“I’m surprised to see you.”
“Me too. I’m still pissed, but you’re my little sister.”
“Disappointing you has been one of the hardest parts of all this.”
He pulls away from me and winks. “You’ll have to make it up to me. There are several nightclubs I want to visit over Christmas break now that you’re eighteen. Also, I’m thinking of a road trip over spring break. Think Nightclubs across America. Oh, and did I mention you’re coming with me?”
I snort, leaving my brother to catch up with Chloe. “I have a new tequila you should try sometime,” he tells her.
“Oh hell no. I’m not over the last time.”
I spend most of the party gossiping with Steph and Madison. My sister won’t stop hitting on Ezra, which I find hilarious. He keeps making excuses to hide from her.
At this point, I haven’t seen my boyfriend in half an hour, and I’m starting to get worried he’ll never reappear, when he suddenly materializes by my shoulder.
“Tease, your present is in the garage.”
“The garage?” I place my hands on his chest. “Did you get me a Vespa?”
“Yes. I got you a Vespa.” He rolls his eyes. “C’mon.”
I go into the garage, where Ezra leads me to a cardboard box. There is a puppy inside.
“Eee!” I squeal. It’s a yellow lab, and he can’t be more than six or seven weeks old. I scoop him up. He fits in my hands, he’s so tiny.
“He’s so cute!”
Ezra smiles his gorgeous grin at me.
“Who’s this?” I ask, accepting the puppy’s kisses.
“He doesn’t have a name yet, so I’ve been calling him Squeaks,” Ezra replies.
I run my fingers through the dog’s yellow fur and clutch him to my heart in a hug. “I love him, but do my parents know? Mom said I can’t have a dog. The carpets!”
The dog is panting, his ears flopping all over the place. He barks a little puppy bark. Aww.
The garage door swings open, and Mom appears. “Taylor Lukens, you can’t just leave your guests to sneak off with Ezra to kiss—” She stops chiding when she sees the puppy.
“Oh, Ezra,” she says with a heavy sigh. “Not again.”
“C’mon, Mrs. Lukens. Isn’t Squeaks the best?”
Mom has always had a hard time saying no to Ezra. I mean, she caved when he gave me a rooster, for God’s sake. She comes over and gives the dog a scratch behind his ears. “He’ll chew my rugs.” The puppy licks her hand, making a smile flit across her face. “He’s awfully cute, Ezra.”
“At least it’s not a goat,” I add. “I would love a baby goat.”
Mom gives me a look.
“So Tee can keep him, right?” Ezra asks.
Mom sighs again. “As long as she takes care of him.”
I lunge for my mother, folding her and Squeaks into a big bear hug. The dog makes a yipping noise. Mom takes the dog into her arms and goes back inside the house, either to show him off to our guests or to show him the rugs and tell him not to chew on them.
“Thank you for Squeaks,” I tell my boyfriend. “I love him. But I bet Mom is going to steal him.”
“No bet. Your mom looks tough, but she’s going to love Squeaks like her fourth child.”
“Where did you get him?”
“From Jack Goodwin’s neighbors, the Whitfields. They breed them. You can go visit the mama dog if you want.” He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out an envelope. “Here’s the rest of your present.”
I rip into the envelope to find a handmade birthday card; he drew a picture of a doghouse for me. I open the card, and little slips of paper fall out. More homemade coupons!
Doughnut holes on me!
I will watch exactly one chick-flick with you.
One free kiss!
“I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you too.”
“I want to cash this one in right now.” I pass him the coupon for the kiss, and when his lips meet mine, this is officially the best birthday ever.
Epilogue
Spring Break
I kiss Mom and Dad good-bye and hug Leo’s neck for the thousandth time this morning. I named my dog after Leonardo da Vinci because I’ve been on a total Renaissance kick. The puppy has grown from a tiny yellow furball that fit in my hands into a fifty-pound wrecking ball that loves romping all over the house. I haven’t been away from him more than a day in the past five months, and now I’m leaving him for a week.
“Don’t worry,” Mom says, taking Leo’s leash. “Leo will Skype with you every day while you’re gone.”
I smile, because that means I’ll get to talk to my parents every day too.
“Be safe,” Dad says. “We love you.”
“I love you too.”
“When you get back, we need to talk about what you’re doing this fall,” Dad adds.
I knew that was coming. He brings it up every single day. I need to decide which school I’m going to by May 1.
I imitate his voice. “When I get back, we need to talk about what you’re doing this fall, Dad.”
“Stop teasing me. I’m working on it.”
After turning over his Senate seat to Harrison Wallace in January, Dad hasn’t gone back to work. He and Mom took me to visit schools in New York, Boston, DC, and Chicago earlier this year, and then they went on a two-week cruise. They relaxed for the first time in forever. Dad even wore a Hawaiian shirt.
Still, I know he’s sad about losing the election.
He hasn’t decided if he wants to take a political appointment in DC or stay in Tennessee to work at Grandpa’s firm. Either way, he loved setting his own agenda when he was in the Senate. He wouldn’t get to do that at the Treasury, where the issues rarely change and it’s all about money. He wouldn’t get to interact with Tennesseans very much either.
Dad talks of running for governor, but I fear I damaged his legacy, and I’ll never get over that. He says he forgives me and that it’s not my responsibility, but still, I know what I did hurt his reelection. I live with that every day.
After giving Leo a final hug, I jog out to my brother’s red convertible. I toss my bag in the open trunk.
“Shotgun,” I tell Ezra.
He grumbles and climbs from the front seat into the back.
“Are you sure about that?” Oliver says. “You really want Jenna sitting in the back with him?”
“Good point.” I crawl over the middle console into the backseat, accidentally kicking Oliver in the side of the face. His sunglasses fall off.
“I swear to God, Tee. I’ll leave you home.”
“Hell no, you won’t,” Ezra replies, draping a protective arm over my shoulders. Being away from him this semester has been difficult, but we’re able to see each other most weekends. Our relationship is stronger than ever, and I know it will survive no matter where I wind up this fall.
Oliver honks the horn three times. “Jenna!”
My sister finally appears at the front door, lugging a suitcase, which she leaves on the stoop for someone else to deal with. She gives Mom and Dad kisses good-bye, then comes out to the car.
Dad helps with the suitcase, which takes up nearly all the room in Oliver’s tiny trunk. Then it’s finally time to go.
“Where to first?” Oliver asks, turning the key in the ignition.