“I’d love to come for dinner.Thank you.”I try to focus on just him and not Jonathan stiffening beside me.Or my mother conjuring an obligation to keep this from happening.
“This relationship sounds like it’s good for your campaign, doesn’t it, Dad?”I ask him and glance at my mother.“I’m glad you reconnected.”She knows exactly what I mean.It’s my way of declaring,Jonathan’s not going anywhere.That if they’re going to take money from his father, then they can’t keep us apart, even for the length of the campaign.It’s a silent negotiation.
“It is.”My mother smiles stiffly.
And I just won.
What just happened?”Jonathan asks as soon as the doors close behind us.
“I met your parents,” I offer, my heart still racing after boldly defying my parents.There are way too many options to know which part hashimdazed.
He picks me up and spins me in a tight embrace.I let out a small yelp of surprise.“You’re applying to Penn State?”He sets me down and grips my shoulders, like he can’t believe it.His dark eyes gleam with happiness.
I let out a small laugh.“Seriously?After all that?”
“That’s the only thing I care about.”He grins.“Are you doing it because…”
“You’re going?”
He shrugs.
“Maybe… just a little.But itisa great school.It’s not like I’m settling or anything.”
“If you get into Brown—”
I scoff, interrupting him, “It would be because I’m a legacy kid, not because I earned it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m not Ivy material.I promise you.Left that to my brother.”I nod my head toward the valets still standing at attention at the curve of the driveway.“Wanna get out of here?”
“And go where?”
I look up at him with a smirk.“A movie?”
“Dressed like this?”He opens his arms to present his suit.
“Of course.”I’d ask him to wear that suit everywhere if I thought he would.“Not like anyone will notice.”
He smiles, admiring my lacy periwinkle dress with the slit to my knee.“Doubt that.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ihave a love-hate relationship with the mall.
I love it because it’s the best place to get away from our parents and hang out together in the middle of winter.And I hate it because it’s not exactly private.
There are so many people here I know from school—and others from surrounding schools I don’t.Then there are the parents who pretend not to be here so they can keep an eye on their tweens.Forget about the actual shoppers who are in a rush to get in and out, who shoot us annoyed looks for just existing.
“Let’s go to Annie’s for pretzels,” Collin says, swinging the Spencer’s bag around his wrist.
“Can we go to Cinnabon instead?”I ask, not really a pretzel fan.
“Or both.”Collin waggles his brows like he’s a genius.
“Jonathan?”
But we lost Jonathan.Collin and I spin around to find him stopped outside a store.When we backtrack to him, he says, “Let’s go in here.”
