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“No, of course not.” Her smile morphs into a scowl. “I just got here.”

My lungs deflate in a whoosh. Crisis averted.

“Can you imagine if anyone saw it?” A nervous laugh bursts past my lips as I twist a lock of hair around my finger, then let it go in a long coil.

Nicole nods, her eyes darting around the room. “That would be bad.”

Something in her expression sends a ripple of anxiety through me. “You have it with you?”

“Why would I bring it to breakfast?” she snaps. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

Her accusation stings a little, but I don’t let it hurt my feelings. “I never said you were stupid. I just don’t want anyone seeing it. We can light the damn thing on fire when we get back to the house. Watch it burn till there’s nothing left but charred remains. Then flush those straight down the toilet.”

Another tight smile pulls at her lips. “Okay.”

“What’s up with you today?” I’ve known Nicole since we were kids, and I can tell when she’s hiding something. I hope like hell she doesn’t think she can change my mind now.

“Nothing. I’m good—fine. But I, um, left my notes at home, so I need to run back to the house before class.” She spins on her Doc Martens, waving at me over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in the food court for lunch. One o’clock!”

“But you didn’t get—” Before I finish my thought, she darts through the side door, heading back toward Greek row. “Breakfast.”

With the damn list fresh in my mind, I shake off Nicole’s weird behavior and grab a granola bar before heading toward Spangler Hall. As I reach the door, Tyler Anderson pulls it open from the other side, blocking my exit.

He trains his smoldering gaze on me and steps aside, letting me out. “Kennedy, right?”

My heart lodges in my throat. I can’t move—or even breathe—as his kissable lips curve into a slow grin. Behind me someone clears their throat loudly, breaking the spell, and I nod.

Tyler reaches up and coils a lock of my red hair around his finger, guiding me out of the open doorway so the throat clearer can pass. “How’s it going?”

“G-going? I’m . . .” I stammer, my thoughts scattering to the wind. “Going . . . to class.”

Tyler laughs as he leans in, trapping me between his six-foot frame and the brick building behind me. His sandy-brown hair flops into his matching sandy-brown eyes, and he tosses back his head like a guy in an Old Navy commercial. “I was thinking . . . we should go out sometime. What do you say?”

Say? I can’t even think. What are the odds of Tyler-freaking-Anderson asking me out less than twenty-four hours after Nicole and I concocted that stupid plan? I shove the thought to the back of my mind and stare at him, dumbfounded.

He raises his eyebrows. “Kennedy?”

I suck in a deep breath and choke out, “Okay!”

But in the back of my mind, I wonder if Nicole was acting weird because—despite her vehement denial—she’d already told Jeremy about the plan. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s nudged me into something I was hesitant to do. When that girl latches on to an idea, she’s like a terrier with a dead squirrel. But she’s never lied to me before.

“Have . . .” I swallow a lump of embarrassment. “Have you talked to Jeremy by any chance?”

Tyler leans in like he’s about to sniff my hair but stops and lifts his gaze to mine. “Was I supposed to?”

“No.” A flutter of nervous laughter bubbles up my throat.

Could Tyler have approached me on his own—without being nudged? Is it possible Mom was right? Have I somehow made myself more attractive to guys with nothing more than the magic of Victoria’s Secret?

I pick my brain for a plausible lie. “I was hoping he’d know where Nicole is.”

“Haven’t seen him since Saturday, but I saw Nicole booking it across campus right before I ran into you.” He flashes a sexy smile. “You must’ve just missed her.”

“Unlucky, I guess.”

“Or lucky for me. I found you first.” Tyler glances at my lips, and the air around us crackles with sexual tension. “So about that date . . . how about tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow?” My stomach swoops.