Chasing Shadows (Shadows 2)

"Nathan, how many times do I have to tell you?" Claire groaned. Maggie came back with the beers and she paused to take a long swig. "Sandy didn't cheat on you just because she hired a tennis instructor. She cheated on you because she's a skank."

Nathan shook his head emphatically. "Nope. It was the tennis instructor. He was some European douchebag who charmed her with his accent. If it wasn't for him, we'd still be together." He turned abruptly to Jackson who had been listening to the conversation with a half-grin on his face. "If you start dating a girl, don't let her take tennis lessons, especially from a douchebag European instructor."

I tried to suppress a laugh, but unfortunately, it caused me to snort loudly. Everyone at the table looked at me, Jackson with amused raised eyebrows and Nathan with a frown.

I nodded vigorously, wanting to appease Nathan. "I agree. No European douchebag tennis teachers."

Nathan nodded in satisfaction, while the rest of the table laughed.

"Poor Nathan," Mia said sympathetically, patting him on the hand. "He can't pass a tennis court without getting all worked up."

"It's been three months," Claire said, apparently not sharing the sympathy. "How long are you going to pine after her?"

I saw Mia give Claire a warning look, to which Claire just shrugged. Claire didn't seem to have any patience for Nathan's moping about his ex-girlfriend, which was at odds with my earlier impression of her. She seemed so laid back that her lack of patience with Nathan was surprising.

Nathan seemed to deflate at Claire's words, falling back against his chair with a defeated look. I felt bad for him, even though I had just met him. And a part of me felt a little guilty too. Although I had never cheated on Sean, I could see his crestfallen expression in Nathan's face.

"It's okay, three months isn't that long," I offered, wanting to comfort him while trying to lighten the mood. "When my fifth grade boyfriend dumped me for Shelly Dupree because she had a swimming pool and her mom made amazing cookies, I was still poking pins into a doll with a picture of his face on it in sixth grade."

Claire shot me a look that I didn't understand, making me feel uncomfortable. I didn't know the dynamics of this group yet and hadn't really thought about her reaction when trying to comfort Nathan. I hadn't meant to contradict her, but she had seemed a little harsh towards Nathan.

"Remind me never to cross you," Jackson said, seemingly wanting to lighten the mood as well. "I'd hate to think of you having a doll that looks like me and doing some voodoo magic on it."

"Don't worry," I laughed. "I only save that for serious transgressions. Don't ever jilt me for some floozy with a pool and chocolate chip cookies and we'll be fine."

Jackson grinned at me widely, his dimples in full view, and I blinked at him, nonplussed. I hadn't meant to imply that there would ever be anything between us for there to be a possibility of being jilted, but Jackson just seemed amused by it.

"Speaking of being jilted," Claire said, interrupting my thoughts. "Do you still talk to Sean?"

I paled as Claire cocked her head, looking at me innocently. Her question had taken me aback, making me tense and confused. I didn't understand why Claire was bringing up Sean. It felt like an attack, like she was punishing me for disagreeing with her. This didn't seem like the girl that had been so likable on the phone and had shown me around today, treating me like a friend instead of just a roommate.

"Uh, not really," I replied, my mouth dry. I saw Mia and Nathan look at me with interest while Jackson glanced at Claire with a frown.

"Who's Sean?" Mia asked, seemingly oblivious to the growing tension.

"He's my ex. We broke up recently, but he's back in Maryland."

"Enough of all this depressing talk," Claire said smiling at me. I looked back at her confused. I could have sworn that she had meant her comment about Sean as a dig, but now she was looking at me guilelessly. "No more talk of exes. Let's talk about something more interesting. Mia, how did your audition for that commercial go?"

Mia sighed. "Okay, I guess. It's just so tiring going to all these casting calls for jobs that I have absolutely no interest in. But I need to pay the bills somehow."

"Mia is actually a trained ballerina, but she decided to throw out her pointe shoes for the life of an actress," Claire explained. I gave myself a mental shake. Claire seemed completely friendly and open now. I wondered if I had just misunderstood her earlier comments. I decided to forget about it. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate my roommate and one friend in New York.

"A ballerina. That's impressive. I took ballet when I was a little kid, but I kept ripping off my tutu and running around instead of going into first position, so they asked my parents to withdraw me from class." I smiled ruefully. "I think that was a polite way of kicking me out of class."

Mia laughed. "I got a little further than that, but I realized I didn't want the life of a ballerina. Plus I like to eat." She frowned before continuing, "Although the life of an aspiring actress isn't that much better. I spend most of my time working at the Mac counter in Bloomingdale's and going on casting calls. I haven't had much luck."

I looked around the table. "Are all of you actors?"

"Not me," Nathan answered. "I'm a painter. I'm having a showing at a small gallery next weekend. You should come."

"Wow, a painter," I said, impressed. "Everyone here seems so creative. I would love to come to your showing." I turned to Jackson. "What about you? What do you do?"

Jackson still looked a bit unsettled by the earlier conversation and Claire's gibe, but his face cleared at my question. "I'm one of the masses of struggling actors too, which means I spend my days working as a trainer at a gym while I wait for my big break."

"Jackson is actually in the play that I was telling you about," Claire said. She smirked as she glanced at Jackson. "He's one of the two men vying for my hand in marriage."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it," I said. "So, do you end up with the girl or not?"