“Your hair smells like apples,” she said. More quietly than she meant to.
“Hmm,” he said, acknowledging her in his usual begrudging way.
Shiloh had been teasing Cary much less since she found out that he had a girlfriend. Not that the teasing would beinappropriatenow... ordisallowed...
But Shiloh had always felt like Cary was sort of her territory. The teasing had been part of their whole thing. The Shiloh-and-Cary of it all.
It was different now—pulling his hair, poking him, leaning on him—knowing that he was very officially someoneelse’sterritory. Someone who hadintentions.
Shiloh didn’t have intentions.
“There,” Cary said, standing up. The corsage was pinned neatly to Shiloh’s dress.
“Wait,” she said, before he could back away.
Shiloh had slipped the silk calla lily into her purse. She pulled it back out now, un-squashing it, and reached for Cary’s chest. “Does this go on your collar? Or to the side?”
He tucked his chin down to see what she was doing. “Oh. You don’t have to—”
“I want to. Do you not want me to?”
He lowered an eyebrow at her. “Do youcarewhether I want you to?”
She let her hand drop. She shrugged. “I mean... yeah.”
“On the lapel,” he said. “Just below the bow tie but above the pocket.”
“Which side?”
“Over the heart.”
Shiloh reached up to her left.
“My other heart.”
“Right.” She smiled and shifted the flower over. It took her a second to get it attached. Cary kept his head bent to watch, probably worried she’d stab him. His hair was in her face again. “You still smell like apples.”
“Hmm.”
“Where do you put the flower when you’re wearing all your ROTC medals?”
“No boutonnieres in uniform.”
Shiloh nodded. She twisted the last pin back through his collar.There.The lily was a little bit crooked, but it looked good... It lookedreallygood, actually. It classed up the tux.
She patted the flower gently. “Nice.”
Cary stepped away from her then. He opened the porch door for her, and Shiloh started down the steps.
“Don’t break your neck,” he said, taking her arm.
“I’m fine. Don’t I look fine?”
“You’re walking like the Tin Man before Dorothy oils him.”
“I’mfine,” she said, letting him steady her.
They made it to the bottom of her steps, and Mikey got out of the car. “Hey, Shiloh, you look like somebody fromBlade Runner.”
