My only hope was to have my parents ban me from going to the semi, and it had almost worked. Mom had freaked because the dance was the night before the audition. But as soon as she said that, my dad had been like, “Lily needs to go.”
I mean, yeah, great, because that meant he’d accepted I wasn’t going to the audition, but man! I didn’t want to deal with that after-party! But it wasn’t like I could say no. I mean, I’d barely ditched my loser rep. If I bailed on the party, then I’d be right back to loserdom again.
And Rafe. Ugh. I couldn’t deal with seeing him. Total embarrassment.
I’d thought about canceling our Tuesday night not-date date. I even picked up the phone to call him once.
But in the end, I couldn’t. And it wasn’t just the date. It was the thought of his promise that music could be fun. I had to know if he was right.
Rafe was five minutes early. I saw his Jeep pull up while I was putting in my earrings. I almost stabbed myself in the cheek when I heard the music blasting from his speakers as he drove up. He’d actually showed up! I raced down the stairs and yanked the door open just as he was raising his hand to knock. He looked startled as I flung the door open and leapt in front of him.
Crud. Now he knew I was watching for him! I blinked in feigned surprise. “Rafe? I was just going outside to check the mail. Is it time already?”
He nodded, his eyes scanning my cute outfit that I’d spent three hours picking out. A short skirt, my Uggs, and a black top that showed off my sunburn from the pool party and my navel ring. His gaze lingered on my stomach for an instant, and I felt myself heat up.
“Belly button ring?” he asked. “You don’t seem the type.”
Oh... I was so going to melt under that thoughtful look. He looked so hot in a pair of jeans, a black tee shirt and black boots. He was wearing a leather jacket, and his hair was a little messy. He was also wearing a knotted leather necklace with a metal horseshoe on it that was so hot. My parents would freak. He looked bad boy all the way. I grinned. “Don’t tell my parents about my belly button ring.”
He raised an eyebrow, contemplating me as if he were seeing me for the first time. “They don’t know?”
“Nope.” I tied a sweater around my waist. “See? It’s hidden.”
He grinned. “Such a rebel.”
“Hey, you told me to blow off adults, right?”
He gave me a long look, like he was trying to figure out how Lily the classical pianist was wearing jewelry in her navel. “Mmm...”
“Mom!” I shouted, feeling a little self-conscious about how intently Rafe was studying me. “Rafe’s here! We’re leaving!”
“Hang on!” A pot clanged in the kitchen, and then my mom walked out, wiping her hands on her jeans. My dad was right behind her. Mom eyed Rafe, her gaze sweeping over his outfit. “So, you’re Miss Jespersen’s nephew.” She sounded skeptical. Why not? He didn’t exactly look like he had Crusty’s uptight blood running through his veins.
“Yes, ma’am.” He shook her hand, and then my dad’s. “Rafe Turner. Nice to meet you both. I won’t keep Lily out too late, and I have a cell phone with me if you need to reach us. I can leave the number if you like.”
My dad raised his brows at me, and I felt my cheeks heat up. Rafe was acting like the perfect date. Like he was trying to impress my parents.
My mom’s face softened and she smiled. “Yes, a phone number would be great.”
“No problem.” He took a pen and paper from my dad and jotted it down. “The show goes until ten, so we should be back by ten thirty. Is that all right?”
Show? What show? We were going to a show?
My mom frowned. “It’s a little late for a school night.”
“What show?” my dad asked.
Rafe grinned, flashing me a wicked look. “We’re going to a piano bar.”
I frowned. “What’s a piano bar?” It sounded awful. “Does everyone sit around drinking pianos and talking about how many different kinds there are or something?” Honestly, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what a piano bar would be.
Rafe winked at me. “It’s a surprise. Don’t worry. You’ll like it.”
I couldn’t keep the grimace off my face. “I don’t know—”
“Oh, go on, Lily. Trust Rafe.” My dad put his arm around my mom, a smug smile on his face. “Have fun.”
I narrowed my eyes at my dad. What did he know that I didn’t? “Dad—”
“We’ll have a great time, thanks.” Rafe shook their hands again and then held the door for me, just like he might if we were on a real date.