“Exactly. And you recovered admirably. I was impressed.”
Madison blushed. “Thank you.”
The judge hesitated, then seemed to decide something.
“I don’t know if this would fit your schedule, but I just had an internship position open up in my chambers unexpectedly. Normally, you have to apply a year in advance, but I need someone right away. I’d like you to apply.”
“For an internship—with you?”
“Yes. Are you interested?”
Of course she was. An internship with Conroy would be a dream come true, not to mention a gold star on her résumé. And Madison adored gold stars. The timing was tricky, though. What were the chances that, if she went through an application process right now, Conroy would find out about her younger brother’s legal troubles? That would be embarrassing. And definitely something she’d prefer Conroy not know about her.
The pause as she considered the question lasted longer than she’d intended.
“Well,” Conroy prompted. “Yes or no?”
The opportunity was just too good to pass up.
“I’m flattered to be asked, Judge Conroy. I would love to apply.”
“Good. Get in touch with my chambers, and they’ll give you the specifics. I look forward to interviewing you.”
As Conroy walked out the door, Madison’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and her smile faded. There were several missed calls from her mother. And one text. More bad news, it read.
2
She was gathering her things when Ty Evans came up to her. They’d been the power couple of their year until she broke things off last spring. He was a former Stanford tight end, handsome and charismatic, reigning moot court champ, on the short list for law review president. A job she wanted for herself and planned to get. Trouble was, everything Ty did, Madison did, too, just as well if not better. And that didn’t make for a smooth relationship. Harvard Law was the sort of place where people would knock down their grandmother to get ahead. Was it any wonder that competition broke them up?
She shoved the phone in her coat pocket so he wouldn’t see her mother’s text, forcing a smile.
“Sucking up to the prof, I see,” he teased.
“Jealous much, Ty?”
“What do I have to be jealous of? She loves me best.”
“Right. Who doesn’t?”
He laughed. “You know it. What were you two talking about just now?”
“A follow-up about the Gates case.”
She didn’t want news getting out about the internship, especially not to Ty. He’d apply, and out of the entire second-year class, he was her biggest competition.
“Huh. It looked like more than that.”
Madison shrugged, dropping the subject. Ty blocked for her as they fought the tide of remaining students flooding through the doors for the next class. Crossing the atrium, he started talking about the latest political battle on law review, but she could barely pay attention. Her hand was sweaty in her pocket, clutching her phone. She had to get rid of him and call Mom, to find out the latest in the saga of her troubled younger brother, Danny. A week earlier, Danny got swept up in a narcotics dragnet, arrested along with a dozen hard-core drug dealers from the old neighborhood, even though, as far as Madison knew, he wasn’t involved in anything remotely like that. Danny was now in federal custody awaiting trial. Nobody at school knew about it, not even Ty. Especially not Ty. He was a decent enough human being beneath his bravado that, if he found out she had family problems, he’d start asking questions that she didn’t want to answer. And probably end up getting the truth out of her, which she couldn’t afford. Appearances mattered too much here. You kept your game face on at all times. She didn’t want people finding out about Danny until she had a better handle on things.
“Pit stop,” she said, nodding toward the restrooms.
“I can wait. You want to grab a coffee or something?”
“Can’t. I have stuff to do.”
“All right. But hey, come out tomorrow? It’s my birthday. I’d love to see you.”
“Right. Chloe told me. I’ll be there.”
“She told you. Good. I’m glad,” he said.
From his tone, she could tell that inviting her had been a bone of contention. Chloe was Ty’s new girlfriend, and she kept a close eye on his interactions with Madison.
Ty left. Madison looked for a quiet place to make her call. But the atrium was buzzing with students coming and going. She caught snippets of conversation. Grades. Exams. Recruiting. Weekend plans. Mere days ago, her life had been that simple, that carefree. But the past, her family, her background always reared their ugly heads. They just wouldn’t let her go.