Page 69 of Harnessed in Gold

The macguffin crew pull up short when they realize I’m no longer among them, and start wandering back to me.

“Um, I… well…”Words, Betts. Use words.

“Wait up, guys!” Liv bursts from the crowd streaming out of the labs and offices, waving a handful of papers. “Betts, hey! Are you coming too? Guess what? I—” Her words cut off as her chin hits the floor. “What the fuck?” she whispers, her eyes darting back and forth as I stand there frozen like a statue between the two giant pillars that are Leo and Rime.

“Hello Liv,” Leo says pleasantly.

“Uh. Hi.”

Mia tells her, “We’re trying to get Betts to join us.” She turns back to me. “I mean, you are coming with us to Panama City, aren’t you? Because I seriously need a roomie.”

Jenna clasps her hands and pleads, “You have to save us from Lara.”

Are you kidding me? Lara’s still hanging around, trying to get back into Zander’s shorts?

Behind me, someone clears their throat, jolting me out of my stupor. “Uh, yeah, sorry. I’ve got something I’ve gotta do right now, but we can talk later.”

I don’t have to look up to know there’s a showdown going on above our heads. Competitive, territorial energy hovers in the air like humidity on a summer day.

Braden snakes an arm around Liv’s waist, but she shakes him off.

“You saw your advisor?” I ask her, glancing at the papers Braden nearly knocked out of her hand.

She nods, but she’s looking past me.

From behind my shoulder, a deep voice croons, “You must be a friend of Betts. I’m Rime, Rime Goshawk.”

Liv’s full lips part and pink blooms on her cheeks.

Great.

“I’m... I’m Olivia.” She lets him take her hand.

“Liv is my roommate,” I tell whoever’s listening. “And best friend.”

Ever-polite, I point and smile at each O-Chi friend, introducing them in turn. Avery, god love her, steps up to greet them. And dearAaron, of course. Braden nods coldly at Leo and outright glowers at Rime, while Topaz introduces herself and goes right back to looking bored.

With cheeks aching from my ‘casual’ smile, I ask Liv what happened with her advisor.

“I’ll tell you about it later. You look… busy.”

Pointing vaguely in the direction of the front doors, I say, “Yeah, I gotta go, but I’ll be back by dinner.”

“Okay, um, see you later.” She gives a little wave and turns to join the already retreating O-Chi’s.

Beside me, Rime stands stock-still, watching her walk away.

“When was this built again?” Rime asks as he strides down the center aisle, his eyes trained on the vaulted ceiling.

“1834,” Leo replies. “On the site of the original seminary chapel.”

Aaron slides into a pew. “And when was the seminary chapel built?”

“1788.”

They tore it down after a mere fifty years? I turn to Leo. “Do you know why they got rid of the first one?”

He shakes his head.