toby leave already?”
    Jess leaned into Emmett’s arm. “Yeah…but not before asking Casey out.”
    “Seriously?” Emmett grinned at me. “Nice. Be easy on him. He’s a bit out of practice.”
    I wasn’t sure if he was referring to dating or sex. I had no desire to ask for clarification. “So you all went to high school together?”
    “Yeah. Toby and I go way back.”
    “Is he in school, or does he just work?” I wondered if he went to Fordham with Emmett. I’d never seen him around NYU, but that didn’t mean he didn’t go there.
    “No. He started out at Princeton first semester, but then he dropped out.”
    “Was it because of a girl?” His reaction to the mention of an ex-girlfriend made his somber mood understandable.
    Jess nodded. “It’s weird because he dumped her. She had a hard time getting over it, but she’s moved on. She’s actually engaged already.”
    “Want to know something funny?” Emmett shifted so Jess was practically sitting on his lap. “Toby tried to tell me that Allie was the one who dumped him. Isn’t that crazy?”
    Jess looked at him with a funny expression.“Definitely crazy. That’s kind of a big detail to mix up. The whole reason we went down to New Orleans was to help her forget him.”
    “Does she still live around here?” I asked.
    “No. Allie goes to Tulane. We went down to New Orleans for the summer and she never left.”
    Phew. At least I didn’t need to worry about running into this ex-girlfriend.
    “Do you know why they broke up?” If he dumped her, why was he so upset when people brought up her name?
    “I don’t remember. They were really serious, but then out of the blue, it was over.” Jess looked lost in thought. “It’s weird, I can’t remember any of the details anymore. Sometimes I feel like my brain’s all messed up.”
    “That makes two of us. Maybe we should lay off all the alcohol.” Emmett looked down at his nearly empty beer.
    “Oh…” I was positive