Ten minutes later, Nona was ready for a dinner date with a new client, and she thanked me again for finding her keys.

“Glad to help,” I said from the couch where I was twisting my hair into a braid.

“If you get hungry, there’s leftover rice in the fridge.”

“Thanks, but I won’t need it. Josh is taking me out.”

“Oh, yeah. You have a date. I remember now.” She glanced down at her keys, then gave a sheepish smile. “Guess I have too much on my mind. You and Josh have fun, but it’s a school night so don’t stay out too late.”

“We won’t,” I promised, giving her a hug.

Then she rushed out to her car, and a short while later Josh showed up.

When we’d talked at school about going out, Josh acted all mysterious and wouldn’t tell me what he had planned. He just said to wear outdoor clothes. So the first thing I asked as I fastened the seatbelt in his car was, “Where are we going?”

“Curious?” he asked teasingly, gravel crunching under his tires as he drove down our driveway.

“A little.”

“Only a little?”

“Well … more than a little. Just tell me already. Are we going to play tennis, volleyball, or mini-golf?”

“Nope.” He laughed, and I loved how dimples formed at the corners of his mouth. “Ever toss a Frisbee?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

“So that’s the big mystery?” I asked, a bit disappointed. “Playing Frisbee?”

“It’s who you play with that matters.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me something?”

“Guess you’re psychic,” he said with a laugh.

My face went hot and I glanced quickly out the window. He didn’t seem to notice I wasn’t laughing with him and reached across the seat for my hand. I held on tight, reminding myself this was what I wanted—to be a normal girl out with a cute, popular guy. It didn’t matter that Josh didn’t know all my secrets; in fact, I preferred it that way.

“If it’s okay with you,” he went on, “we’ll grab some deli sandwiches and take them to a park.”

“Sure!” I said a bit too brightly. “But isn’t it kind of late in the day for a picnic?”

“We’ve got almost two hours of daylight.”

“Okay. A picnic sounds great.” I eyed him suspiciously, sure there was more to this than playing Frisbee in the park. But I’d find out soon enough.

Josh popped in a CD and turned up the music. After a quick stop at a deli, instead of heading toward the park by the high school, Josh turned into an upscale subdivision.

“Isn’t this your neighborhood?” I asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah. I have to pick up a surprise at my house. You’re gonna love him.”

“Him?” I asked uncertainly, hoping this wasn’t going to be another double date. “Someone else is going with us?”

“Not exactly someone.” He grinned. “Horse.”

“Oh—your dog!”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “It’s about time you two got to know each other.”

“Cool surprise. I love dogs.”

“Since he’s triple the size of most dogs, there’s more to love.” Josh stepped out of the car, then turned back to me. “Wait here. I’ll only be a sec.”

I watched him go around the side yard and disappear through a gate. I heard exciting barking and smiled to myself, guessing that Josh was being greeted by sloppy doggy kisses. When the gate opened minutes later, Josh was struggling to hold a leash attached to a huge dog that looked like a cross between a golden retriever and an elephant. Josh had only moved a few feet forward when someone called out his name.

Turning sideways in my seat, I spotted Evan Marshall coming over from the house next door. I leaned closer to my open window.

“Hey, Evan,” Josh said, jerking hard on the leash and nearly falling over except Evan lunged forward to steady him. “Thanks.”

“No prob.” Evan slapped him on the shoulder. “So, where’ve you been lately? Haven’t seen you around much.”

“Busy, I guess.” Josh shrugged. “How come you aren’t at practice?”

“Cancelled, because Coach has a dentist appointment. But things are going great.” Evan’s face lit up. “Get this, some college scout is gonna show up at our next game. So we’re totally working our butts off. Getting noticed so early in my career would be huge.”

“Man, that’s great! Good luck.”

“Thanks. So where you and Horse headed?”

“The park.”

“Cool. I don’t have anything else to do, so I’ll come along. Did you bring Horse’s favorite Frisbee? I’m always blown away when he jumps like ten feet and catches it. He’s the greatest dog.”

“Yeah, he is—but the thing is … ” Josh shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the car.

Evan followed his gaze and abruptly stopped smiling. “Oh. I see,” was all he said. But his shoulders slumped like he’d just lost an important game, and I almost felt sorry for him.

“You can still—” Josh started to say.

“No.” Evan frowned and shook his head. “You don’t need me around.”

“But we want you. We can make room in the car.”

“Don’t bother. I got stuff to do anyway.” Then before Josh could protest, Evan turned and strode back to his house.

“Sorry about that,” I told Josh after Horse was settled into the backseat.

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

“I didn’t mean to cause problems for you with Evan.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Josh said casually, but the furrow in his brow showed he was concerned.

“Evan thinks it is.”

“He runs hot and cold. He’ll get over it.”

“I don’t think he approves of me.”

“How could he not? You’re perfect.”

I laughed wryly. “I’m far from perfect. You have no idea.”

“The proper way to accept a compliment is to say ‘thank you.’”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

“See,” Josh said after Horse gave a sharp bark from the back seat. “Even Horse agrees with me, so don’t worry about Evan. He’ll be fine.”

Still, I was worried—not because I cared if Evan liked me. To be honest, I didn’t like him much and would be happy never seeing him again. But I cared about Josh and knew his friendship with Evan meant a lot to him. Growing up together and dealing with the loss of Josh’s brother had created a deep bond. If Evan continued to resent me, it could cause serious problems.

And I wondered …

If it came down to a choice between Evan and me—who would Josh choose?