“Looks more like a man and less like a boy,” he said, not certain he liked the idea of his daughter dating a guy who looked like he was already in college.
“I know, and getting…um…tall, too. Yup,” she said with a nod before turning to greet a customer.
He would’ve asked about the twinkle in her eyes, but a customer got his attention to ask questions of him about the horse sculpture.
* * * *
Headed to the food booths, Justine Connors walked between her brother Beau and his best friend, Noah Cassidy. Beau was talking with Noah about the trip they were planning after graduation. There was nothing unusual about the conversation, except that instead of being on their periphery as Beau’s kid sister, she was now planted between them. Every so often, Noah would casually touch her shoulder or her arm as he spoke, drawing her into the discussion. Nothing about his demeanor was brotherly and she found herself enjoying that.
She was still trying to process the fact that he’d run the gauntlet to be her date for the prom. Not many boys had been as successful as he’d been, and he’d had to face the three of them. The memory of the way Val and Ransome had joined that scene made her smile.
There was a lull in the conversation and she looked up at him and saw the questioning look on his face. “What? I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.”
Beau chuckled and pointed at the booths surrounding them. “Barbeque, hot dogs, hamburgers, or tacos, sis. Which would you prefer?”
She looked at Noah and he shrugged, so she said, “Tacos.”
Noah pulled out his wallet and tried to hand Beau a couple of bills which he refused to take. While he went off to get them food from the booth, which Cassie Resendez and her son and daughter were currently manning, she and Noah found an empty picnic table to eat at. Her dad would’ve been impressed that Noah hadn’t asked her to contribute to the cost of lunch, not that Beau would’ve allowed it.
While she took a seat, Noah sat on the table top facing her at an angle and said, “So do you want the corsage and limo and all of that?”
“For prom?” she asked, knowing already that was what he meant. “No, that seems stereotypical. I’d prefer to keep it simple. And limos can be really expensive. You should save that money for your trip this summer.”
Noah nodded and shrugged. “Maggie always expected it. I wasn’t sure how you felt about it and didn’t want to make a mistake.”
“I wouldn’t consider it a mistake if you showed up in a stretch limousine. I’m just not…that girl.” And she really didn’t want to hear any more about Maggie. She was actually fighting the need to be everything Maggie wasn’t just to hammer the point home. Over their school years, Maggie had gone out of her way to be threatening to any girl who became friends with Noah.
Noah shook his head, “No, you certainly aren’t that girl.” The smile on his face told her that was a good thing. “Your dad was pretty cool.”
“I appreciate that you understood you’d need to ask him and you didn’t make me feel bad about it. I know some people don’t think it’s cool but I like that my dad is protective.”
“Your brother is pretty protective, too. So…Val and Ransome…” His unspoken question hung in the air.
Justine sat with her elbows on the table and her chin resting in her palms. Uncertain how much he understood about her family, especially her extended family, she decided the best thing to do was plunge ahead. She normally kept family business out of her conversations with friends, but she wanted him to understand. For all she knew, he’d already been informed by Beau.
“Do you remember my Aunt Grace?”
“Of course, I see her occasionally on the weekends that Beau and I work with her husband, Jack.”
“Well, Jack was my next point…”
With a chuckle, Noah ran the back of one finger down the length of her forearm, sending tingles through her body. “I think you’re worrying about how to tell me about Adam and Ethan, but I already know about them.”
Relief washed through her. “That makes this conversation so much easier.”
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Noah said, “Jack’s a great boss. I met Adam on a jobsite once and I saw how they are with her. So, your mom…Man, it feels weird to ask about this.”
Justine giggled. Her mom was one of a kind. “They only got together recently, like in the last few weeks. I think they’ve been in love with each other since high school, though. The four of them are being pretty careful about it right now, because of me and Beau. Mom doesn’t want people giving us a hard time at school or in town.”