“I see,” Dad began, using his lawyer voice, and not in a good way. “You two made plans when you knew we still hadn’t decided on your punishment and you might be grounded?”
I shrugged. “We figured since you invited us to go out for ice cream after the game, we weren’t grounded.” I smiled hopefully. “You ought to let us off with time served.”
“I wouldn’t count on that sentence,” he said. “Where did you plan on going for this first date?” Of course he asked that. Dad treated every date like it was a mission briefing. Time. Place. Exit strategy. Background of the boy in question.
I had no answer. Cooper and I should have gone over more details before I rolled this story out. I shrugged again, trying not to squirm. “I don’t know. He wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Sounds like he’s full of surprises,” Dad said.
Ms. Nash clicked her tongue. “He certainly is today.”
“He is,” I agreed and tried to look smitten by this fact.
Dad glanced at me again, his expression unreadable, which was somehow worse than readable. “I need to take Nicole home. I’ll talk to you when I come back.”
The two of them strolled toward the door to the garage, heads bent toward each other as they spoke in hushed voices.
That had not gone as well as I’d planned. The moment they were gone, I called Cooper. I didn’t even bother saying hello, just, “Here’s the latest update to our story.”
I gave him a rundown of the conversation with our parents so he’d know what his mother was talking about when she asked him where he wanted to take me Friday night. “I hopeit’s somewhere nice,” I said brightly. “Wherever it is, we’ll need to get our story straight after we pretend to go there in case our parents ask about it.”
“I’ve had a secret crush on you for years?” He let out a disbelieving huff. “Why did I trust you to do this right?”
Whatever. He probably thought the idea of him liking me was impossible. “You could have worse secrets, you know. Don’t tempt me to invent some to tell her later. Also, what did you say to your mother about me that made her so disbelieving that you could have a crush on me?”
“Nothing. Maybe you’re just not as good an actress as you think.”
Doubtful. I knew how to act like I was in love. “My Juliet brought people to tears. The problem must be with you, Romeo.”
“Speaking of doomed romances, don’t expect flowers.”
“I’m not. That was the point of asking your mom to tell younotto buy them for me. Easiest instructions ever. Now, where do you want to go for our first date?” I thought of a steak restaurant that was good. “How about the Fire Grill? You strike me as the sort who likes eating a lot of red meat.”
“Do you know what that place runs?”
“Yeah, and I’m worth it, especially since we’re not really going. You had the New York strip. I had the cilantro grilled chicken. It was delicious, and now it will always be our place.”
“Why would you order chicken at a ... Our parents just pulled up.” Cooper didn’t say anything else for a moment.
I wasn’t sure why I held my breath, waiting, but I did.
“He’s walking her to our door. Does this mean he’s coming inside?”
I hadn’t had enough time to prepare Cooper. He could blow the whole thing if he folded under my father’s scrutiny. My dadcould cross-examine a saint into confessing. “Remember to act natural. Take deep breaths and channel a time when you were in love.”
“I don’t need acting lessons.”
I paced across the kitchen. “You sort of do, though. I mean, even when you dated Layla, you didn’t seem all that into her. And if I’m being honest, ditto for Amber, Stephanie, and whoever came before that.”
He sputtered something under his breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, that’s part of the problem. You have to sell this so well that your mother worries about us. You need to pretend like I’m more than just another addition to your line of trophy girlfriends.”
More sputtering and his voice went low. “Do you even know how to have a conversation without insulting people? Maybe I should take this opportunity to divulge some ofyoursecrets to our parents.”
“Don’t do that.”
Loudly, he said, “I think you should aim higher than a career as an amusement park princess. I mean, sure, you might get lucky and be cast as Cinderella, but you might also get stuck in the parade as one of the singing mice. Don’t give up on college so easily.”
