I was at war with myself, knowing how badly I wanted to impress Cleo, yet not wanting to use money I was sure Mom and Dad had saved for a night for themselves. “What about you and Dad?”
Her eyebrows rose, wiggling slightly. “Why do you think I want you out of the house so badly?”
I groaned, slapping a hand over my face. “Mom…”
I heard Dad’s chuckle in the background as she looked me up and down. “Now that that’s settled… What areyougoing to wear?”
I shiftedon my feet nervously as I stood in front of the Hayes’ front door. There was a bouquet of wildflowers in hand. Mom helped me put it together while I got ready. The floral stuff was kind of her thing. She worked at a local flower shop on weekends and had a large flower garden in our backyard. When I’d told her Cleo liked blue and her favorite flower was daisies, she said she had just the arrangement in mind. It wasn’t fancy, but she’d found a pretty blue ribbon to tie around the stems to keep everything intact.
For the briefest moment, I worried Cleo would look down on a homemade bouquet. She didn’t seem like the type, especially not when she was out there sweating her ass off with the rest of the hands. Still, she came from a life of comfort, while I’d never experienced that kind of luxury in my life.
I rapped my knuckles against the wood, taking off my hat when I heard someone yell, “Coming!”
The door swung open, revealing an older woman who must’ve been Cleo’s mom. They looked a lot alike, except for the eyes. Cleo’s eyes were dark and shimmered like sapphires beneath the Texas sky. It’d been nearly impossible to ignore, especially not when they’d grown so wide during our conversations.
I smiled, dipping my chin in greeting. “Evening, ma’am. I’m here to pick Cleo up for our date.”
Her mom fought a smile as she ushered me inside. “Comeon in outta the heat! It’s stifling,” she said, stepping out of the way. “I think she’s almost ready?—”
“I’m here!”
I glanced up as Cleo rounded the corner and stopped sharply in front of us. If I thought she was pretty in nearly one-hundred-degree heat and covered in sweat, nothing could’ve prepared me for how beautiful she was all done up.
She was wearing a pale blue dress with little wildflowers all over it. It stopped just below her knees, and there were thin straps over her shoulders holding it in place. I couldn’t help but slowly drop my gaze, noticing her toned, tanned skin and freshly painted toenails that matched her dress. The front of her hair was pulled out of her face, but it flowed down her back in soft waves.
Holy shit. She was beautiful.
A sweet pink hue filled her cheeks as she broke eye contact and looked at the floor. “Sorry to keep you waiting?—”
“I just got here,” I said, cutting her off. There was an awkward beat of silence before I remembered the bouquet clutched in my hand. “These are for you. I know you said you loved daisies, so my mom made sure there were a couple in there for you. I’m not sure what the others are, but I could find out for you?”
Cleo’s face broke out in a big smile as she took the flowers from my hand and brought the petals near her nose and inhaled their sweet scent. “They’re lovely,” she whispered. “You made this?”
I scratched the back of my neck, not wanting to lie. “My mom, actually. She works at one of the flower shops in town and has her own garden, so she helped me throw something together.” When she didn’t say anything more, I panicked and started to ramble. “It’s okay if you don’t really like them. It’s just all we had, and the flower shop was already closed?—”
“I think they’re beautiful, Grady. This is so thoughtful,” she said, turning to her mom. “Do we have a vase to put them in?”
“We should have one or two lying around somewhere,” her mom said, giving me a wink before taking the flowers from Cleo. “I’ll take care of this. You kids go have fun, now.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Cleo said, readjusting her purse strap over her shoulder. She walked to my side, still smelling like the flowers from the bouquet. There was the softest hint of something sweet beneath it all. Vanilla, maybe?
“Don’t forget curfew,” her mom called over her shoulder.
Cleo winced slightly. “Yes, Mom. I know,” she said through gritted teeth. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times they’d had the conversation. My parents didn’t care much when I came home so long as I didn’t wake them up coming through the door, and I was in bed before the sun rose the next morning.
“Alrighty then.” Her mom smiled, waving at me over the top of her daughter’s head. “Don’t get into too much trouble!”
The look Cleo gave me said she was itching to get out of here. So was I, but probably not for the same reasons. Mine were purely selfish. I couldn’t wait to be alone with her, even though I’d likely need to loosen her up to get her talking. Every bit of her was rigid and stiff, like she didn’t know how to act or what to do.
She was nervous, which was so damn cute. Honestly, there wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t.
I moved, gesturing for her to step into the balmy summer night. My hand found her back on instinct as we walked, guiding her to the passenger side of my truck. She faltered slightly, looking at me beneath furrowed brows as I reached across and opened it for her.
“I can get it, you know,” she said, climbing inside. She wrapped her fingers around the handle and tried to pull it closed, but I held it in place until she looked up at me. “What’re you doing?”
I kept my eyes locked on hers as I slowly let the door close. The window was open, so I braced my elbows in the empty space. That damn sweet floral scent wrapped around her must’ve been getting to my head because I couldn’t stop myself from leaning forward.
“I know this is your first date and all,” I said, smirking as her lips pursed tightly. “But let me tell you how this is gonna go. If there’s a door that needs opening, I’m gonna do it for you. When it comes time for dinner, I’m gonna pay the bill. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll be lucky enough to give you a kiss if you want one at the end of the night.”
