“Thank you for the apology.” I rocked on my heels, then walked out with the biggest smile and Harvey by my side.
He saluted, blushing as he strode by Santa and my coworkers, who stared at him openly despite his combat boots and tattoos.
I beamed at him, waving, then helped the next guests. When we reached Santa, I whispered, “Thank you for believing in me.”
18
Feeling Festive
How was I supposed to dress for my first date with Harvey? I wore my uniform five days a week and sweatpants on the other two. Random get-togethers with friends never required a sexy factor. I tore through my closet and finally found a cute oversized sweater and skinny jeans that seemed promising. Especially if I wore a lacy camisole underneath.
After getting dressed and applying extra deodorant, I sat to do my makeup in front of the tiny vanity mirror over my desk. Mom only let me keep it so she wouldn’t have to clean glitter off the sink.
But I’d been doing Sugarplum-esque makeup for so long, I hesitated to try something new. Especially since Harvey knew andlikedme like that. But I wanted to show him another side of myself, so I dug into my bag of goodies. Red was Christmassy. And passionate, right? Light lipstick with some mocha eyeshadow should be grown-up enough for date night. I got to work on my masterpiece.
Mom knocked, but didn’t wait before coming in. She balanced a bowl of slightly bruised fruit on her yellow notepad. “Where are you going?”
I swooped mascara through my lashes. “The Winter Festival.”
“Oh.” She sounded so disappointed. Setting her stuff on my desk, Mom turned away. “You should take your little cousins. I’ll call their parents.”
I grinned wide and dusted blush on my cheeks. “I can’t, I have a date.”
“What? With who?”
“A nice guy named Harvey.” I danced in my seat.
She eyed my reflection, then drew herself up to full height. “I want to meet him.”
Was she serious? I pushed back from the desk. “Mom, no.”
“Why not?”
“It’s our first date. Most people my age don’t meet each other’s parents until a couple months in," I said.
Mom scoffed. “Anyone worth going out with would want to meet your family, first.”
This was going to take forever.
“Zack met him. They even shook hands,” I said, snagging a piece of fruit and rushing to my escape.
She followed me through the hall as I shoved my boots on. “What do you mean? Zack approved of him?”
In some ways, he did. “They had a good first impression. I’ll call if we’re going to be late.”
She crossed her arms. “I still want to meet him.”
I sighed and flipped my hair out from the confines of my coat. “You will. If and when he becomes my boyfriend, he’ll meet everybody. We’re just going to go on a couple dates, first, before I introduce him to the full realm of chaos that is my life. Love you. Bye.” I yanked the house door shut behind me and bolted for the car, grateful my mother hated the cold. She peeredthrough the blinds, squinting at me, then raised her phone to her ear.
Oh, great. She was probably calling Aunt Coral to verify everything.
I waved, smiling sarcastically.I see you, Mom.I drove to the end of the block, then pulled over to call Zack.
“What?” he asked.
Nice greeting. “I told my mom you approve of my boyfriend.”
“What boyfriend?” He slurped a drink. “Is this the guy that made you cry? Because screw him.”
