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I wait for the staring, and I’m not disappointed. But, this time, I meet his eyes.
While we face off, I think about what it’ll be like when Ben meets my dad. The fact that I have no idea how the rest of the evening will go should freak me out, but when I imagine the two of them in a room together, a smile creeps over my mouth.
Pops’s eyes widen, and then he gives a slight nod. “You like him, huh?”
“A bit.” I shrug, but I can’t get rid of the smile.
“He picking you up here?”
“Yeah. Should be here soon.”
He keeps watching me as he finishes gathering up the cards. “You’re not gonna ask me to be nice to him?”
I lean back in my chair, my face cheerful as ever. “You can be whatever you want to him. I’m not the boss of you.”
“That so?”
His eyebrow rises in disbelief, and I stick out my tongue.
The doorbell rings.
I hop out of my seat and start down the hall while my dad follows at a more leisurely pace.
When I open the front door, Ben’s on the porch, waiting with a grin.
No glasses tonight, and the forest-green scarf wrapped around his neck sets off the matching color of his eyes. All the buttons are done up on his black peacoat, which matches an equally dark pair of jeans and a nice set of leather shoes.
I’ve never cared much about what the guys I go out with are wearing, but clothes on Ben are like shiny wrappers on a chocolate bar; they look great, but I just want to rip them off. My mouth waters.
“You gonna invite your guest in?” Pops’s voice shocks me out of my ogle-fest.
Ben, still grinning, leans forward to quickly kiss my cheek, his hand pressing against my lower back during the exchange.
I step to the side, so he can slip past me, and then I close the door.
“Pops, this is Ben Gerhard. Ben, this is my dad, Isaiah Foster.”
“Great to meet you, Mr. Foster. Holly talks about you all the time.”
Ben reaches his hand out, and my father takes it without responding.
I brace for the awkward staring session to start.
But Ben has other plans. The moment their hands release, he’s back to focusing on me.
“I got you something.”
“You did?”
Before I have time to wonder what, Ben pulls out the hand I didn’t realize he was hiding behind his back.
“Is that …” My dad sounds confused.
I let out a half-groan, half-laugh. “A corsage. You got me a corsage.”
Ben pops open the plastic container and pulls out the little cluster of pink roses. “Of course. This is an official date, isn’t it?” The whole time, he never stops beaming down at me, his eyes flashing with mischief. “May I?”
It’s too cute, him standing there, looking so handsome, and holding out the ridiculous floral piece. I give him my hand, and he slides the elastic band onto my wrist. Wanting to soak in every bit of the moment, I press my nose into the flowers and enjoy the tickle of sweetness they carry.
