Page 12 (1/2)

"Thanks," I say to Lauren, again into co to find the most beautiful dress toto behave like angels for the rest of the summer

"You kinda disappeared off the face of the earth for a while there, didn’t you?" Stephanie says as she opens her bottle of water Her smile is beatific She clearly Botoxes Too bad she can’t Botox her personality Or that vein in her forehead "So this is what you’re doing now?" she asks, gesturing around the Allingtons’ terrace "Running a dorm?"

"Residence hall," I correct her automatically "But you probably know that already It’s written at the top of the sign-in log"

Stephanie looks blank "The what?"

"The sign-in log," I say "You know, the one you’re required to sign whenever Christopher checks you in and out of the building?" I try not to ht here, even though I do, or that I think it’s weird she sleeps over so much in her boyfriend’s parents’ apartht across the top You nature and a valid form of photo ID every tiulation while you’re here--such as fil without authorization--we can hold you accountable for your actions"

Stephanie stares at lass patio table "You’re serious," she says in disbelief "This is really what you do for a living"

"Why not?" I ask, ht with effort

"Obviously I heard that your s," she says "But surely you still earn enough royalties fro out a snort Stephanie glances from me to Cooper in bafflement "What?" she asks

"You’re a Harvard MBA, Stephanie," Cooper says, his tone mildly amused "You should be familiar with how record companies--particularly your eet royalty state they haven’t earned back what they spent on the billboards advertising concerts I gave in Thailand ten years ago," I explain to her, "so they feel they don’t owe hts, I can see that Stephanie’s turned a little pink, es are good," I hasten to assure her "As part of the benefits package for working here, I can go to school for free to get ly "So that’s what you’re doing, working here, getting your law degree so you can sue your ht Records too, I presuive her

"Not exactly," I say

The truth is that I don’t even have a bachelor’s degree When everyone elseto packed ht Records, of course, but I’ve been assured by various legal experts that such a suit would take years, cost more than I’d ever win, and likely result only in a bad case of acid refluxotdifferent priorities," I explain to her "Right now I’ classes toward a BA in criminal justice"

"Criminaljustice?" she repeats slowly

"Uh-huh," I say The incredulous look on her face is ree in advanced butt-kicking? If so, I’ with hers

"Heather Wells," she says, shaking her head "Heather Wells is working in a New York College dorree in criminal justice"

I raise rasp it beneath the glass tabletop

"New York College is lucky to have Heather," Cooper says calaze on Stephanie’s "And so are the students who live in this residence hall And I think Christopher ating cri social justice Don’t you, Chris?"

Christopher looks uncos," he lances curiously at Christopher "Christopher, what on earth is he talking about?"

"In fact," Cooper goes on, givingsqueeze, "it’s lucky for you, Stephanie, that it was Heather, and not soood in a crisis That’s one of theher"