“Oh. There he is.” Mom went to the door and pulled it open. “Hi, Miles.”
Miles mumbled a greeting, and I stepped up next to Mom so I could see him. I figured he would look handsome in his tux—and he did, for the record—but the minute I saw him I burst into fits of laughter so painful that I almost doubled over.
Miles just grinned.
Even though I’d forgotten the deal we’d made the night we went shopping, he really had taken it seriously. The suit was black, as expected, but beneath the jacket, his vest and tie were a bright shade of neon orange.
It took a minute for me to get my laughter under control, and by then I had noticed Mrs. Mason standing in our yard, clutching her digital camera.
“My grandma wants to take pictures,” he said sheepishly.
“Oh my God, I almost forgot!” Mom grabbed her cell phone and shooed us out into the yard. “Hi, Mrs. Mason,” she said as she followed us down the steps and onto the grass. “Aren’t they adorable?”
We spent a solid twenty minutes posing in different spots around our two yards, with Mom and Mrs. Mason trying to find the best place to take photos. They positioned us like dolls, telling us where to look and how to stand. Occasionally, they’d jump into the pictures themselves. I was sure they’d taken over a hundred shots before they were interrupted by the buzz of my phone.
I pulled it from my purse and saw that Eden was trying to video chat with me.
I clicked to answer immediately. “Hey,” I said.
Eden’s face appeared on the screen. She was sitting on her bed, and I could see the bottom half of one of her anime wall scrolls on the wall behind her. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and beneath her glasses, I could see dark circles. But she smiled back at me.
“Is Miles already there? Did you see the orange monstrosity?”
“You knew?” I asked.
“He texted me a picture earlier,” she said. “Isn’t it hideous?”
“And perfect,” I said, smiling over at Miles, who had moved so that he could see Eden over my shoulder.
“Well, let me see you guys,” she said. “You know that’s what I’m here for.”
I passed the phone to my mom, who greeted Eden warmly as she backed up away from us and positioned the phone so that Eden could see Miles and me in our prom clothes.
“You two look great,” Eden said once I’d taken the phone back from Mom. “Even with the orange.”
“Thank you. We’re meeting Denny and his date at the school. Wish you were here with us. We miss you.”
“I miss you guys, too.” She smiled and shook her head. “I should let you go. You don’t want to be late.”
“Hold on,” I said. I looked over at Miles. “I’ll be right back. I forgot something in the house.”
He nodded and went to join my mom and his grandmother, who were already examining the pictures on Mom’s phone.
I took my phone inside and shut the door behind me. I hadn’t actually forgotten anything, but I didn’t want to talk to Eden in front of everyone. I hadn’t told Miles yet about what had happened when I visited Eden or what she’d admitted in her letter. I figured she would tell him when she was ready.
“So, how are you?” I asked, sinking down onto my couch.
“Uh … well, Misty and Jenny raided the room. Poured out all the alcohol. So it’s been kind of tough. But for the best, I guess.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“I hope so,” she said. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to coming back to Virgil County in a couple weeks. It’ll be great to have you guys around again. Even if it’s just for the summer before you and Denny leave.”
“We’ll keep in touch,” I promised her.
“I know,” she said. “And Jenny’s already planned her first trip. My parents said she can stay with us over Fourth of July weekend. I’ve warned her that she’ll have to deal with an interrogation from Abuela. I think Jenny’s got an advantage, though. Abuela told me she likes her pink hair.”
“Your family will love her,” I said. “I bet it’ll be a lot of fun. And you know we’ll want to hang out with you guys, too. I have a feeling she and Denny will get along well.”
