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Jordy smiles big enough to reveal his missing front teeth. “I love them, but our mom is allergic.”
“Well, you can come visit Buddy any time you want.”
“Really?”
Buddy’s tongue attacks Jordy’s face, and Jordy squeals, bouncing back. He wipes the saliva off his face with his sleeve.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he says, scooting back to Buddy. This time, he tilts his head away, already preparing for another ambush. “I think he likes me.”
I’ve never seen Jordy this relaxed before. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him smile like this either. It’s refreshing.
“I think you’re right.”
He tries to mask his grin, but he can’t seem to turn down the corners of his mouth.
I start to pass him. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re ready. We can start the cookies and go over your math while they’re cooking.”
Mom found the butter and added a couple more ingredients to our pile on the counter. Now, she’s pulling a big yellow mixing bowl out of our deep black hole of a drawer.
The color is almost bright enough to compete with the curtains.
“Hi, Mrs. Jacobs,” Jordy says, rushing up behind me. He straightens his clothes and resorts back to his neutral expression. “I came for the cookies.”
She places the mixing bowl on the counter. “It’s good to see you. Go wash your hands, and you can do the mixing.”
He puts his notebook on the counter and runs over to the sink, rolling up his sleeves. He squirts the soap into his palm and rubs his hands together until suds cover them.
“So, you must love cookies,” Mom says, handing Jordy a towel to dry his hands.
“Everyone loves cookies,” I say.
Jordy shakes his head. “That’s not true. Caleb doesn’t. He never eats more than one bite.”
“I knew he couldn’t be perfect,” I say.
Jordy narrows his eyes, scrunching his eyebrows together. “I could’ve told you that.”
“Oh really?”
“Not liking cookies is just the beginning. He hangs his towel up crooked after he takes showers. He leaves his things all over the house. And he never remembers to lock the car. I don’t know why you agreed to go on a date with him.”
Mom gasps.
My eyes grow big. “Jordy!”
He cups a hand over his mouth, muffling his apology.
Mom spins me around by the shoulders, smiling from ear to ear. “You’re dating, Caleb?” She pinches my cheek. “Since when did my baby girl grow up?”
I squirm free, rubbing my cheek. “It’s not like that. I mean I—”
“I bet you weren’t working on a project the other night. You two were on a date.” She swipes her forehead in relief. “Here I was worried that you didn’t weren’t spending time with anyone, and the whole time, you were dating right under my nose. I don’t know how I didn’t notice. We should have him over for dinner soon. We could have the whole family.”
That is quite possibly the worst idea in human history. If Mrs. Park knew about the dates, I could bet I can kiss my ride to school goodbye for good.
My cheeks burn red. “Whoa, slow down.”
