“She thinks we’re a couple though, doesn’t she?”
Adam flushed red and cleared his throat. “Um, she sort of knows about the whole fake-picture thing.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you made it this long before telling her. You’re kind of a mama’s boy, Adam.”
“It just came up. She still likes seeing the pictures of us even if we’re just...whatever.”
“Just whatever?” I batted my eyelashes at him. “This is officially the most romantic way a boy’s ever asked me to a dance.”
His flush began to recede. “I was trying to say that my mom’s not going to expect me to maul you in front of her if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“So we’re clear, I’m going to pass on the mauling entirely even when she’s not watching.”
Adam started to smile. “That sounds like a yes...”
“Because it is.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I’ll go with you.”
Adam grinned full out, sending warmth humming through me.
“You look surprised.”
“I figured you’d say no.”
“Adam, how many times do I have to tell you, I’m only alittleembarrassed to be seen in public with you. Plus the dance is going to be at night, so...”
“Be sure to say stuff like that to my mom. She’ll think you’re more of an angel than she already does.”
“That’s a new one for me.”
“To be clear,angelis the word she uses because she hasn’t met you.”
“And what word would you use?”
“Jolene.”
“Hmm.” The way he said my name, all slow and confident, made me shiver in such a delicious way.
“So back to the dance. Maybe a little mauling?”
“That’s a firm no.”
“Wait till you see my suit,” he said, stretching and folding his arms behind his head. “We’ll see who wants a little mauling then.”
“Wait till you see my dress,” I said. “They put sharks on anything these days.”
ADAM
The suit I owned was too small, like the-pants-were-halfway-up-my-calves too small.
I slid into the hallway to show Mom on Sunday night. “That’s not gonna work,” she said. “You’ll freeze to death.”
I extended my arms stiffly at my sides. The fabric was so tight that when I tried to bend my elbow, the seams started to pop. “Yeah,that’sthe problem with this suit. It’s not warm enough.”
“I didn’t think you’d grown this much. Jeremy can still wear his suit from your cousin Becky’s wedding.”
