Chapter 211: Pool party I

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Pool party I

Lunch eventually came to an end.

Vivienne was still thinking about the conversation she’d just had with Christopher when Amelia pushed her chair back.

"All right."

Vivienne looked up.

"What?"

"Let’s go."

"Go where?"

Amelia stared at her.

"To get ready."

Vivienne blinked.

"For what?"

Claire slowly turned toward her.

"The pool party."

Vivienne stared at her.

"The what?"

There was a brief silence.

Amelia’s mouth fell open.

"Vivienne."

"What?"

"We’ve been talking about it the entire lunch."

Claire laughed.

"You even agreed to come."

Vivienne looked between them.

"I did?"

"Yes."

"You nodded."

"Several times."

Amelia pointed accusingly at her.

"You even said you were excited."

Vivienne paused.

She vaguely remembered Amelia mentioning something about a pool party.

She also remembered spending most of lunch watching Christopher across the restaurant and having a private conversation with him through her phone.

Apparently, she’d been agreeing to things while only half listening.

"Oh."

Claire burst out laughing.

"Now you remember?"

"Yes."

Vivienne sat back.

"Right."

A pool party.

Her eyes brightened.

"Actually..."

She smiled.

"That sounds fun."

"See?"

Amelia stood.

"Come on."

Vivienne followed them out of the restaurant.

As they walked back toward the university, the reality of the afternoon began sinking in.

A pool party.

With university students.

At a private club.

She had no idea what to expect.

Then again...

She was curious.

And after everything that had happened that morning, perhaps a little distraction wouldn’t hurt.

--

Back at the dorm, the three girls scattered to their rooms to change.

Vivienne opened her wardrobe.

She had several swimsuits.

After a moment of consideration, she chose a two-piece she liked and paired it with a light cover-up for the journey there.

She studied herself briefly in the mirror.

Not bad.

Actually—

Quite good.

She had always taken care of herself, and she was grateful for it now.

At least she wouldn’t have to worry about looking completely unprepared for a pool party.

She smiled.

Thank goodness she hadn’t eaten much at lunch.

Although, technically, that had been because she had been too distracted by Christopher to pay proper attention to her food.

Still.

She wasn’t complaining.

She gathered her things and slipped a robe over her swimsuit.

Claire emerged from their room a few minutes later, carrying her own bag.

"You ready?"

"Yes."

Amelia met them downstairs.

She looked excited.

"Let’s go."

The private club was only a short distance from campus.

As soon as they approached, Vivienne realized that Amelia hadn’t been exaggerating.

There were already students everywhere.

Music drifted from somewhere inside.

And beyond the gates, she could see the shimmer of a large indoor pool beneath a vast glass conservatory.

Vivienne’s eyebrows rose.

"Oh."

Amelia grinned.

"Right?"

The conservatory was enormous.

Glass walls and high ceilings surrounded the pool area, allowing sunlight to flood the space while keeping the temperature comfortable.

The pool itself stretched across much of the center, surrounded by palm trees, lounge chairs, tables, umbrellas, and a fully stocked bar.

Music played from speakers mounted around the room.

Students crowded the poolside.

Some were already swimming.

Others were lounging with drinks.

There were groups everywhere.

Vivienne looked around.

"This is much bigger than I expected."

"It’s one of the fraternity’s big events," Amelia explained.

"But it’s not open to everyone."

Claire glanced around.

"Definitely not."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

There were perhaps a hundred students here.

Not more.

But every person seemed to have been carefully selected from the upper ranks of Saint Albion’s social circles.

The best-looking.

The wealthiest.

The most influential.

People whose family names were recognized almost as readily as their faces.

None of that particularly impressed her.

She had grown up around wealth.

But this?

She had never actually attended anything like this

A private pool party on a Sunday afternoon, with loud music, drinks, games, and nearly a hundred students gathered together simply to have fun.

That was new.

Vivienne smiled.

"Well."

She looked at Amelia.

"This is certainly different."

Amelia laughed.

"I told you it would be fun."

They moved farther inside.

Amelia immediately began looking around.

Then her face brightened.

"There!"

A tall young man was standing near the pool with several other students.

He spotted her and smiled.

"That’s George."

They made their way toward him.

George Meyers looked to be in his early twenties, tall and athletic, with dark hair and an easy smile.

He wore simple swim trunks and looked completely at home in the setting.

"Amelia."

His smile widened when he saw her.

"You came."

"Of course."

She gestured toward her friends.

"And I brought my friends."

George looked toward Vivienne and Claire.

"Nice to meet you."

He introduced himself properly.

"George Meyers. Third year."

Vivienne smiled.

"Vivienne Beaumont."

"Claire Whitmore."

George smiled.

"Good to meet you both."

Then he turned toward the friends standing with him.

"And these are some of my fraternity brothers."

The introductions began.

One after another, Vivienne met several of George’s friends.

They were all handsome.

Confident.

Easygoing.

And, judging from the names she recognized, very much part of Saint Albion’s upper social circles.

George’s family, she knew, owned one of the country’s largest medical conglomerates.

Apparently, the biology student Amelia had been talking about wasn’t exactly an ordinary third-year student.

Vivienne smiled.

Amelia certainly had interesting taste.

Then Vivienne noticed someone familiar across the pool.

Lady Evelyn Sinclair.

She was standing with several girls near the far side of the pool, dressed for the occasion and looking completely at ease among the crowd.

Vivienne’s eyes lingered for only a moment.

Of course Evelyn would be here.

As the only daughter of a count and a ward of the Ashford ducal household, she belonged comfortably among this particular crowd.

Evelyn happened to glance across the room.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, neither moved.

Then Evelyn’s gaze shifted over Vivienne, taking in her swimsuit before returning to her face.

There was something almost smug in her expression.

Vivienne understood immediately.

The engagement was over.

Evelyn knew it.

And whatever feelings she had for Anthony, she probably saw that as an opportunity.

Vivienne couldn’t help but give her an eyeroll.

She wasn’t interested in whatever Evelyn thought she had won. Anthony was no longer her concern.

Whatever Evelyn wanted...

She could have it.

At least, as far as Vivienne was concerned.

She turned back toward Amelia and the others

Someone handed Amelia a drink.

"Here."

Amelia accepted it.

"Thanks."

One of George’s friends looked toward Vivienne.

"Would you like one?"

"Sure. Thank you."

She accepted the drink.

Another guy joined the conversation.

Then another.

Vivienne found herself laughing.

She wasn’t doing anything wrong.

She wasn’t promising anyone anything.

And she certainly wasn’t interested in replacing Christopher or Damian with someone she’d just met.

But she couldn’t deny that the attention was flattering.

She was single.

She could enjoy herself.

Besides...

She was at a pool party.

She might as well have some fun.

She just didn’t know yet that two familiar faces were already somewhere inside the party.

Anthony Ashford.

And Damian Blackwood.

And neither of them was going to find the sight of Vivienne Beaumont laughing in a swimsuit particularly easy to ignore.

--

To be continue