"Fine by me." Kyle dived into his cheeseburger and fries. The date had him nervous-what would they talk about for two whole hours? He had a plan for where to take her, but beyond that, he was totally stuck. "Grandpa?"
"Yup?" He barely looked up from his onion rings, but Kyle didn't care. McCallen rings were a religious experience.
"Um, I'm taking this girl out tomorrow."
Grandpa's head whipped up, half a ring dangling from his hand. "Say what?"
Oh, for the love of … "You heard me, old man."
He chuckled. "I was just wondering if maybe I needed a hearing aid after all. So, you're actually taking a girl out-and telling me about it?" He set his onion ring down. "You have my full attention."
"I'll talk fast, because I don't want the blame if your rings are too cold to eat. Anyway, it's this girl from school I was telling you about yesterday."
"Is she pretty? Is she nice? Does she have nice parents? Does she get good grades?"
Kyle laughed. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I knew you'd freak out."
Grandpa held up a hand. "I promise to stop. I'm really proud of you, kid."
"Yeah. About that … I have no idea what to talk to her about for two whole hours."
"Aw, that's easy." Grandpa went back to his onion rings. "What does she like to do for fun?"
Date stupid football players? Run around with a purple-haired sprite? "She likes to dance. I heard her say something about the school musical."
That perked him up. "Which one?"
Kyle shrugged. "How should I know?"
Grandpa rolled his eyes and pointed his onion ring at him. "Maybe ask? Or better yet-ask someone she knows. That way you can surprise her with small talk."
Okay, some of that made a little sense. "I can do that."
"Good. Text the friend, then finish your dinner. We have plans."
Uh-oh. When Grandpa said they had plans, it was definitely smart to worry. Still, Kyle texted Violet, wondering what the old man was up to.
Two minutes later: Oklahoma! Duh-there are posters all over school. Why do you want to know?
He frowned at his phone. What would she believe? Because I need to know some things about Faith if anybody on the team asks me about her. Duh.
She sent an emoji with its tongue wagging out, and that was the last he heard. "She's in Oklahoma! If I had to guess, she'll be the lead."
"Perfect!" Grandpa crumbled his sandwich wrapper and tossed into the paper sack. "Finish your dinner, then come to my den."
Kyle did as he asked, grumbling the whole time, then went to Grandpa's den-a wood-paneled man cave with well-worn leather furniture, a two-month-old flat-screen TV, and a sixty-year-old vinyl collection. Kyle had always loved this room. Leather couches so old and soft they were nearly falling apart. A dartboard, complete with holes in the wall from when he was little and couldn't hit the target. Tin signs, collected from flea markets and yard sales, going back to the 1920s. This part of the house didn't feel like the rest, which meant it didn't look like it belonged in a ten-thousand-square-foot home in The Hills subdivision. Maybe that's why Kyle loved it-the room was real. Lived-in.
Honest.
A guy started singing, startling him out of his thoughts. A cowboy in a shirt too clean to make him legit was singing something about corn and elephant's eyes. "Oh, don't tell me … "
"Yep, this one's a doozy. Oklahoma! looks innocent, but there's a lot of innuendo. We're going to watch the whole thing." Grandpa had a twinkle in his eyes. "That way, you can speak intelligently about the most important thing on this young lady's mind. She'll love it. I promise."
Kyle settled onto the couch. "Part of me wonders if we're doing this so you can torture me."
"And you'd be right." Grandpa grinned at him. "But I'm right about the other thing, too."
"Okay." As he watched, a grandma traded barbs with the cowboy, then a pretty blond girl came out of the farmhouse and started singing with them. "Is that the lead?"
"Yeah, that's Laurey. That'll be your girl's part." Grandpa squeezed his shoulder. "I thought you might run out on me as soon it started. You must like this girl a lot to endure watching a whole musical with me."
Kyle stared at his hands, remembering the way he felt standing close to Faith at the nursery. Like he'd been electrified. Like the only thing that mattered was making her happy. "You know what? I think I might."
Chapter Eighteen
Faith
He asked me out. He asked me out? Faith couldn't decide if it was a statement or a question. It sure seemed like he asked her out, discussing curfew and a surprise, but should she assume that?
Because she sure wanted to.
Kyle, who had a habit of being frustrating as hell, seemed genuinely interested in her, not just as a girl or an assignment, but as a person. A few hours ago she wouldn't have thought that, but things had become a lot clearer after he asked her out (did he?). She didn't know how she knew, but the way he looked at her mattered. Cameron's gaze had always been predatory, possessive. Kyle's was surprisingly shy, but also like he wanted to understand what made her tick. It made her feel … things she probably shouldn't be feeling if she wasn't sure if his surprise was a date or not.
God, why did this guy have her so confused? She barely knew him.
In fact, she wasn't sure she knew him at all. This whole day did nothing but contradict everything she'd ever heard about him. She knew he wore black T-shirts and hoodies with the hood up and earbuds in to school, but what about the rest of it? The smoking? She was sure that was a rumor someone made up for no reason, but why would he let that rumor linger? She'd quash it in a second if someone said that about her.
Except … wasn't she was doing the same thing to get back at Cameron? Yeah, maybe she didn't have the right to question anything.
Her stomach had been in knots since Kyle left, and she couldn't stand the tug anymore. She picked up her phone and dialed Vi, blurting out, "I think Kyle asked me out," before Vi could say anything.
There was a long pause. "Hmm. Interesting. Did you say yes?"
"Well, yeah. I was so shocked by the whole thing, I just kind of nodded like a doofus before I could really think it over."
"I'm proud of you. Getting back on the horse so soon." Vi's laugh was wicked. "Or on something else. Kyle looks like he'd be nice to straddle."
Faith flushed all over, trying to block the image from stamping itself across her brain. Losing battle, that. "Vi!"
"Oh, come on. What if the best revenge isn't just a rumor? I like Kyle for you. Every girl should have one bad boy in her life."
"That's just it. I'm not sure he really is bad. I mean, the whole smoking rumor? I haven't seen him smoke once while he's been working over here. And I don't smell cigarettes on his clothes or in his car."
"Maybe he quit?"
"Or maybe he never started." Faith sighed. "He's a puzzle."
"That makes it even better. Hot body, sexy car, mysterious past-what more could you want in a guy?"
Answers. "Guess I'll find out."
Once Vi told her exactly what to wear, she ended the call and went downstairs. A pot of chicken chili bubbled on the stove, filling the kitchen with the scent of chipotle. Her knotted stomach relaxed, letting out a small growl. Her mom's cooking had that effect on even the most stubborn butterflies.
She gave the chili a stir. Where was everyone? "Mom?"
"Out here!"
She rounded the corner to the screened-in porch. Mom was sitting in her favorite chair, a mug of coffee in hand, staring out at the backyard. "He really does beautiful work, doesn't he?"
Faith turned and drew in a sharp breath. Working with Kyle, she'd only really looked at the details-plant this flat of flowers here, arrange this ground cover there. But now she saw the whole backyard. Sure, it wasn't done: dirt mounds lined the back of the fence and the grass was still patchy, turning brown where he'd sprayed it with something to make it easier to pull up. The parts he'd finished, though, were perfect. The little flower garden on the right side of the yard, setting off the new bushes, added color against the fence. And the little copse of azaleas was a riot of pinks, reds, and whites. There was even an antique metal garden table and chair she didn't recognize. She had no idea where they came from, but they added a little touch of old-style romance to the flower side of the fence.
She covered her mouth with her hand. It was gorgeous. "When we bought all those plants this morning, I had no idea it would look like this. He's really good."
Mom gave her a sly look. "Yes, he is. And we're robbing the kid blind. He's charging me half of what a landscaping company would." She chuckled. "I'll have to make sure to throw in a good bonus."
"I think he'd like that, but it's more that he enjoys the work." Faith settled on the old sofa next to Mom. It was almost unreal how good Kyle's eye was for color and design. "He really loves it."
Mom shot her a sidelong glance. "You sure seem to know him well for having just met him. Anything I need to know about?"
Faith dropped her gaze to her hands. A little dirt was still stuck under one of her nails. "He, uh, kind of asked me out today."