Page 54 of February

“I can ask them to make it, though, right? I’ll pay them more. Hell, I’ll bring my own strawberries.” She took another bite while Bridgette continued laughing.

“I can help if you want.”

“Help with the strawberries?”

“No, I can help with Tulane. If you need a tour guide.”

“Oh,” she let out. “I assume they’d have those there. He said it’s a prospective student weekend.”

“Never mind, then,” Bridgette said.

Monica watched the woman’s facial expression change from happy to disappointed, which made her smile.

“But I’m sure he’d love to have an insider’s look at the place.”

“Tour guidesareinsiders.”

“Yes, but they’re paid to say all the good things about the school. You wouldn’t be.”

“Paid? We hadn’t negotiated my fee yet.” Bridgette gave her a wink.

“You’d tell him the truth, right?”

“Of course,” Bridgette said.

“I want him to make the right decision for himself.”

“Even if it means he’d be down here, and you’d be in New York?” Bridgette asked.

“Even if it means that. If he ends up at Tulane, we’d be down here all the time, visiting.”

“You and your ex-wife?”

“No, me and my dad. He loves Tulane. He gives them a lot of money, and Aaron applying is one of those forgone conclusions. He has the grades and the extracurriculars and test scores. He’d get in.”

“Ah, rich people connections,” Bridgette said.

“He would have earned it on his own,” Monica replied. “My dad would just make a call to make sure his application got an extra look.”

“I wishmygrandpa would’ve donated to Tulane so that I didn’t have to worry like crazy when I applied.”

“No, you don’t,” Monica said. “You like that you got in all on your own.”

“How do you knowthat?”

“Call it a hunch,” she replied with a shrug.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Bridgette teased and gave her a smile. “Just tell me when and where, and I’ll show him around campus.”

“Thank you,” Monica said. “This really means a lot.”

“In return…”

“Oh, here it comes.” Monica laughed.

“Can you just… take care of them?”

“Them?”

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