Claire understood completely. "Why does this strategy sound so familiar?"
Zara Zeller's approach to handling the situation felt like a well-rehearsed procedure.
"Of course it sounds familiar. I copied you."
Zara genuinely considered Claire a close friend and thought she was incredibly capable.
That was why she had mirrored Claire's methods to deal with her own issues.
Claire didn't see anything wrong with that and gave Zara a thumbs up. "You're really coming into your own, Miss Zeller."
The girls joked around for a while before heading out to a popular fondue restaurant for dinner.
Claire had burned a lot of energy working over the past few days, Skylar Sommers needed some comfort food to calm her nerves, and Zara was simply tagging along for the company.
On the way there, Zara kept muttering, "Is eating a heavy meal at night going to ruin my figure?"
"My mom says eating out all the time isn't healthy."
Claire glanced at her slender silhouette. "Indulging once in a while won't hurt."
"Okay." Zara had just been second-guessing herself and needed someone else's validation.
The moment Claire reassured her, she happily skipped along.
The trio headed toward the restaurant, but the moment they stepped off campus, they ran into Reid Dalton.
Reid was the first to greet her.
"Zara, are you ladies heading out for dinner?"
"Yeah, Reid. What brings you to campus?"
"Just had some business to take care of," Reid explained.
He then offered the three girls a ride in his car.
Zara shot a questioning look at Claire and Skylar, silently asking for their input.
Claire had already suspected that Reid harbored ulterior motives regarding the wealthy heiress, though she had no concrete proof.
Still, she was perfectly happy to see how things played out, so she nodded.
Seeing Claire agree, Skylar didn't voice any objections either.
With that, the three of them cheerfully piled into Reid's vehicle.
"Reid, we're craving fondue. It's actually not far from here, just a ten-minute walk."
"The Autumn Fondue House?"
That particular restaurant had quite the stellar reputation around town.
It had opened back when Reid was still in college, and rumor had it the owner hailed from a famous culinary city, Serving up an incredibly authentic dining experience.
Reid and his old roommates used to eat there all the time.
After all, one of those roommates had been from that exact city.
"Exactly! You know it, Reid? Have you eaten there before?"
Reid nodded. "One of my old roommates was from out of state, and he was obsessed with their fondue."
Claire looked at Reid, then at Zara,
before suddenly chiming in.
dont have any other plant
should join us."
Reid blinked in surprise. "Wouldn't I be intruding?"
He had been racking his brain for an excuse to tag along, never expecting this girl to
simply hand him an invitation.
Hearing Claire's offer, Zara finally
caught
. "Oh, right! Reid, we rat
bump into each other like each other like this. Come
grab a bite with us." Conte Come
"You can also share some of your successful startup experience. One of our roommates is looking to start her own business."
Zara was referring to Lex Grant.
Once Reid agreed, Zara urged Claire to call Lex and tell her to come score a free meal.
Lex hadn't wanted to come at first, as she had planned to pick up an evening shift for one of her part-time jobs.
She was still holed up in the library, but then Claire mentioned that an older alumnus was going to share his startup secrets.
How could she pass that up?
Lex quickly packed her things and sprinted to the restaurant where the group was eating.
By the time she arrived, a massive, steaming sampler platter had already been served, alongside a mountain of side dishes.
Knowing Lex loved roasted asparagus, Claire had specifically ordered two extra portions.
The moment Lex sat down, she was able to dig right in.
When she locked eyes with Reid, Lex froze for a second.
Wasn't this guy Zara's childhood neighbor?
Still, he was undeniably brilliant and a total legend around campus.