Chapter Forty-Three

Alex

I have no business going anywhere with someone so hot.

“You look—” I begin, after hugging her mom and shaking hands with her father, who is nice to me but also looks like he might want to kill me. I can’t think of a word that fits how Bailey looks. “Like a movie star,” I finally finish.

Hey, that works.

She quirks up her mouth, and her gray eyes turn up at the corners. It did work.

I give her a small bouquet of flowers tied with a white ribbon. My mom said corsages are out and these nosegay things are in.

“Thanks.” She smiles, and all I want to do is kiss her, but then Mr. Banfield will definitely slaughter me in cold blood right here on the kitchen floor. “You ready?”

We’re going back to my house and taking pictures, and then we’re all riding in a party bus to the hotel in Ocala. There’s an after party at someone’s lake house, but we’re not going. My parents lifted my grounding so that I can hang out with Bailey, but that was the limit of their generosity. I’m more excited to have a private after party with Bailey. We’re going back to my house, where Miriam has left us an all-you-can-eat buffet of our favorites.

She leans forward and kisses me on the lips. Her mom is smiling, and her dad looks away. She swipes at my mouth. “Lipstick,” she says. “Let’s go.”

And we do.