Chip held his smile, and he reminded me of a professor instead of a student. His round glasses added to the look. He just needed khakis and a button-down. I wondered why he had come to something like this.

“She’s had a few drinks,” I told him.

He chuckled and gave a nod. “Do you attend Delvaux?” he asked me then.

Margo let go of me and shook her head with too much enthusiasm. “No. Don’t even get into that with her. Off limits,” she said, her eyes wide.

“Oh,” was his response as he glanced at her then back to me. I could see he wasn’t sure if he should apologize or not. Margo had made it seem like he’d asked me what color panties I had on.

“I know,” Margo said, raising her voice even more. “She’s stunning, isn’t she? But don’t flirt with her. She won’t like it. She’s not into dating guys!” Her loud voice had been meant to rise over the noise, but the timing was off. Everyone had just quieted. Turning my gaze back to the suddenly much quieter crowd that had now heard Margo’s loud announcement, I saw them all looking in our direction. Rathe was in the middle of it all with his hand suspended, holding a small red ball between his fingers. He’d been about to toss it into another cup of beer. His eyes met mine, and even from here, I could tell he was amused.

I hated attention, and Margo had just placed me in the center of it. Fantastic, this night had actually gotten worse, and I hadn’t thought that was possible. With a sigh, I looked back to the guy standing in front of me.

Chip’s eyes had widened at Margo’s announcement. Either it was because of Margo’s theatrical behavior or he hadn’t expected me not to be into guys. Although, that wasn’t true, everyone here would assume that it was after hearing Margo’s words. She hadn’t meant to say what the entire room had heard. She knew my sexual preference, or at least I thought she did. She was drunk and making little sense. If it weren’t dangerous, I think I’d enjoy dating. I chose to stay away from men to protect them. I was a Kamlock female, after all, and even though I was different from my sisters and mother, my soul was cursed like theirs.

Heath was headed our way with a scowl on his face, and I began to make my escape plan to get out of here. Margo’s announcement would not only get me female attention but male attention as well. I was now a curiosity to those who weren’t attracted to me and saw my real appearance. I could leave now and go watch that movie.