Eddie and his girl come to a stop a few feet away.
“What are you two doing out here?” Eddie asks. He has one brow raised as he looks from Lacey to me.
“Oh my gosh. Are those apples?” the girl asks, spotting the giant pile on Lacey’s coat.
“Yes. We were picking apples,” Lacey replies.
“That’s so cute!” she says in a high-pitched, drunken voice.
“Where are you two heading?” I ask Eddie.
“Oh, you know.” He glances up at the night sky. “Just for a ride.”
I know people drive out here to make out—it just didn’t occur to me until right now that was what was happening.
“Right,” I say, and give him a salute. “Have fun. Be careful.”
“Always, Cap!”
Eddie speeds off, decidedly not carefully. When I glance over at Lacey, she’s already picked up her coat and tied it up to carry her apples.
“We should probably get back,” she says, not meeting my gaze.
I do my best to push back my disappointment as I nod. I climb back on the four-wheeler and Lacey gets behind me. I end up putting her coat filled with apples on my lap so she can hold on to me, and I enjoy the feel of her pressed up against me during the short ride back.
The noise from the party feels like an unwelcome intrusion as I park and turn off the vehicle.
Lacey climbs off first, and I sit there, not sure where we go from here. I hand over her coat. She tries to take off mine to return it, but I shake my head. “Keep it. You can give it to me the next time we study.”
“Study?”
“Yeah. You don’t think I can keep passing algebra without you, do you?”
One side of her mouth inches up to a smile, then the other side.
“Iama great tutor.” A little of her earlier sass and bubbliness have returned.
“You are,” I agree.
She stands there, staring and unmoving. Finally, she lifts the apples. “I’m going to find somewhere to put these and join the party. Are you staying?”
“Nah, I think I’m going to head out.”
I could be wrong, but I think a flicker of disappointment crosses her face.
“Okay. Well, thanks for this.” She lifts her coat as she takes a step backward.
“You’re welcome.”
She turns with a smile.
“Lacey,” I call out, stopping her.
She pauses and glances back at me.
“Busy tomorrow night?” I ask.
Her smile hits me right in the gut. “See you then, Collins.”
