The next morning, I get up fairly early and am pouring myself a cup of the coffee that Phillip makes me every morning before he leaves.
He is such a morning boy.
Lori comes out of Danny’s room and joins me in the kitchen.
“So, do I finally get to see this ring?”
“See it? I thought you helped design it.”
“Yeah, well, see if I ever help him with anything again. He wouldn’t let me see it when it was finished. He said you had to be the first one to look at it.”
“Really?” she says, all flushed and happy.
She holds her left hand out to show me. I notice she has already perfected the pose of the engaged.
And wow! The ring sure did turn out beautifully. It’s perfect for her.
“How did you know I’ve always wanted a marquise cut diamond? I don’t remember us ever talking about it,” she says while putting two pieces of bread in the toaster.
“We didn’t. Danny bought the diamond on his own. Did he know that’s what you wanted, or did he buy it because it’s the diamond shape that looks most like a football?”
“Well, I might have mentioned it once in passing now that I think about it.”
“I only got to help with the setting.”
“Really?” she says again.
I don’t think she can believe that Danny did all of this himself.
Really, neither can I.
He’s usually not so romantic. I guess he’s never had to be that way. I suppose you don’t have to work too hard to romance girls when they are throwing themselves at your feet. Still, it’s good to know that a guy can be romantic when he finds the right girl.
Maybe there is hope for me.
Sadly, one of the guys who tried to “romance” me this week thought saying, “Hey, wanna get drunk and hook up?” was romantic.
Even sadder, I actually considered it.
So, maybe not.
Somewhere, my prince is waiting.
Ha!
Actually, I don’t think he’s waiting. I think he’s hiding from me.
But back to Lori.
“You know, Lori, other than helping with the setting, all I did was tell him about the ceremony. Well, that, and make the candle. Phillip got some pledge to deliver it.”
“I knew I was right about you.” She laughs and then takes a bite of her toast.
“Honestly,” I say over my coffee cup, “I was a bit worried about him getting the football players to do the serenading. Afraid it might be terribly pathetic or totally cheesy. I have to say, I was floored to see the whole fricking marching band there. So, what do you think?” I grin. “Was it worth the wait?”
“Yeah.” She smiles to herself, dreamily remembering last night. “It was definitely worth the wait. Could you believe all that?”
“Not really. Oh God, what kind of wedding are you gonna have? How in the world will you top last night?”
“Actually, there is something we wanted to talk to you and Phillip about. Danny and I decided last night that, with him having to report to training camp soon, we’re just going to get married on a beach somewhere in Mexico. Probably Cancun.”
I interrupt her, “What are your parents going to say? Aren’t they going to freak out about that? Will they go, too?”
“Well, sure, they will definitely be there, but the wedding will be very small. Like probably only our immediate families and you and Phillip. We’ll have a big party when we get home. I’m going to book the trip today. Danny and I are hoping you and Phillip will come and stand up for us at the wedding. You ready to be my maid of honor? Gosh, I can’t believe it! It’s only a few weeks away!” She’s chattering away and practically bursting with excitement. “We’ll leave right after graduation. So, will you do it? Will you come?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say.
And I mean it.
“On another note,” she says as she gets up, pours herself another cup of coffee, and rinses her plate in the sink, “I saw you dancing with Phillip last night. You know, I think you two belong together.” She sits back down and stares at me. “So, have you guys ever dated or anything?”
“No, to dating. Yes, to anything,” I say with no expression, just to tease her.
She gets a big smile on her face.
“But don’t get too excited. The last anything was in eighth grade when Phillip attacked me during a game of Spin the Bottle. Oh, and, well, I sorta kissed him last night.”
Her eyes get huge. “You what? Tell me about it!”
“Uh, well, it was just a peck—well, two pecks—but we were just excited for you and Danny.”
“Have you thought about kissing him again? He is so handsome, Jade. You two would be adorable together, and you get along so well. Don’t you see the way he looks at you with those puppy-dog eyes? I really think he’s, like, in love with you.”
Not very subtle, is she? I suppose, since she’s all happy and engaged, it’ll now become her mission in life to marry off the rest of us.
“Uh, I don’t know about the puppy-dog eyes. And, sure, he loves me. We’re best friends. And, as far as the kissing goes, no, I haven’t.”
Really, I haven’t.
Fine. So, last night, I might have thought about it for a second but only a second.
Well, okay, maybe I have thought about it for more than a second because she’s right; he is very handsome. And I have to admit, I really enjoyed having his strong arms wrapped around me while we were dancing, and I even enjoyed our two little kisses.
I try to change the subject by saying with a smile and a wink, “But I can tell you about the time I slept with Danny.”
She’s heard the prom story before, so she rolls her eyes at me and will not be distracted. “Well, Jadyn,” she says with a wicked grin as she walks out the door to head to class, “I think maybe it’s time you play Spin the Bottle again.”
Around nine thirty, Danny strolls out of his room, looking bleary-eyed. It takes him a while to get going in the morning. His dark blond hair is sticking up all over, there are pillow marks on the side of his face, and he’s wearing nothing but a pair of baggy sweat shorts.
He looks adorable.
And happy.
“So, what do you think? We pulled it off.” He grins while sliding onto the couch next to me.
“We? How ’bout you and half the school? It was really amazing, Danny. I was thoroughly impressed.”
“So, I’m actually getting married,” he says as his stomach growls. “I don’t suppose you’d make me a celebratory omelet, huh?”
I smile and close the textbook I was reading. It really doesn’t take much persuasion to get me to stop studying.
“Oh, I suppose,” I say like it’s a big inconvenience.
He moves to a barstool and watches while I get the ingredients out of the fridge.
I crack three eggs into a bowl, whisk them, and stir in some milk. I put a little butter in a pan and sauté some mushrooms. Then, I pour in the omelet mixture.
It’s amazing how good a cook you become while living with two hungry boys.
“Think she’s the right girl?” he asks me, still rubbing his eyes.
“Don’t you think it’s a little late to be asking that question?”
“Nah, I could always call it off.”
“Yeah,” I say as I cook the omelet. “And you would be a fool. Lori is perfect for you. It’s weird because you are so different from her. You know, you and I really are a lot alike. I mean, we both love to have fun, are wild, larger than life, always ready for the next challenge, the next adventure, the next dare. But, on the downside, Danny, sometimes, I think you and I could float around aimlessly. We’re like kites. We just go wherever the wind blows us even if it’s not the best place to be. Lori is like a great kite flyer. She understands that you need enough string to go on your adventures. She even encourages it and helps you soar.” I smile at him, add some cheese to the top of the omelet, and flip it onto a plate. Setting it in front of him, I add, “She also knows when you need to be brought back to earth. She grounds you, Danny. In a very good way.”
I need someone like that, I think.
He smiles and shoves a big bite of omelet into his mouth.
“Plus,” I remind him, “she’s booking travel arrangements as we speak.”
“This is really good. Thanks,” he says and takes another bite. In between chews, he asks, “So, are you and Phillip in?”
“I know I am. I haven’t seen Phillip this morning, but I think we both know what his answer will be.”
“Jay,” he says, pausing to put another forkful in his mouth and chew. Then, he waves his empty fork at me. “Why don’t you just sleep with Phillip and get it over with?”
“What?”
“I saw you dancing together last night.” And he just shakes his head at me.
