“But—”
“Just let me happy a little while longer, okay? Things might all go to shit later, but it’s too soon for doomsday.” I forced a smile. “The afterglow from my orgasm hasn’t even worn off yet.”
Harper pursed her lips and recited, “‘It was the nightingale, not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.’”
I recognized the quote fromRomeo and Juliet,when Juliet tries to convince Romeo that morning hasn’t come yet after their first night together. That they still have time before the harsh light of day steals away their happiness.
“Yes,” I said. “Exactly.”
“Okay, Em.” Harper sighed. “Just be careful. We all know how that story ends.”
***
That evening after dinner, my father called me into his study. Thedays were growing longer, but he still had a fire roaring behind him, casting long shadows.
“Emery,” he said. “I have received word from Brown University about your application.”
My throat tried to close up and my mouth went dry. “Oh. Okay.”
He did not look up from where he was sorting his mail. “You were not accepted. They found you…wanting.”
“Oh.” Every drop of blood in my body turned to dust. “I-I don’t know what to say…”
“I got off the phone with their admissions office this afternoon and it seems that not even a sizable donation from Wallace Industries is enough to make you palatable to them.”
They don’t take bribes, you mean.
Another storm of relief and fear raged in my guts. “I’m sorry, Daddy. It’s the math. I just don’t—”
“I trusted you to do all you could to get into Brown, but it’s apparent we must now refocus our efforts.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know yet, Emery,” he said, strangely calm as he regarded me. Then he pulled one of his sudden, disorienting changes of subject. “We are going to have dinner with the Harringtons at the Chart House in Newport on Friday night.”
“Oh. There’s a party after the regatta that night.”
His brows arched, almost amused. “I have yet to decide how you’re going to make it up to the family for this humiliation but allowing you to attend a party is not on the list.”
That stung and tears pricked my eyes. “Can I still go to the regatta?”
“Our reservation is at 8:00 p.m. So long as you’re prepared to leave here at 7:45, I don’t see why not.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I started to go, then stopped. “I’m sorry that I let you down. But just wait until you see what I’m doing with the prom. Honestly, it’s coming together so beautifully—”
“I’m sure it is. That’ll do, Emery.”
I walked out and shut the door behind me. My father had said some horrible things, but he didn’t seem furious. He didn’t threaten to kick me out of the house. A new kind of hope bloomed in me. Maybe now that Brown wasn’t going to happen, he’d finally see I was made for something else. Something just as good; he just needed to experience it firsthand.
I exhaled a shaky breath. I still had a chance.
***
Friday afternoon, I joined the entire Academy at the marina to watch our Royal Pride rowing crew take on three different schools in half a dozen different races. Xander’s race, the men’s eight, was the big one. I was no longer on the dance team, cheering from the dock. Instead, I hugged Harper’s arm on the bleachers, waiting for the boats to come from around the bend in the two thousand meter. The marina was packed with people from the different schools, colorful flags were strung up at the dock, and different boats—singles, pairs, and fours—raced in the clear smooth water in front of us. CHA had won every race and now it was up to my boyfriend and his crew to make it a sweep.
“You look positively radiant,” Harper said. “What gives?”
It had been a hectic week, both Harper and Xander involved in their own activities—her preparing for the recital, him for this race. I’d hardly seen either one and was practically bursting with happiness.
