beauty salon. The stylist did her hair in a sophisticated French twist with long springy tendrils surrounding her face. The upsweep would show off her glittering crystal earrings. Her dress bared her shoulders and was a deep, vibrant green that set off her pale skin.
Trent, who was wearing a dress jacket and blue jeans, looped his arm around Morgan’s waist and said, “Okay, one more.” He leaned in and mugged for the camera and Paige pushed the button.
“Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll put it on Facebook.”
Morgan shook her head impatiently. By the time she and Trent were out the door, the sun was setting. “We’re going to be late.”
“Not with me driving.” They were almost to the car when Trent pulled her short. “Wait a minute.”
“We need to go now—”
“I want to give you something first. They can start the dance without us.”
She snapped his letter jacket under her chin against the October chill and let him pull her toward their special tree. The leaves shimmered with fall colors against a sky that gleamed with a rising harvest moon. Once under the tree he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her heart thumped eagerly, as it always did when Trent held her. “
That’s
worth being late for,” she said in his ear.
He laced the fingers of his left hand with hers. His face looked sweet and serious, part small boy, part grown man. “Hope this is too,” he said. He reached into his pocket, withdrew a small box.
Morgan’s eyes widened. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
She eased off the lid, saw a ring nestled on top of a wad of cotton. Her gaze flew to his face.
“A promise ring,” Trent said. “I promise to replace this one with an engagement ring one day.”
She just stared at the ring, set with a single glowing white pearl. “We—we have college—”
“I know that,” he said, plucking the ring from the box. “But when college is over, we’ll come home and we’ll have forever. I’ll never love anyone like I love you.”
Forever. With Trent. Morgan couldn’t take a breath. Her mind whirled. She’d been so caught up in the hereand now, with her grades and homecoming and college applications, she hadn’t thought about “forever.”
“You like it, don’t you?” His face clouded. Her heart swelled with tenderness and tears misted her eyes.
“It’s beautiful. I love it.”
“And you’ll wear it?”
“Yes.”
A grin broke across his face. He fisted the air. “Yes!”
She laughed, let him slip the ring onto her shaking hand. She was reeling, heady from the intoxication of the moment. She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”
“Now we can go to the dance,” he said. “I want to show you off.”
Laughing, holding hands, they ran to the car and chased the moon all the way to the gym.
M organ’s big disappointment at the homecoming dance was that Kelli didn’t show up. Even as late as yesterday, Kelli had told Morgan she was coming. They’d talked about makeup and hair and which shoes would look best with Kelli’s pink off-the-shoulder dress. Yet when Morgan and Trent arrived and caught up with their group of friends inside the gym, Kelli wasn’t with them.
Morgan went straight to Mark. “Where’s Kelli?”
“She didn’t want to come.”
“Since when?”
“Since September.”
His words took Morgan by surprise. “She said the two of you were coming together. She told me so.”
Mark jammed his hands into his pockets. “Then she lied. She never planned on coming. At least not with me.”
Incredulous, Morgan got the bottom-line message.Kelli had
lied
to her—to Morgan, her supposed best friend! “Why?” she asked. “What’s going on between you two?”
Mark’s jaw tightened. “Nothing. It’s over between us.”
“Since when?”
“For a while now.”
Morgan felt like an idiot. Why was she hearing this from Mark and not Kelli? She recalled Kelli crying on the phone and saying that Mark had someone else,
Trent, who was wearing a dress jacket and blue jeans, looped his arm around Morgan’s waist and said, “Okay, one more.” He leaned in and mugged for the camera and Paige pushed the button.
“Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll put it on Facebook.”
Morgan shook her head impatiently. By the time she and Trent were out the door, the sun was setting. “We’re going to be late.”
“Not with me driving.” They were almost to the car when Trent pulled her short. “Wait a minute.”
“We need to go now—”
“I want to give you something first. They can start the dance without us.”
She snapped his letter jacket under her chin against the October chill and let him pull her toward their special tree. The leaves shimmered with fall colors against a sky that gleamed with a rising harvest moon. Once under the tree he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her heart thumped eagerly, as it always did when Trent held her. “
That’s
worth being late for,” she said in his ear.
He laced the fingers of his left hand with hers. His face looked sweet and serious, part small boy, part grown man. “Hope this is too,” he said. He reached into his pocket, withdrew a small box.
Morgan’s eyes widened. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
She eased off the lid, saw a ring nestled on top of a wad of cotton. Her gaze flew to his face.
“A promise ring,” Trent said. “I promise to replace this one with an engagement ring one day.”
She just stared at the ring, set with a single glowing white pearl. “We—we have college—”
“I know that,” he said, plucking the ring from the box. “But when college is over, we’ll come home and we’ll have forever. I’ll never love anyone like I love you.”
Forever. With Trent. Morgan couldn’t take a breath. Her mind whirled. She’d been so caught up in the hereand now, with her grades and homecoming and college applications, she hadn’t thought about “forever.”
“You like it, don’t you?” His face clouded. Her heart swelled with tenderness and tears misted her eyes.
“It’s beautiful. I love it.”
“And you’ll wear it?”
“Yes.”
A grin broke across his face. He fisted the air. “Yes!”
She laughed, let him slip the ring onto her shaking hand. She was reeling, heady from the intoxication of the moment. She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”
“Now we can go to the dance,” he said. “I want to show you off.”
Laughing, holding hands, they ran to the car and chased the moon all the way to the gym.
M organ’s big disappointment at the homecoming dance was that Kelli didn’t show up. Even as late as yesterday, Kelli had told Morgan she was coming. They’d talked about makeup and hair and which shoes would look best with Kelli’s pink off-the-shoulder dress. Yet when Morgan and Trent arrived and caught up with their group of friends inside the gym, Kelli wasn’t with them.
Morgan went straight to Mark. “Where’s Kelli?”
“She didn’t want to come.”
“Since when?”
“Since September.”
His words took Morgan by surprise. “She said the two of you were coming together. She told me so.”
Mark jammed his hands into his pockets. “Then she lied. She never planned on coming. At least not with me.”
Incredulous, Morgan got the bottom-line message.Kelli had
lied
to her—to Morgan, her supposed best friend! “Why?” she asked. “What’s going on between you two?”
Mark’s jaw tightened. “Nothing. It’s over between us.”
“Since when?”
“For a while now.”
Morgan felt like an idiot. Why was she hearing this from Mark and not Kelli? She recalled Kelli crying on the phone and saying that Mark had someone else,
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