Her hopes and wishes had come true. Luke liked her. Luke hadkissedher. He wanted to be with her.
A smile she could hold back no longer unfurled on her lips. “Okay.”
The door behind them slid open. Allie wasn’t sure who jumped away, but suddenly a cold canyon stretched between them.
“Allie?” Dad called. “You out there, honey?”
“Yeah, Dad. Me and Luke.” Even she heard a new softness in her tone when she spoke his name.
“We’re just, uh, stargazing.” Luke leaned forward, elbows on his knees, putting more space between them. “Want to join us?”
“No, that’s okay. I just had a call and noticed Allie wasn’t in her room.” Her dad took his pediatric duties very seriously. Every parent in his practice had his cell number.
Luke shifted. “She’s safe and sound, sir.”
Dread spread through her veins at his big-brother tone. Her dad said good night and slid the door closed. Did she imagine the new chill in the air? The new distance between Luke and her that had nothing to do with proximity?
Her mind spun. Did Luke think she was too young for him? That her parents would be angry if he wanted to date her? She seemed to wait an eternity for him to speak.
“Listen, Allie...” He turned toward her, his voice rumbling low. “Maybe we should keep this between us for now.”
She searched his face, but darkness hid the answers she sought. “Why?”
“It’s just... this is new and... I don’t want the pressure of your family knowing. I’d rather just keep it between you and me for a while.”
Then he sat back in the chair and cupped her face, his thumb gliding along her cheek, and she could think of little else.
“Our little secret,” he said softly. “All right?”
She wanted to shout the news to the world, but it was a small thing to ask, and right now she only wanted his lips on hers again.
She leaned closer. “Just for now?”
“Just for now.” And then his lips were on hers, and Allie couldn’t think at all.
Christmas break went too fast. She and Luke found bits of time to be together, late at night on the deck or at his house when his mom was gone. They drove around town, looking at Christmas lights, and one night they sat in his car at Murphy’s Park and made out until the windows fogged over.
Sneaking around was kind of fun. But also, Allie longed to tell someone. She confided in her best friend, who’d known about Allie’s long-lived crush on the boy next door.
But before Allie knew it, Luke was headed back to college and said he’d keep in touch. He would come home for spring break, he promised. But that seemed like eons away.
They texted often and talked on the phone when Allie got a quiet moment. In February Luke found out his mom was moving to Florida with her new husband. Allie could tell this troubled Luke. And it worried Allie, too, as he’d no longer have family in Copper Creek. Not that his mom had been much of a parent.
Allie was relieved when he accepted a job at Mitchell Construction for after graduation. He’d move home and assume the mortgage on his mom’s house.
But soon Allie noticed he was texting her less. They went days between phone conversations, and sometimes he didn’t even answer when she called. But it was his last semester, and he wanted to finish well. Allie was proud of him for earning a bachelor’s degree in only three years.
Besides, he’d soon be home for spring break. And she was busy with senior activities, her own grades, and her job at the Mellow Mug. There was little time to sulk as prom approached. Two weeks before the big dance she bought a silver dress that made the most of her curves and complemented the “winter wonderland” theme.
But when she mentioned the dress to Luke on the phone one evening, he went quiet. She hadn’t brought up the prom before now, but he knew it fell during his spring break. She’d assumed . . .
A shudder of dread coursed through her at his sudden silence.
“Who are you going with?” he asked finally.
She blinked as her stomach dove for her feet. “I—I thought I was going with you.”
“Allie...,” he said after a beat.
