“Right this way.” The guard’s voice drew me from my musings. “The registrar’s office is in the main building,Stonewall Manor, and the dorms are just behind it in the old carriage house. Once you register, someone will direct you.”
“Thanks.”
With a stiff nod, he disappeared back into the gatehouse. The monstrous gate creaked open, the sharp whine sending a chill up my spine.Papágunned the engine, and the decrepit truck rumbled up the gravel driveway.
We parked the old Chevy between a silver Bentley and a gleaming Lamborghini SUV. If I gave a shit about what people thought, I would’ve been embarrassed as all hell. Luckily, I didn’t. I slid out of the front seat and stretched my legs. The salty sea air reached my nostrils, the crashing waves oddly soothing, and I drew in a deep breath. It had been a hell of a long drive, one I was surprised the old car had survived. We’d only stopped once during the cross-country trip and spent the night at a ratty roadside motel.
Papáunloaded my luggage as I stared out into the rolling waves of the sea. The university sat along the jagged shoreline of Copper Cove, a small upscale town in northern Maine. It had been years since I’d seen the ocean, and the beauty stole the fresh air from my lungs.
A flash of green caught my eye, and I swiveled toward the Lamborghini to my right. A dark head of hair disappeared beneath the sleek sports car parked beside it. I rose to my tiptoes, trying to make out the figure that had my heart catapulting against my ribs, but the car slid out of the parking spot, the engine cracking like thunder before I could get a good look. I stared after the tomato red Ferrari, but the tinted windows cloaked the driver in shadows.
Killian? I sucked in a breath, shaking my head. Nope, couldn’t be. Absolutely impossible.
“Ready,mija?”Papá's question tore me from the dark thoughts of the past the mystery figure dredged up.
Drawing in a steadying breath, I nodded and rolled the suitcase and carry-on up the inclined pathway beneath the ornate portico to Stonewall Manor. The historic mansion had been perfectly preserved, the smooth gray walls pristine. Not that I’d ever been to France, but the style reminded me of an old chateau with its elaborate towers, spires, and steeply pitched metal roof. The school crest had been inlaid within the light stone, the knight-and-sword shield stretched across my t-shirt. I’d already also bought a sweatshirt with the emblem in a lame attempt to fit in.
Papáheld the door open as I wheeled in my luggage and scanned the bustling foyer for a registration sign.
“Wow.” My dad’s head tilted back, his jaw forming a capital O as he stared at the rotunda overhead. “I guess I’m starting to see why you picked this school.”
“I didn’t just pick it because it was pretty,Papá. It’s going to give me the best opportunity for med school.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “I know,mija. I’m so proud of all your hard work, and I know your mom would be too. You’re going to be the one to find a cure for cancer, Lexi. I can feel it in my bones. And if it takes you being all the way out here to do it, I get it.”
“Thanks,Papá.” I blinked back the quickly forming tears and followed the trail of freshmen to the first counter.
As I walked out of Stonewall Manor, a stupid grin stretched my lips, the smile so big my cheeks hurt. I was an official student of the university. Now, to find my dorm. I glanced at the campus map the admin lady had given me and traced a path to the carriage house. Apparently, that and the former stables wereturned into the current dorms. Hell, if it was good enough for rich people’s horses, it was good enough for me.
Papáfollowed me down the path, dragging my big suitcase while I toted the smaller carry-on. Was it sad that all my earthly possessions fit into two suitcases? Maybe. But I preferred not to get attached to things—or people—as it only led to disappointment.
Killian’s deep green eyes filled my vision, and that damned lump thickened in my throat. Nope, it couldn’t have been him. I wouldn’t think abouthimtoday.
A crisp sea breeze flitted over the cliff, and I inhaled another long breath of salty air. I could totally get used to this. The expansive campus sat on the edge of the bluff with breathtaking views of the cove below. Small fishing boats dotted the inlet, along with a few massive yachts just beyond. Seagulls squawked overhead, their cries a symphony in tune with the crashing waves.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the students arrived by yacht from what I’d seen of the prestigious alumni list: senators, presidents, oil tycoons, Nobel Peace Prize winners. The former student catalog was basically a list of Who’s Who among the country’s most wealthy and powerful.
Did that intimidate me? Hell, yes. But would I ever admit that? Nope.
“I think that’s it.”Papápointed at a sign that readDavenport Dormitory.
Davenport? Sweat trickled down my spine, an unearthly chill dancing over my skin.No, it can’t be. It’s a popular hoity-toity name, that’s all.
I did a double-take, glancing at the name I’d somehow completely missed on my paperwork and nodded. “Yup, that’s the one.” The dorm was a smaller version of the manor, with the same light gray stone and pitched slate roofs with elaboratedormers. I glanced at the double doors and the smattering of students eyeing us, then turned back to my dad. “You don’t have to come up,Papá. I can handle it from here.”
It wasn’t like I was embarrassed of my father. I just didn’t want to subject him to the nasty stares.
“Oh no,mija, I came all this way. I’m going to make sure you’re settled in your room before I leave.”
“Okay, sure.”
He held the door open and I trudged in, dozens of curious gazes boring into the side of my face. Whispers and inquisitive gazes lanced in our direction.
“The freshman dorm is that way.” A tall, blonde lifted her nose and pointed a perfectly manicured nail out the door. Two other girls surrounded her, each eyeing me like I wasn’t worthy of licking the dirt off their designer shoes.
“Not a freshman, but thanks.” Sure, I was short, but did I really look eighteen? I was going to be twenty-one soon.
“Oh, a transfer?” Her eyes widened as they continued their careful scrutiny.
