Free An Innocent in Paradise by Kate Carlisle Page A

right?”
    â€œYes,” Grace said, laughing. “That’s just one reason why I like you so much.”
    â€œI like you, too, Gracie,” Dee said, “but really, is 172 good? I mean, what’s average?”
    â€œWell, that’s difficult to say, really, since IQ scores have been gaining three points every decade now for some time, but—”
    â€œBallpark figure,” Dee interrupted. “What’s average?”
    â€œAbout 100,” Grace admitted with a sigh.
    â€œWhoa.” Dee blinked. “And what’s genius?”
    Grace groaned as she said, “One forty and above.”
    â€œDamn.” Dee grinned at her. “So, you’re like, what? Über genius?”
    Stunned to discover that Dee’s opinion of her hadn’tchanged, Grace relaxed and for the first time in her life, actually giggled. “ Über genius? I like that.”
    â€œYou could be a superhero or something,” Dee continued. “You could be Smartgirl!”
    Relief and gratitude rushed through Grace as she returned Dee’s smile. She had been so worried that once Dee knew the truth about Grace, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere near her. After all, her own parents had run the other way from her, and that was a memory she really didn’t want to dwell on just now. No, right now she wanted to concentrate on the amazing sensation of having her fears dissolve. For the first time, she was being accepted and liked, completely, for exactly who she was, not how smart she was—although Dee seemed to think that was pretty cool, too.
    â€œSmartgirl? Sometimes I wonder,” she muttered, then brightened. “But I do have four doctorate degrees.”
    â€œWow! Four?” Dee laughed. “I lasted about six weeks in college. I was so bored, I ran screaming.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œOh, yeah. So how long did it take you to get four degrees, cuz you look really young.”
    â€œI did all four of them concurrently.”
    â€œWow.” Dee shook her head, then took a sip of her drink. “Your classes must’ve been intense. But now you’re like a PhD?”
    â€œYes, times four.”
    â€œHoly moley.”
    â€œI know,” Grace whispered, then said, “Do you think we could have another mini-margarita?”
    â€œI think I need one, too.” Dee bounced off the bed and returned to the table to mix the drink. “So you work in your lab every day. But what do you do in your spare time?”
    â€œI don’t have much spare time,” Grace said as she joined her at the table and squeezed a lime into the shot glass. “My work in the lab is very important, so—” she shrugged “—that’s mostly what I do.”
    â€œOkay, I know you don’t go out to bars,” Dee said. “Do you like to shop or go to movies?”
    â€œI’ve never really had much time to do either,” Grace said, feeling more inadequate by the second.
    â€œSo you’ve only ever gone to school and worked in a lab?”
    â€œThat’s pretty much it.” She smiled cheerfully. “But I love my work.”
    â€œOh, I like my job, too,” Dee said, as she mixed another mini-margarita for herself. “But I like shopping, too, and, well, lots of things. But especially shopping.”
    â€œSchool and work are all I’ve ever known,” Grace said, sipping her drink. “I started college when I was eight years old.”
    Dee’s gaze was awash in sympathy. “That’s terrible. College is hard enough on grown-ups, let alone a kid.”
    Grace blinked. She’d never shared that part of her background with anyone besides Phillippa. But that didn’t mean there had ever been a moment when she’d considered herself unfortunate. Far from it. “I was lucky. I got to live at school and study and learn.”
    â€œYour parents let you live at school? When you were