“Uh, yeah. And my parents do nothing to contain that mess. It’s ridiculous the disrespect she shows them, too. Eric is fine. At least for now. All he knows and cares about are sports. My worry is that one day, he’ll wake up and it’ll be other things, and Mom and Dad will be oblivious to it. But Shannon sure responded to you.”
“It’s only because she thinks I’m cool. One day I’ll be a pain in her ass and I’ll have no effect at all.”
“Hey, I’ll take what I can get when I can get it.”
“Does that include another kiss?” He laughs.
Pressing my hand against his chest to stop him, I ask, “What time to we need to be at your house? I don’t want to be late.”
“We’re fine.” He skims his lips over mine right as my mom walks into the room.
“Oh, Drew, before you leave, I wanted to let you know that dinner tomorrow will be at three.” She’s told him twice already.
“Thanks, Mom, I think he’s got it.”
“I’ll be here before then, Mrs. Forbes. I can’t stand to be away from my girl that long.”
My mother actually blushes. For the love of god, will someone just help me here? Then she gushes, “Ah, that’s so sweet, Drew.”
Now it’s my turn to blush, because I’m embarrassed for my mother.
“Okay, Mom, we’ve got to go now. I’ll be back later.” Clamping my fingers around Drew’s bicep, I literally drag him out of the house.
As we’re leaving, I hear Drew calling out, “See you tomorrow Mrs. Forbes.”
Flying into his car, I slam the door closed before he has the chance. He gets in and says, “I think this is becoming a habit here.”
“Oh gawd! My mother, acting like an adolescent … no. Just no.”
“She wasn’t that bad.”
“Yes, she was. She batted her eyelashes at you. Do you have this effect on all women?”
Drew is backing the car up but at my question, he puts the car back in park, turns to me and says, “Cate, I don’t care about the effect I have on all women. I only care about the effect I have on you.”
My heart seriously falls to pieces and liquefies into one big giant puddle of goo. I unbuckle my seat belt and fly across the console straight into his arms. “This is only one of the many reasons why I love you, Drew McKnight.”
“Well, hell, if I’d have known that was all it took to get you to fall for me, I would’ve told you that a long time ago.” His blue eyes twinkle and we both end up laughing. “Now are you gonna get back over to your seat and buckle up so we can go to my parents’, or are we gonna sit in your driveway and make out like a couple of teenagers and entertain your family again?”
I climb back into my seat and say, “I’d like nothing better than to make out, but there’s no way I’m letting my family in for that show.”
“Maybe I’ll have to sneak you up to my room later tonight, and pretend I’m showing you something, like I used to in high school.”
“Oh, is that how you worked it?”
“Yeah, but my parents monitored my time, so I’d have to be quick.”
“Hmm. I’m sure you were.” Then I start thinking about it. “I bet you had a ton of girlfriends in high school,” I tease. “I bet they were all over you, like ants on honey.”
He shrugs and says, “I had my share of them. Except for a few, they were actually more bothersome than anything else.”
Knowing Drew, he was probably too kind to tell them to get lost. “So, did you have a special one?”
“Not really. I went out with Jilly Rivers probably the most, but other than that, just, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“What about you, Cate?”
I shake my head. “None for me. I was the one that had all the guy friends. But I didn’t go out with any of them. I was too busy with school, too.”
He gives me a quick glance and then his eyes are back on the road. “That’s very hard for me to believe. I have this vivid image of dozens of hormone driven boys knocking your door down, trying to get to you.”
“That’s a good one, but far from the truth.”
About this time, we pull into his parents’ driveway. “Oh, no. Aunt Edna beat us here. I was hoping we’d get here first.”
His descriptions of her have me so intrigued, I can’t wait to meet this woman. “I swear Cate, don’t be shocked or surprised by anything that comes out of the woman’s mouth.”
“Drew, look who you’re talking to. I had to warn my dad not to bring up his hemorrhoids to you and my sister drools in your presence, not to mention my mother’s eyelash batting. I live in the house of loons.”
“Oh wait. You haven’t seen loony yet.”