I Hid My Perfect Score novel · Chapter 16 of 32

Chapter 16: Ice Festival

I found Emory in the bay an hour later, coiling hose that didn't need coiling.

"Did you know?"

"I applied for field lead in September." He kept coiling. "Before you had a project. Before I knew you'd win."

"You'll sign my evaluations all summer."

"I know."

"Ten weeks in a tent on a fire line with my supervisor."

He dropped the hose.

"I know," he said again, and this time his voice wasn't steady.

The next morning he went to the lab before I was awake.

I found out from the professor.

"Your crew lead came in at seven and asked me to give the field lead to someone else," she said.

"He what?"

"The second-year grad student will run the crew. Tolland goes back to the station's wildland squad for the summer." She looked at me over her glasses. "It pays four dollars an hour less. He knows that."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because he asked me not to." She went back into the lab. "Happy birthday, Carmody."

I hadn't told anyone in Alaska it was my birthday.

I went back to the station, and the kitchen smelled like chocolate.

Dodie had made a cake with one name on it.

JOSS, in pink frosting, with a fondant fire engine.

My whole life, every cake had said PAISLEY & JOSS.

Once, when I was nine, just PAISLEY, because the bakery ran out of room.

"How did you know?" I said.

"It's on your rookie paperwork," Dodie said. "I snoop. Make a wish."

The crew sang badly, and the captain sang worst of all.

Then Emory took the cake knife out of my hand.

"You're done here," he said. "Get your parka. We have a date."

"Now?"

"I've postponed it four times. I'm not postponing it on your birthday."

The ice park glowed at the edge of town.

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