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enjoyed herself, and she wasn’t going to let some asshole ruin

it. Yet, at the same time she had rarely felt so angry in her life.

She’d always wanted parents, but the man on the other end of

the phone certainly didn’t fit into her fantasy of what a father

should be. If that guy was any example of what it was like to

be the daughter of a potential senator, maybe she ought to

appreciate her upbringing a little more than she’d realized too.

Dani shook her head at the thought, and Emily noticed.

“I know. It’s frustrating.” How Emily could keep her tone

level was beyond Dani, but then, Emily had lived with her

parents her whole life. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,”

Emily added with a sigh. “If they cut me off, I’ll have to get a

job. Find somewhere else to live. Figure out a way to finish

my degree. I’ll have no help at all.”

“You can make it.” Dani was certain of that, but she knew

Emily wasn’t likely to believe it when she was so upset.

Their time at the beach and what happened there was all but

forgotten, replaced with the new storm of emotions that

thickened the car to the point where Emily’s sadness, worry,

and frustration were nearly palpable.

“I have an idea,” Dani suddenly blurted, even though she

didn’t think it was a good idea at all.

“No.” Emily’s eyes shifted away from the road just for a

second. “No,” she repeated firmly. “I’m going to go home. I’ll

agree to law school. This is just hurting people. I never meant

to have things happen this way. And now you’re tangled up in

it too. That’s not what I wanted.”

“So, you’ll spend the next two years of your life doing

something you don’t want to do?”

“Do most people have a choice? How many people get up in