Rodeo by Oliver Tess

Author:Oliver, Tess [Oliver, Tess]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Sugartree Press
Published: 2015-12-01T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 2

A chill in the room woke me from a restless sleep. The weak gray light of dawn was slowly morphing into pink sunshine as I searched for my fuzzy slippers and got out of bed. I stepped up to the window and looked out. With the empty, stately buildings overlooking the deserted sidewalks and manicured grounds, the campus looked like an Ivy League ghost town. Aside from several maintenance workers trimming back the overgrown branches of a tree, the place was devoid of all signs of life.

In a matter of moments, my plans for winter break had changed completely, and I needed to rethink my clothing needs. Instead of a mild winter break in California where the odds of wearing shorts and sandals on Christmas Day were pretty good, I needed to shift back to warm sweaters, scarves, and lots of heavy socks.

I unpacked my giant duffle, a purchase I’d made after enduring incessant teasing from Rylie over my designer suitcases. I walked over to my dresser where I’d stacked my t-shirts and dresses and the disappointment of my situation struck me. I picked up my cell phone and turned it on. I’d turned it off to avoid my mom’s relentless calling. The second service had returned, the phone rang. I glanced at the number. It seemed my mom had called in her strongest ally— my dad. I would never consider myself to be a daddy’s girl, but I’d grown up with three brothers and so my dad had, of course, treated me differently. I took a deep breath to strengthen my resolve and answered.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How’s my baby girl doing?”

“I think you know.”

“Now Auggie, you know how much your mom has been looking forward to you coming home for the holidays.”

“I looked forward to coming home . . . to our home. She promised that we could stay home and cook and bake together. I’m not going to France, Dad.”

“You can’t stay on campus alone. No one will be there. It won’t be so bad in France. You and I could try and get away for a few days and travel to Germany or Spain.” Just like Mom, Dad had the same rotten knack for making charming, intriguing promises that he knew he’d never keep. “Now pack up and get over to the airport.” My dad could switch from the endearing how’s my baby girl tone to the authoritative August Ray Stonefield get your butt home now tone in one breath. It was probably the reason he was so awesome in the business world, but it wasn’t terribly effective on me anymore.

“Sorry, Dad, not happening. Professor North has hired me to do some work cataloguing antiquities, so I’ll be spending the break at his house.”

“What are you talking about?” Now his more severe business tone crackled through the phone. “Who the hell is Professor North?”

“He’s one of my favorite teachers, and he has artifacts to classify. Frankly, I’m excited as heck. So, you guys have a good time, and we’ll talk soon.

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