The Sweetest Fling (A Stupid Cupid Book) Read Online Free PDF Page A

heard any of them say it, but very close either way.
    “I’m good, Mom, really.” Without another word, Tyler took the extra chair and scooted between Ashley and Jace.
    Jace felt the rest of the table sigh in relief, but he was too busy choking back the sudden urge to puke to make conversation. He focused on his plate, taking slow sips of orange juice, sure that Tyler was about to turn to him and spit out the words. The ones that would name him a backstabbing dickhead, and the worst brother in the world.
    He could nearly see the morning’s partly digested food spewing all over the fresh stack of pancakes his mom set down. But nothing came up. Tyler cleared his throat, but sat silently, seemingly unaware of the curious glances, or maybe he was just immune to them.
    Jace needed to get up and go to his room. He needed to lie down. He needed to sort out the mess in his head that should also be in his heart. His heart was the worst part of it. His stupid heart was still dancing in secret joy. His heart wanted what Claire had done—broken up with Tyler. His heart wanted even more—the truth out there.
    Tyler was all wrong for Claire. He’d see that soon. He’d get over her. And then ... no. What was he thinking? No. Jace couldn’t date Claire.
    Tyler cleared his throat again. Their dad and Lawrence gave him questioning scowls. But no one asked what was wrong, and hearing Ashley’s wedding night disaster paled in comparison with this level of awkwardness.
Jace set down his glass and leaned forward to get up.
“I think Claire just broke up with me,” Tyler said, his voice as distant as his eyes.
“Oh, honey. No,” Helen said, rushing to her son’s side, but only touching his shoulder. “What happened?”
    Forks went still. Ashley’s hand went to her chest. Jace leaned back, feeling punched in the gut. He didn’t want to hear it. But he had to hear it. Getting up to leave would cause all sorts of problems, and maybe a little suspicion, too.
    “She said she really liked you guys, that I’m really lucky to have such a close family. But, that she doesn’t. She said she only had herself, and that she was okay with that. She said she didn’t think she was the kind of person who needed or wanted,” Tyler said, pausing to sweep a hand toward them all. “This.”
    No one spoke for a moment. Jace couldn’t speak. Why would Claire say that, of all things? What happened to good old “let’s just be friends”?
    “Well, honey, I don’t see how that constitutes a breakup.” Helen patted his shoulder, looking to everyone else for agreement.
    Ashley joined in. “Maybe she just is saying that she needs time to adjust. It can be overwhelming when you come from something different, right Lawrence?”
    Lawrence’s quelling look answered for him. Jace’s mind scraped over Tyler’s words. Why would she have put it that way? Why would Claire blame his family if they all were, in fact, great, and more so, if she planned to be around them again eventually?
“What else did she say?” Jace asked, mindless of how fast the words tumbled out. His stomach clenched.
“That she’d see me on campus.” Tyler glanced at Jace, blinking.
“See, now, that sounds all right to me,” Helen said.
    “No. It’s not. We never see each other on campus, Mom. She’s a grad, and I’m an undergrad. We only met because she was teaching a summer session.”
    Helen gave a small gasp. “She shouldn’t be dating students,” she said, as though it might help somehow.
    “No, it wasn’t like that. It was just a summer fellowship, paid. Besides, we started dating after that, in the fall. I spotted her out one night dancing with a—dancing.” Again, he glanced Jace’s way.
    His neck got hot. Why was Tyler looking at him like that? If Claire didn’t say anything about last night ... Why hadn’t she? Was she trying to protect him? They’d all find out eventually, anyway. They’d have to, if they were going to be together.
    If.
    Jace forced