This called for major assistance from two people who were in the know. Samantha knew fashion. Sabrina loved rock music. She took off at a run toward the morning room. “Sammie! Bri! I need your help.”
CHAPTER
FOUR
Sitting beside Zach, Savannah watched his hands on the steering wheel. He drove with an ease and calm competency that defied explanation. Though she knew he was twenty, only two years older than she was, he possessed a steadiness that made him seem years older. He just seemed so strong and solid … and absolutely fascinating.
She caught herself chewing on her lower lip and stopped abruptly. The nervous habit was something she had developed after her parents’ deaths. It had taken her years to quit, but when anxious, she often relapsed. And oh boy, was she nervous. Before Zach had arrived, she had felt reasonably ready for her date. Now she swore she had forgotten everything she’d learned over the last eight hours.
Her entire day had been devoted to preparing for tonight. While Sammie had chosen her outfit, fixed her hair and makeup, and given her a manicure and pedicure, along with the dos and don’ts of dating etiquette, Bri had coached her on various “manly” subjects she could discuss with Zach. An hour before her date, she had put a stop to it and asked to be alone. A mishmash of information had swirled around in her head with tornadic fury, her scalp felt sore from all of the tugging and straightening Sammie had done to control her wild locks, and the blouse both her sisters had insisted she wear revealed much more cleavage than she was truly comfortable showing. Now here she sat, exhausted and tongue-tied—not an impressive beginning for their first date.
“You sure you want to go tonight?”
Oh great, now he was wondering if she was having second thoughts. Think of something, Savannah! She swallowed past a bone-dry mouth and said, “I’m absolutely sure.” Forcing herself to continue, she ventured, “Do you know someone in the band?”
Zach shook his head. “I have a friend of sorts in Mobile. Whenever something like this comes up, he gives me a call. I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now. Not a lot of thinking to do. Just some heavy work.” He glanced over at her. “We’ll find a good spot for you to watch. I’ve heard the band before. They’re pretty good.”
“Is rock your favorite kind of music?”
“Not really. I don’t really have a favorite. I like all kinds. What about you?”
Before tonight, she would have said classical, but that was only because she hadn’t bothered to listen to anything else. Experimenting with new stuff wasn’t something she did often. She suddenly realized that just in the short amount of time she had known Zach, she had taken more chances than she had in the last eight years. Her parents’ deaths had stopped any spontaneity she might have once possessed.
She answered bravely, “I’m open to just about any kind of music.”
“Then you’ll like Stand and Deliver. They’re a mixture of rock, jazz, blues, and country.”
Savannah nodded but was now at a loss on how to take the conversation further. Fortunately Zach was better skilled at small talk than she was, and much to her delight, asked the one question that opened up a conversational mecca for her. “I’m in the middle of reading Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Have you read it?”
Three hours later Zach glanced over at Savannah and couldn’t help but laugh. Music blasted like kegs of dynamite through gigantic speakers. Kids shouted, screamed, and sang at the top of their lungs with the band—everyone was pumped up on adrenaline. With the exception of the beautiful blond angel asleep in the corner.
Having worked these concerts often enough to know that the music sometimes gave him a headache, he always brought along earplugs. He had pocketed an extra pair for Savannah just in case. He was glad he had.
Over cheeseburgers and fries at the DQ close by the auditorium, he had listened as she expounded on her knowledge of rock music and football. He’d felt as if she were reciting every iota of information she had ever learned or heard. Zach had sat across from her and, despite every internal warning telling him he was a lunatic, had become entranced. Everything about her enchanted him—from her sweet smile to her fluttery mannerisms when she was nervous. Her clear green eyes held an innocence and loveliness he could