Chapter 14 #2
The front door creaked open, and Kayla stepped out, smoothing her hair with one hand and slinging her bag over her shoulder. She flashed us all a warm smile. “Thanks for letting me hang out with the kids. They’re sweethearts.”
“Don’t let Lucas fool you,” Sarah teased, fishing a folded bill from her wallet and pressing it into Kayla’s hand. “He’s only sweet when he’s asleep.”
Kayla laughed, cheeks pink, then glanced toward the driveway. Jason was already out of the car, leaning against the hood. When she reached him, he moved quickly to open the passenger door with a little bow, and she swatted his arm, still smiling.
“See you guys soon,” she called over her shoulder before sliding into the car.
Rachel grinned like she knew exactly what was going on and elbowed me as Kayla and Jason disappeared into the dark.
“Well, look at that. Love is in the air. Ugh, maybe one day we single ladies will find someone as nice as Jason.” She said it breezily enough, but I caught the way her eyes flicked—just for a second—toward Ben, holding a bit longer than necessary before she looked away, cheeks faintly pink.
Maggie snorted. “Not in this town.”
And then Lily did what Lily always did—took control of the room like she’d been running it from the start.
She clapped her hands, bright and commanding.
“Okay, listen up. Before we all disappear, we need to talk about prom. Ben’s desperate for chaperones, and I refuse to let ‘desperate math coach’ be the town’s aesthetic.
” She pointed around the circle like she was directing traffic.
“We make a whole night of it. Trust me—it’ll be fun. Legendary, even.”
The girls ate it up. Rachel cheered and clinked her glass against Maggie’s. Sarah nodded and started planning what to wear with Matt. Nate just smirked, clearly amused, and Ben threw his hands up in mock relief.
Then, of course, they all turned to me.
Lily’s eyes locked on mine, her grin wicked. “What about you, Mr. Calloway? Think you can take a break from glowering long enough to help us keep prom from going off the rails?”
For a second, I let myself take her in—hair catching the porch light, cheeks still flushed from laughing, that spark in her eyes daring me to play along.
The thought of seeing her all dressed up at prom, dazzling and untouchable in a room full of people, was almost too much to turn down—and I hated how much I wanted to say yes.
Still, I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. “I’ll… think about it.”
“Translation: yes,” Rachel stage-whispered.
Lily winked, like she’d won. “Perfect. I’ll put you down for crowd control and emergency pep talks.”
The girls moved in around her—Rachel hugging her like a long-lost sister, Sarah squeezing her shoulders, Maggie scribbling her number on a Pictionary card and shoving it into her hand. Lily laughed, pocketing it like a prize. “You’re stuck with us now. No take-backs,” Sarah said.
Lily basked in it, soaking up their affection like she’d been starving for it. And maybe she had. I couldn’t decide if it was real or just another mask she’d learned to wear.
Rachel snatched her keys off the porch rail—then immediately set them back down with a wince. “Yeah, that’s not happening. I’m definitely not driving anywhere tonight. How many margaritas did I have? Guess I’m bunking with you, Sarah.”
“Of course you are,” Sarah said, already gathering up the cups. “Couch is yours.”
Rachel turned to Lily. “What about you, Lily? You need a ride home.”
Lily waved her off with that effortless grin that never seemed to falter. “Please. I’ll figure it out. I’m highly resourceful and only moderately tragic.”
Maggie snorted. “Moderately?”
Before Lily could answer, I heard my own voice cut in, a little too quickly. “She lives by Carol. It’s on my way. I’ll take her.”
Rachel’s grin went feral. “Perfect. Problem solved.”
I tried to play it off, rolling my eyes, shoving my hands deep in my pockets to keep from reaching for her—like maybe if I kept my distance, no one would notice how badly I wanted her to say yes.
But when Lily glanced up and gave me that half-grateful, half-smug smile, something in my chest did a slow, traitorous flip.
She hovered near the steps, throwing her voice back over her shoulder like she was already onstage again. “Same time next week, prom squad?”
The girls cheered, glasses clinking, laughter spilling into the humid dark.
I shook my head, irritated with myself, but my damn eyes kept drifting back to her anyway.
She drove me crazy—every exaggerated laugh, every perfectly timed comment, every bit of city-gloss confidence she wore like armor.
And yet… every once in a while, she’d soften.
Go quiet. Let something real slip through the cracks.
That tiny glimpse of the woman underneath all that sparkle? That was what hooked me. Not that I’d ever admit it.
Offering her a ride should’ve been simple—neighborly, even. But the thought of a few minutes alone with her stirred up a curiosity I didn’t want and sure as hell didn’t need.
As the porch emptied and her laughter spilled into the night, I stayed where I was, annoyed by how hard it suddenly was to look away.