Suite Dreams Read online

  Rachel Hawthorne

  Suite Dreams

  For Anna Campbell,

  advisor on all things Australian

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  “So what are you and the main squeeze doing over…

  Chapter 2

  Jude had left his duffel bag outside. I held the…

  Chapter 3

  Jude had her at g’day.

  Chapter 4

  “So a snowball really does collect more snow as it…

  Chapter 5

  When I stepped out of my room, to my surprise,…

  Chapter 6

  Jude was exceptional. He cleaned and reset the tables in…

  Chapter 7

  “Okay, so spill it. What is the real deal with…

  Chapter 8

  Sunday night wasn’t quite the madhouse of the night before.

  Chapter 9

  Jude and I had survived the night, sleeping in the…

  Chapter 10

  “Rick and I are not getting back together. Ever. He…

  Chapter 11

  I sat in class the next morning, trying to focus…

  Chapter 12

  Jude overtook me with no problem. I preferred him in…

  Chapter 13

  The farther we walked, the more trees surrounded us and…

  Chapter 14

  Some time later, Jude found some dusty horse blankets that…

  Chapter 15

  I walked out of the classroom with an immense sense…

  About the Author

  Other Books by Rachel Hawthorne

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Chapter 1

  “So what are you and the main squeeze doing over winter break?”

  We were definitely not going to be doing any squeezing. Although I wasn’t ready to admit that yet. Not to anyone. Not even Mel, the closest thing I had to a best friend on campus.

  We were walking home after finishing our shift at The Chalet—a fancy schmancy restaurant near the university where we were both students. It was a little after eleven but a full moon, the wreath-decorated streetlights, and the twinkling white lights on the trees illuminated our path along the snow-covered sidewalk. Our black ties and aprons were tucked into our pockets and our jackets were zipped against the brisk wind and swirling snow. My red knitted cap was pulled down low over my black hair, keeping my ears semiwarm.

  Mel was a year older than I was, but she didn’t hold my freshman status against me. Besides, after only one semester I was a mere three hours short of being a sophomore myself, having placed out of some courses and then carrying a full course load.

  I was embarrassingly smart—at least in the world of academia.

  When it came to relationships with guys, though, I was a total ignoramus.

  Case in point: Today was the beginning of winter break and my first boyfriend ever was at that very moment flying the friendly skies, heading to Australia—without me.

  I’d met Rick the day I moved into Wilson Hall. He’d helped unload my boxes from my parents’ car, teasing me the entire time because I had so much stuff. He was a minimalist who boasted that he could fit his life into one box. He’d never met a single-purpose item that he liked.

  We’d spent the semester hanging out together, being a couple. We lived in the same co-ed dorm, which made it convenient. We ate meals together, went to the library to study, attended football games, and had amazing make-out sessions.

  I’d viewed the upcoming winter break—when studying wouldn’t be a necessity—as a time for us to take our relationship to the next level, to strengthen our bond, to get to know each other even better.

  But right before finals, he’d begun to question whether or not we were really working as a couple. I was crushed, but I was determined to handle it maturely. We’d hugged, I’d cried, and even I had to admit that something was missing. But what exactly? I didn’t know. In retrospect, I suppose you should know someone well before you jump into a relationship, and a guy’s box-hauling skills may not be the best indicator of your compatibility. Even if he is cute with a slow-to-curl-up sexy smile. So Rick had suggested we split up for a while. We’d stay friends. Maybe we’d get back together. At that point, I really didn’t know. Or maybe I just didn’t want to face the truth.

  The timing of this decision couldn’t have been worse. I’d thought we were going to spend the entire winter break together so I’d told my parents that I was staying on campus. By the time I realized there would be only a handful of students who stayed and I’d be without Rick, my parents—planning to tour several southern states—had already packed up their twenty-seven-foot travel trailer and headed for warmer climes.

  Yeah, sure, it wasn’t too late for me to catch a bus, train, or plane and meet up with them somewhere, but let’s get real here. Would you want to spend your winter break constantly within nine yards of your parents?

  Me either.

  I love them, but the love deepens at a distance.

  So I was staying on campus as originally planned. I was just doing it without Rick. I tried to convince myself I didn’t care. But who was I trying to kid? It was totally going to suck.

  To fill the yawning abyss of time, I’d registered to take two classes during the winter mini-mester. Two courses crammed into two intense weeks. I was actually kind of looking forward to it, viewed it as a challenge to have to concentrate so intently on the studies. I know. I’m strange. But I didn’t have anything better to do and in the long run if I stayed on my graduation plan, I’d finish at least one semester early.

  Plus I needed to work and had asked for some extra hours. If I could grab enough shifts, and if the tips from the incoming tourists were as generous as I’d heard they’d be, maybe I could save up for a spring break trip. Do my own version of getting away from it all then. Provided Rick and I didn’t get back together.

  “Oh, no,” Mel said, suddenly taking my arm and turning me toward her. “I know that look. Alyssa, did you guys break up?”

  “What? No. Absolutely not.” I felt as though I was in a Shakespeare play, protesting too much and hoping she wouldn’t notice. Rick and I had agreed not to tell anyone, just in case we got back together. It would be less awkward around our friends that way. No one taking sides while we were apart, trash-talking the other party to show support, and then having to pretend they liked the other person if we became a couple again. “It’s just that, well, he went to Australia.”

  Her hazel eyes widened at that news. If her short red hair wasn’t already semi-spiked in a style similar to that of a hissing cat, it might have reacted as well. “Wow! What’d he do? Come into an inheritance?”

  I actually laughed. Mel had that effect on me. She made things seem not quite so dire and unmanageable. “No, at least I don’t think so. He discovered couch surfing. People let strangers sleep on their couch, and then they go sleep on someone else’s couch. Swapping around, I guess.”

  “Ew! Sounds a little too Hostel for me. Does he even know these people?”

  I’d worried about that too. “He said it was safe. He used an Internet site. People are interviewed or something. I’m not really sure how it all works.”

  “Still, I think I’d be more comfortable in a five-star hotel.”

  “Like any of us could ever afford a five-star hotel,” I pointed out.

  “Not right now, I’ll admit, but someday. So how long is Rick gonna be gone?” she asked.

  “Until the next semester starts.”

  “Bummer. I mean, really. Why so long?”

  “Wouldn’t you want to be there as long as possible? It’s not like he can just pop over and pop back. I think it takes, like, a whole day to get there.”