The Parent Trap(69)

Casey ducked out of Dex’s embrace.

“Free pizza, man.” Brody slapped him on the shoulder. “Nothing tastes as good as free pizza.”

Henry gave them two thumbs up.

Then Kate chimed in. “Hey, I have an idea. After the dance, why don’t we see if our parents will let us go to Paolo’s? I bet my dad will drive us, or maybe Casey’s mom. We can all chip in for sodas and a couple more pizzas.”

“Sure,” Dex said. “What do you think, Casey?”

She’d come to the dance with Kate, which meant being here with Dex wasn’t a date, it was just hanging out. But if he asked her to go for pizza and she went, would that be a date? Was he asking her on a date?

Casey stole a quick look around the gym and caught sight of her mom. She was standing by the ticket table just inside the entrance and when their gazes met, her mom blew her a two-handed kiss. She should have known her mother would be cool.

“I’ll ask my mom,” Casey said. “She’s one of the chaperones.”

The music started again and Dexter took her hand and pulled her out of the group so they were dancing together, just the two of them. This night couldn’t get any better, she decided, especially if her mom let her go for pizza with her friends. That would be totally great, but she wasn’t ready to ask yet. What if her mom said no? If she was going to be disappointed, she’d rather wait till the dance was over.



AS THE EVENING drew to a close, Jon was wishing he’d brought earplugs. It wasn’t the music he minded; most of it was easy enough to listen to and certainly danceable if the gyrating mass on the dance floor was anything to go by, but the decibel level was a little over the top.

When did you get so old? he asked himself. Kate would probably tell him he’d been born old.

He hadn’t seen her in a while but he knew she was somewhere in the crowd and dancing up a storm with the boy who lived across the street. Sarah had known the kid most of his life and assured him that Henry was a nice boy and a serious student. That was somewhat reassuring, given the behavior of several other students tonight.

Two boys had sneaked outside and were caught smoking in the parking lot. One young couple had been found exchanging saliva in the hallway by their lockers. The worst, though, had been the young girl Sarah had found throwing up in the girls’ washroom. She was obviously inebriated—the evidence had been found in a flask in her handbag—and she had been discreetly escorted outside after her parents were called to pick her up. He hoped she’d learned her lesson and there wouldn’t be a repeat of that incident. The other option was too horrible to even consider. Either way, though, she’d be seeing the school counselor first thing Monday morning, followed by a trip to the vice principal’s office to find out what her punishment would be. He suspected tomorrow’s hangover might suffice, and he hoped the counselor would follow up with the parents, too, and have a little chat about keeping the liquor cabinet under lock and key.

Given all that, he counted his lucky stars that Kate and her friends were having the time of their lives without needing to get into trouble.

He spotted Sarah by the concession table and after she waved at him, he walked over to meet her. She looked really stunning tonight. Sometime between taking care of the cleanup after dinner and driving herself and the girls here for the dance, she had transformed herself into a woman who looked way too young and far too hip to be the mother of a fourteen-year-old. Her slim black slacks were tucked into high tan-colored boots, and her hip-length lime-green top was cinched at the waist with a wide leather belt that matched the boots. Long green-and-gold enamel earrings swung from her ears and as always her hair shone like polished bronze.

She was a smart woman and a caring mother, and he especially appreciated everything she had done for him and Kate. Who knows where they’d be right now if he hadn’t been the beneficiary of Sarah’s insight and sage advice? But the bottom line was that he enjoyed spending time with her and hoped to spend more.

“Quite a night,” she shouted once he was within hearing range.

“Tell me about it. Now you know why we need so many chaperones.”

She gestured at the crowded dance floor. “Compared to all these kids who are behaving themselves and having fun, a handful of troublemakers isn’t a big deal.”

Trust her to take all of this in stride. “I don’t suppose you’d like to have a heart-to-heart with the girl you found in the bathroom.”

“No, I’ll pass on that. Either she’s learned her lesson or she’s going to need more help than I’m qualified to give.”