Seriously where did you
come from?”
“ Look Joan Rivers, my
fashion choice is the least of my worries.”
“ If you say so. Okay so
here is what you’re going to do…”
Chapter 9
I rip out the fourth magazine perfume
sample, strip out of my shirt, and slap the sample to my chest. It
might be completely bonkers, but I think I’ve lost my mind a little
bit.
“ Kaylee bug?” Dad yells up
the stairs. “There are… people here.”
Oh my gosh, Dad! Embarrassing much? He has to call me bug, then
he’s gotta point out that I never have people over.
“ Ugh,” I grumble in the
comic tee I’m wiggling my face through. “Be down in two
seconds!”
Mr. Pippi shifts in his cage, and I
blow him a kiss after making sure my braid is smooth. I didn’t do
my normal easy going pigtails, opting for a more elegant braided
look, but my fingers keep reaching for two braids to twist out of
habit.
Before I step from my room, I shove
the box of blue love notes back under my bed. Maybe I’ll try to
subtly bring them up tonight and confirm my suspicion that it’s
been Nate this whole time.
I’m surprised I don’t
tumble down the stairs and land on my face with how fast my feet
want to move. Lexie’s eyes go straight to my newly painted
toes. Dating a Royal she deemed appropriate, even though blue is not my
color.
Ryan’s flicking his key ring around
his finger, talking about some sort of mechanical who-knows-what
with my dad as he looks past him out the door to whatever car
Ryan’s driving. There’s some other guy there too, next to Lexie,
and it takes me waaaaaay too long to realize… that’s my
date.
I blink a few times, double
and triple taking glances at Nate. He’s wearing this unbelievably
tight black shirt. I mean so tight I’m seeing nipples. Okay, no
judgment. It’s fine. He looks good in anything. Really. What size is that?
Instead of his signature smile, he
gives me the head bob, which is fine too. But not really for my dad
who insists on shaking his hand. Nate looks like he’s going to, but
then fumbles out with a fist-bump. He totally just fist-bumped my
dad.
Oh Nate, please start talking and
prove to him you’re just this adorable, nervous guy, and you’re not
a complete jer—
“ Wow, you look…
finger-licking,” he says to me. My eyes jump out of my head, and I
whip my neck to catch Dad’s reaction. His neck is slowly turning
the color of an eggplant.
“ I’m not familiar with that
expression,” Dad says, crossing his arms. “Please explain it to
me.”
Nate gulps and tries to crack a grin.
“She looks good. Tasty. You know, like finger-licking…
food?”
My hand comes up over my
eyes. Maybe I’m hallucinating. But when I bring my hand back down
we’re all still there. Ryan and Lexie are sharing equal expressions
of confusion. My dad’s neck strained so much I can see the tendons.
And Nate’s standing there winking at me.
Oh sweet mother…
“ I have my phone,” I say,
trying to keep the perk in my voice. I hop down my last step, kiss
Dad on the cheek, and give him an encouraging smile. It doesn’t
work.
“ It was a compliment, you
know,” Nate says, crossing his arms to echo my dad, but he fumbles
on it, looking like he’s confused about which arm to put over the
other. He opens his mouth to continue, but I’m afraid what’ll come
out, so I push him outside, mentally begging him to keep his trap
shut till I close the door. Ryan flips his keys again and says,
“We’ll meet you there?”
Nate nods, and my brow
crinkles when I notice the two cars parked in the drive. Okay, so
we’re driving separately. No big deal. Just curious why they all came to my house to
pick me up.
Dad waves from the window, and then
does the lame phone sign to let me know to call if I need rescuing.
I smile and signal back. And a sick weight plops in my stomach
because I wish Mom was here to pacify him while I’m out.
“ So,” Nate says, opening
the door for me, “I know
come from?”
“ Look Joan Rivers, my
fashion choice is the least of my worries.”
“ If you say so. Okay so
here is what you’re going to do…”
Chapter 9
I rip out the fourth magazine perfume
sample, strip out of my shirt, and slap the sample to my chest. It
might be completely bonkers, but I think I’ve lost my mind a little
bit.
“ Kaylee bug?” Dad yells up
the stairs. “There are… people here.”
Oh my gosh, Dad! Embarrassing much? He has to call me bug, then
he’s gotta point out that I never have people over.
“ Ugh,” I grumble in the
comic tee I’m wiggling my face through. “Be down in two
seconds!”
Mr. Pippi shifts in his cage, and I
blow him a kiss after making sure my braid is smooth. I didn’t do
my normal easy going pigtails, opting for a more elegant braided
look, but my fingers keep reaching for two braids to twist out of
habit.
Before I step from my room, I shove
the box of blue love notes back under my bed. Maybe I’ll try to
subtly bring them up tonight and confirm my suspicion that it’s
been Nate this whole time.
I’m surprised I don’t
tumble down the stairs and land on my face with how fast my feet
want to move. Lexie’s eyes go straight to my newly painted
toes. Dating a Royal she deemed appropriate, even though blue is not my
color.
Ryan’s flicking his key ring around
his finger, talking about some sort of mechanical who-knows-what
with my dad as he looks past him out the door to whatever car
Ryan’s driving. There’s some other guy there too, next to Lexie,
and it takes me waaaaaay too long to realize… that’s my
date.
I blink a few times, double
and triple taking glances at Nate. He’s wearing this unbelievably
tight black shirt. I mean so tight I’m seeing nipples. Okay, no
judgment. It’s fine. He looks good in anything. Really. What size is that?
Instead of his signature smile, he
gives me the head bob, which is fine too. But not really for my dad
who insists on shaking his hand. Nate looks like he’s going to, but
then fumbles out with a fist-bump. He totally just fist-bumped my
dad.
Oh Nate, please start talking and
prove to him you’re just this adorable, nervous guy, and you’re not
a complete jer—
“ Wow, you look…
finger-licking,” he says to me. My eyes jump out of my head, and I
whip my neck to catch Dad’s reaction. His neck is slowly turning
the color of an eggplant.
“ I’m not familiar with that
expression,” Dad says, crossing his arms. “Please explain it to
me.”
Nate gulps and tries to crack a grin.
“She looks good. Tasty. You know, like finger-licking…
food?”
My hand comes up over my
eyes. Maybe I’m hallucinating. But when I bring my hand back down
we’re all still there. Ryan and Lexie are sharing equal expressions
of confusion. My dad’s neck strained so much I can see the tendons.
And Nate’s standing there winking at me.
Oh sweet mother…
“ I have my phone,” I say,
trying to keep the perk in my voice. I hop down my last step, kiss
Dad on the cheek, and give him an encouraging smile. It doesn’t
work.
“ It was a compliment, you
know,” Nate says, crossing his arms to echo my dad, but he fumbles
on it, looking like he’s confused about which arm to put over the
other. He opens his mouth to continue, but I’m afraid what’ll come
out, so I push him outside, mentally begging him to keep his trap
shut till I close the door. Ryan flips his keys again and says,
“We’ll meet you there?”
Nate nods, and my brow
crinkles when I notice the two cars parked in the drive. Okay, so
we’re driving separately. No big deal. Just curious why they all came to my house to
pick me up.
Dad waves from the window, and then
does the lame phone sign to let me know to call if I need rescuing.
I smile and signal back. And a sick weight plops in my stomach
because I wish Mom was here to pacify him while I’m out.
“ So,” Nate says, opening
the door for me, “I know
Similar Books
