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“Come on. My parents want to take pictures before we leave, and the limo just pulled up,” Greer says.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett spend the next ten minutes making us pose in front of the fireplace so they can take pictures from every angle. I smile through it all, but the entire time, I’m wondering where Dane is. He said he couldn’t wait to see my dress. Had he meant it? Or had he just said it to say it?
“Okay, okay, we won’t keep you. Go, have fun. Be home by midnight!” Mrs. Bennett says as she pushes us outside.
We’re about to get into the limo when Dane appears in the driveway, using a cloth to wipe his hands clean. His gaze lands on me first, and I swear the corners of his mouth twitch as if he’s fighting a smile. Does he like what he sees?
His boots crunch over the gravel as he comes over to us. A shiver works its way up my spine. He smiles at Greer, then turns his attention to me.
“You both look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” we say in unison.
“Do you girls have enough money for dinner?”
With the money he gave me, I have plenty for dinner. I still can’t believe he handed me those bills like they meant nothing to him.
“Yes, we have plenty. Thanks, Dane. We should get going. We have a reservation,” Greer answers.
He eyes us for a second and sighs. “Okay. But listen. No taking drinks from strangers. Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t get into cars with anyone you don’t know. If you go to a party afterward, stick together and don’t drink out of a punch bowl. Bottled drinks only that you open yourself. Call me if you need anything. Understand?”
Greer lets out a huff but I, on the other hand, squeeze my thighs together. Dane Bennett gave me rules. Rules he expects me to follow. I mean, sure, he probably means them mostly for his sister, but still. I feel like a Little girl.
“Daddy! Come on. We’re going to be late for dinner if you don’t finish this soon.”
Our eyes snap to the figure who’s walking down the driveway toward us. Skinny, long legs, tan, hair that looks like it was spun from gold. The total opposite of me. And…holy fuck, did she call him Daddy? The man I’ve been crushing over for years. The man who threatened to put me over his knee earlier this week. The one who kissed the top of my head. The one whom I fantasize about every night before I go to bed. With one look at the goddess coming toward us, I realize I’m a complete fool. A man like Dane would never want someone like me.
DANE
I saw the look in her eyes when Charity came out of the garage and called me Daddy. Pain. I’ve always known Summer had a crush on me. Most of my sister’s friends have had crushes on both me and Nash over the years. But I also know I’m not leaving Pine Hollow. This is my home. I belong here. And Summer Pierce needs to get as far away from this town as soon as possible after she graduates. She needs to become her own person and live a life she’s never had the chance to live before. Not only that, but she’s barely eighteen. I’m twenty-three. There’s no fucking way I’m getting involved with someone so young. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sick fuck in a lot of ways. I’ve had filthy thoughts about her, but I’m not about to lock down an eighteen-year-old who has barely had any time to live real life. She deserves better than a mechanic in a small town. I see her potential. I see who she could become. There’s no way I’m holding her back from all that.
Which is the reason I’m standing outside her house, waiting for the limo to drop the girls back home. I need to explain my reasons to her. I don’t know why, but I do. So here I am. To clear the air.
She took my breath away in that dress. Gorgeous didn’t come close to doing her justice. Maybe if I wasn’t just a mechanic, I’d know a word to describe how precious she looked, but that only proves my point. She deserves better than me.
The limo pulls up in front of my parents’ house. I watch from the shadow of a tree in her yard as Summer and my sister hug each other and part ways. Greer is already in the house before Summer reaches my hiding place.
“Summer,” I whisper.
She screeches and claps her hand over her chest. “Jesus, Dane! What are you doing? You scared the shit out of me.”
I raise my eyebrows and tilt my head. “No swearing.”
Her eyes narrow. “You swear all the time.”
She has a point. I do. It’s a bad habit. When you work on broken-down cars all day, you come up with some colorful words to say when things aren’t going the way you want them.
“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask, ignoring her comment.
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “Did you have fun with, uh, that girl?”
I shrug. “It was fine. You didn’t look happy to see her with me.”
Summer stares at me with unreadable eyes. Then her bottom lip trembles. I feel like an asshole.
“If you like her, that’s what matters,” she finally says.
“Summer,” I begin, “I know you like me. And I’m flattered. But you deserve better than someone like me. You deserve to get out of this town. Go to college. Meet some brilliant guy who makes a ton of money and treats you like a princess.”
