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Dad scurries off to change his clothes. It’s weird seeing him in such a fuss. I had no clue he wanted to impress Freddy so badly.
Mom quickly sprays the countertop down and then adjusts her pink summer dress. Unlike mine, her dress is long, touching her ankles. My dress stops an inch before my knees.
Mom sniffs under her arms and asks, “Sadie, can you greet him? I forgot to put on deodorant.”
This is all weird. I’m getting anxious because I feel their anxiety. I clear my throat and swing open the front door. I hear his car door slam as I see Savannah rush up our path with detergent and Skittles in her hand.
“Freddy picked me up!” she screeches. “He saw me walking along the road and thought I was you.” Savannah rolls her eyes in disgust as if that’s an insult.
“You’re sixteen. How’s that?” Animatedly, I roll my eyes back at her.
“Because you were sixteen the last time he saw you.” Savannah flies past me inside. “Where’s Dad?”
“Changing. He thought Freddy was coming at seven. Where is he anyway?”
I push open the screen door to step onto the porch. I hear another car door slam, followed by the pattering of men’s shoes. I tuck my hair behind my ear and brace myself against the screen door, holding it open from outside.
Well, holy smokes! I could easily fall on the cement because my breath practically leaves my body when Freddy turns onto our front path. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but I don’t think I am because his hotness gets stronger as he gets closer.
Dark hair with silver flecks, a salt-and-pepper mix that’s never looked so good. His piercing blue eyes jab at me like a heartbeat, and his nose flares as if he’s not sure he’s seeing a real person. Perhaps a sunray just hit his eye.
This guy is fit like a dancer in Magic Mike. I think he’s a couple inches taller than Dad. I’m thinking six foot two. He wears a basic white t-shirt that handsomely clings to his muscles like they have no choice and a pair of light blue jeans that almost match his eye color. With a blue duffel bag in his hands, he clenches it tighter as he moves closer to me.
“Hi, Freddy.”
“Well, hello there.” I can totally tell he doesn’t recognize me. His eyes sear me as if he wants to dissect me. It’s not as uncomfortable as it seems, especially since he says, “Are you Julia’s sister or….”
“Freddy… It’s me, Sadie.”
He shakes his head in disbelief and quickly softens his intense demeanor. “Sadie?”
I nod my head rapidly.
“Oh, wow. Wow. I thought maybe you were one of your mom’s sisters or friends… I’m getting really old, I suppose.”
I open the door for him and wait until he steps inside to embrace him. Our hug is heady: awkward but electric. He smells like fabric softener and shoe polish. The combination makes my head dizzy, almost in a very inappropriate way. Why is Freddy so damn hot?
“Freddy!”
My dad takes over as I step aside to watch them hug each other in a wholesome rocking back and forth.
“Sadie, put the broccoli on for me,” Mom orders.
I obey as the “real adults” play catch-up. As we set up for dinner, I meet Freddy’s eyes often. While I place the plates on the table, Freddy sits on the couch with an observant gaze. It darts into the dining area of our open-concept home, skimming me over. He can’t get over how old I am, and I can’t believe how sexy he is. At least he can verbalize why he keeps staring at me while I have to tame my blunt personality. A part of me wants to scream from the rooftops how much Freddy looks like he once was the classic small-town bad-boy hottie who broke plenty of hearts. Our gazes are almost like magnets because not only do they meet often, but we hold each other’s stare until one of us feels awkward enough to let go.
“I really did think Savannah was you. I thought maybe you dyed your hair blonde.” Freddy looks at my red hair.
“It’s been that long. Sadie’s a grown woman now,” Mom adds.
“Yes, I am.”
“Come on in, guys. Dinner’s ready.” Mom places the sliced whole chicken in the middle of the table.
Uh-oh. I have to sit across from Freddy.
He scans my entire physique before I sit down. This is the first time I’ve felt this self-conscious in a long time. There goes the feeling like I walked out of an Old Navy ad.
“This all looks fantastic, Julia.” Freddy takes his eyes off me to compliment the dining table.
