just doing it the same way she always did. Then she quickly reminded herself who was driving her to the party and gave herself a shake, going to her closet for her platform Mary Janes. She sat on her bed and pulled them on, looking up at the knock on her door.
“Trevor Scarlett is here to pick you up,” her mother told her, smiling devilishly. She lowered her voice. “And might I say that he looks very handsome? He must be as excited as you; he’s got on some lovely cologne.”
Annabelle flushed, then quickly finished strapping in her shoes. She stood, holding out her arms for her mother’s approval. “What do you think?” she asked, spinning once.
Susan arched an eyebrow. “I think the skirt is short,” she declared, then smiled. “But you look beautiful. Have fun, sweetie.”
She nodded, gave her mother a quick kiss, and headed down the stairs. In the foyer stood Trevor, his hands clasped in front of him, looking stunning with his short brown hair, a dark blue button-down short-sleeved shirt layered over a white t-shirt, and dark jeans. A hint of cologne drifted up to her, and the smell made her knees go weak.
“Hi,” she greeted, even as his eyes widened at the sight of her.
“Hi. Wow, Annabelle. You look… beautiful.”
She flushed. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You look great.”
He grinned, his charming, friendly smile, and held out his arm for her. “Shall we?” he asked.
She was delighted to discover her arm fell perfectly into his as he led her out of the house and to the dark green SUV his parents had bought him for his sixteenth birthday. Dusk had taken over the sky, the sun falling behind the hills, casting red, orange, and yellow hues everywhere.
Trevor held open the passenger door, and pleased, she slid in. She had been longing for this moment for years—since she was a little girl—and even if it wasn’t really a date, Trevor had asked if she wanted a ride, and he was holding open her door for her. She could pretend, at least.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and they talked about school, about their moms’ book club, and anything else Annabelle could say to keep the conversation going as they drove, soft music drifting through the speakers. She didn’t think she had ever been so nervous or excited in her life.
Trevor flipped through the GPS unit for directions, and as she saw just how far out they were going, she felt a sinking pit form in her stomach. The lake house was much farther away than she had thought it was. She fought the urge to call her parents to give them the address, but the longer they drove, the more the distance increased between the houses, and the more nervous she grew about the isolated location. When Trevor turned the car around a corner, she eyed the address on the GPS and slid out her cell phone, quickly texting the address to her parents with a note that she would call if she needed them.
She knew it was silly, of course. Nothing was going to happen. It was just a precaution—a just-in-case.
When they pulled up to the lake house and saw the dozens of cars parked everywhere, she could have kicked herself for letting her parent’s paranoia get to her. She could already see people everywhere, the loud thrum of music from the lit house like a beacon to the influx of cars.
Trevor parked behind a red sports car and moved around the SUV to her door, surprising her when he held open her door and held out his hand to her. All of her trepidation vanished as she placed her hand into his to allow him to help her down.
She cried out as she oh-so-ungracefully slid from the height of the SUV while trying to keep her skirt down and braced herself for the impact, startled when it never came. She forced her eyes to open, finding her gaze on a strong upper arm and chest. Giddily, she realized Trevor had caught her, clutching her against him to keep her from falling.
“Are you okay?” Trevor’s concerned voice asked. She flushed, mortified, slowly looking up at him from the safety of his arms as she straightened her legs under her.
“Yeah,” she choked out, trying not to cry in humiliation. Her one shot to make a good impression on Trevor Scarlett, and she had turned into a complete and utter klutz.
Trevor looked unhappy. “I knew I should