Snowbound - Harlequin.com

JANICE KAY JOHNSON 261
least a couple evenings a week, and had joined a
Saturday walking group. They often asked her to join
them, which she had a couple of times. She and Barry
had relaxed around each other, and even joked about
the Thanksgiving debacle. Nice as it was to get to
know him, Fiona couldn’t help feeling as if she was
being included out of pity.
She could just hear her mother telling him, “Poor
Fiona! The first time she’s been serious about someone
in…oh, forever, and to have it end so badly.”
She had to roll her eyes at her own imagination. Her
mother had probably never said anything of the sort!
And if she had…well, it was true. Every word.
Mid-April, the seniors received their acceptances
and rejections from colleges across the country. Troy
would be going to the University of Oregon, and was
happy about it.
“Dad wanted me to get into someplace like Stanford.
That’s why I joined…” He looked embarrassed.
“Knowledge Champs.” Fiona nodded. “I guessed.
It’s okay. Most high school kids are thinking about how
to make their applications look good.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I guess I didn’t join enough things.”
He grinned. “Stanford said no.”
She smiled back. “As long as you’re satisfied.”
“Yeah, this is what I wanted to do.”
Erin, in contrast, was accepted by Stanford. And
Princeton.
“I also got into this college in southern California.”
She had asked to talk to Fiona during her grading
period. She sat at a desk facing Fiona’s, her back