Billionaire Romance Boxed Set 1(110)

“What movie?”

“I don’t know, something with John Cusack in it?”

“You’re brilliant, Shannon, has anyone ever told you that?”

Shannon beamed at me, and it almost made me feel better. We spent the rest of the night ogling John Cusack’s sexy lips and even broke into the ice cream we had been saving for next week’s finals, completing the stereotype and loving every minute of indulgence. By the time the credits rolled across the screen the internship test seemed like a nightmare I could forget. I went to bed and found the small brass key in my pocket while taking off my jeans. I thought about throwing it in the trash, but put it on the side table instead, the heavy little key clinking on the wood. Maybe I would go back to the midnight piano room later. Much later.

The next morning the sun shone brightly through my window. No more snow. It was back to being California again. I was oddly disappointed.

A loud knocking at the door got me out of bed. It wasn’t even eight in the morning yet. Who could it be?#p#分页标题#e#

“Brynn? You got that?” Shannon yelled from her room.

“Got it!” I said, wiping the sleep out of my eyes and stumbling down the hall. In my heart, a secret piece of me hoped that I would find Eliot on the other side of the door. I brushed my hair down with my fingers and buttoned the top of my pajama shirt. If it was him, I didn’t want to look indecent. But when I threw open the door, Mark stood on the other side.

“What happened?” he said.

“Good morning to you, too, Mark,” I said. God, my morning breath was terrible.

“Where were you? Why did you leave before your interview?”

“Hold up,” I said, raising my hands. “How did you know?”

“The department chair guy, Patterson. He called my dad to tell him I had won the internship. They asked if I knew the girl who disappeared at the test. I assume he wasn’t talking about Quentin.”

Mark won. He had won. A stab of jealousy thrust itself into me, and at first I couldn’t breathe.

“Did… did you tell them?”

“No, I said I wasn’t sure,” Mark said. “I thought maybe you had a reason for leaving. I wanted to talk to you first.”

I sighed.

“Can we talk?” Mark leaned forward in the doorway, a concerned expression on his face. I couldn’t tell him no.

“Sure,” I said. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”

“One minute,” Mark said, stepping back. “And you’re not allowed to disappear.”

“Ha, very funny.”

The snow had disappeared as quickly as it had come, and with the sunshine above us it felt like spring had come back to California. I convinced Mark to go with me to a coffeeshop in the village near the university, where he bought me the biggest latte they had. I wasn’t about to chance running into Eliot again at the library cafe.

“So what happened?” he said once we had sat down with our coffee. “You always said you wanted to go to Hungary. This was your thing.”

A fierce pinch of desire wrung its way through my heart. It aimed its line not toward Hungary, however, but directly at the figure of the eminent, the honorable Dr. Herceg. Eliot. I shook my head.

“Not anymore,” I said. “I don’t deserve it.”

“The hell you don’t. I’m going to tell the department chair it was you.”

“No!” My voice carried across the coffeeshop, and several people looked over toward us. I hunched over my latte, trying to look forgettable.

“Brynn, I heard them talking. Patterson wants to give me the Prize but that guy Herceg insisted that you’re the winner. And there’s no way I’m taking it from you. You won, fair and square.”

“No. Mark, it wasn’t fair. I met him before. Herceg. I think he rigged the test to help me win.” Now that I had to explain it, it all seemed so implausible. I expected Mark to ask why Eliot would help me, but he didn’t even blink.

“The test was anonymous, Brynn.”

“Then how did I get to the end without being dismissed? “

“By kicking ass, just like the rest of us. You’re smart, Brynn. Jesus.” He leaned forward and put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. “You did well.”

“I didn’t know half of the answers!” Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. The second time I had cried in… god, in years.

“So? Neither did I.”

I raised my head. Mark’s face was completely serious.“What?”

“Are you kidding? That was the hardest test ever. I probably didn’t know two-thirds of the answers.”

“Quentin said he answered everything.” My lips trembled.