Page 47 of Vas

“That’s perfect. Then you’re free to go out tomorrow night. I noticed we both have the day off.”

“I don’t know,” Anna hedged.

“Come on, please. I’ve been dying to go dancing and need a partner. Luke won’t go near a dance floor with a ten-foot pole. Plus we need to celebrate your good news.”

Dancing did sound fun. “Okay, you twisted my arm.”

“Yay.” Tiffany raised her arms and cheered. “And we’ll make Luke the designated driver so we can get our party on.”

Anna didn’t plan to get drunk, but it would be nice not to worry about getting home if she did have a drink or two.

“We can go shopping after your appointment. With your newfound money you can afford to splurge a little on a new dress. What time is it at?”

“Ten.”

“We can meet at the Northridge mall at noon.”

Tiffany had it all planned out before Anna even had a chance to object, but she had to admit, it would be nice to buy herself something pretty. And it could serve the dual purpose of having a new dress to wear on her next date with Vas, she reasoned, giving herself yet another excuse to spend money on herself.

∞∞∞

Anna’s nerves were riding high as she circled the university campus the following morning, hunting for the administration office. Thankfully, she’d left early enough to give herself enough time to get lost.

The meeting went smoothly while Anna kept waiting for the other shoe to drop but everything seemed legit and with the swoop of a pen, signing her name on the dotted line, she was the proud recipient of a full-ride scholarship.

“We’re all set,” Mrs. Adler—or Rebecca as she insisted Anna call her—said, handing over a manila envelope. “Inside you’ll find a copy of the document you just signed along with the keys to your new apartment. The residence is clear and ready to move into at your convenience.” She ripped the top paper off a pad on her desk. “Here’s the address.”

Anna stood, taking the paper. “Thank you so much for everything.”

“It was my pleasure. One more thing, registration for summer classes starts at the beginning of next month. It’s a condition of your scholarship that you sign up before the deadline passes.”

“I’ll be sure to do that. Thank you again.”

Still in a daze as she made her way out to her car, Anna had a hard time coming to grips with everything that had just happened. Unlocking her car door, she climbed behind the wheel, but instead of turning her car on, she just sat there, in awe.

Holy shit, did that really just happen?

She pulled out her phone.

Change of plans. Do you want to meet at my new apartment instead?

It took Tiffany less than a minute to answer.

Heck yeah.

Anna texted her the address from the paper then copied and pasted it into her map app. The apartment was less than a mile away and she was pulling into the complex in a matter of minutes.

She parked in a guest spot and got out of the car, taking the sidewalk, scanning addresses until she found the correct building that housed her unit number.

Then she was in for her second shock in as many days because when she unlocked the door, she discovered it wasn’t just any old, run-of-the-mill student housing. There was a door to her left as she walked in that when Anna opened it revealed a private garage. Straight ahead was a flight of stairs. Walking up, she rounded a corner and saw a kitchen and just past that a living space with a sliding-glass door leading out to a patio. Another flight of stairs led to a master bedroom and bath. The place looked newly decorated—wood floors, granite countertops, sparkling fixtures and appliances.

Overwhelmed, Anna plopped her ass down on the smooth laminate, staring at the fireplace tucked in the corner of the living room.

Fireplace!

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there but long enough for Tiffany’s knock to startle her out of her daze. She jumped up and ran down the stairs to let her in.

“Holy cow, girl, this place is gorgeous.” Tiffany spun in a circle, taking everything in.

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