“Wow,” Abel said, taking in every last inch of her. “You are stunning.”
“Abel,” Carly whispered, a blush filling her cheeks.
“No, seriously, Carly. You’re gorgeous.”
She couldn’t hold back her smile as she lingered by the door. “Are you going to come in or what?”
“I’d love to come in,” Abel answered, and did just that.
“I must admit,” Carly began, closing the door behind him. “I’m a little disappointed you didn’t bring me any coffee this time.”
“Do I have to bring coffee every time I know I’m going to see you? Is that a requirement now or something?”
She shrugged.
Abel chuckled. “Crys isn’t ready yet?”
“She’s upstairs with Sharla. Is Kyle with you?”
“No, he wanted to drive himself. He should be here soon though.”
“Oh, cool,” Carly said, turning for the staircase. “I’ll let them know you’re here.”
Abel reached for her elbow, sending a shiver up into her shoulder. “They know I’m here. Maybe we could have just a few minutes to ourselves before the night starts?”
Carly stared down at his hand on her elbow, and gently pulled away. “S-sure.”
“I was wondering if you want to hang out tomorrow. We could watch another movie, or grab coffee. Or both. Anything you want.”
“I don’t know, Abel…”
“I had fun hanging out with you last night, Carly. And it seemed like you were having fun, too. Unless I’m wrong about that?”
He wasn’t wrong about anything, but Carly wasn’t inclined to let him know that. “I suppose we could watch a movie or something—as long as coffee is somehow involved.”
“It all comes down to coffee with you, doesn’t it?”
“What if it does? Everyone has their kryptonite. At least I’m honest about mine.”
“Yes, you are,” Abel agreed, breaking into a smile. “I’m sorry, I can’t get over how incredible you look. It’s really not fair to anyone else. You’ll be the most beautiful woman at the dance.”
Carly had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. “You sure know how to lay it on thick, don’t you?”
“If you mean the truth, yes,” he replied as Sharla marched down the stairs.
“Is he here?” Sharla asked, craning her neck to get a better view of the foyer. “Is Kyle here? I’m starving.”
“Not yet,” Abel answered, looking from Sharla to Crystal. “You ladies look fabulous this evening. Crys, I see you’ve outdone yourself once again.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Crystal told him, smoothing her red dress as she stepped into the foyer to join them. “And I agree with Sharla—I’m starving. I hope you don’t expect me to be a cheap date, Abel. You’re buying me a steak.”
“Dinner’s on my dad tonight,” Abel replied. “So you can have whatever you’d like. You, too, Carly.”
The doorbell sounded, and Abel reached to open it. “Kyle, man of the hour, are you ready to go? We’ve got some hungry dates on our hands.”
“Well, well, well,” Kyle said, straightening his silver tie as he looked over the girls. “Hungry and sexy? I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet just to get to look at you three.”
“Get over yourself, Kyle,” Sharla spat, glaring at him. “You cleaned out your car, right? You got rid of the empty coffee cups in the backseat? Because I won’t even get in your car unless it’s clean. I’d be just as happy to ride with Abel.”
“I think Abel’s got his hands full as it is, and yes, I cleaned out my car.”
“Good, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Kyle replied. “You look really hot, by the way.”
“No kidding,” Sharla said, walking past him out the front door. “Are you coming?”
“Yes, duh,” Kyle answered, and ran off after her.
“I suppose that’s our cue to head out,” Abel spoke as he held open the door. “After you.”
Crystal glanced at Carly, and led the way outside.
“Thanks,” Carly told Abel.
“You’re welcome,” Abel said, closing the door behind them. He headed over to a black Escalade and opened the passenger door. “I’m afraid you two are going to have to fight over shotgun.”
“Oh,” Carly said, turning to Crystal. “You should take it. I mean, Abel’s your date.”
“Are you sure?” Crystal replied.
“A-am I sure?” Carly stammered, her face burning again as she glanced at Abel. Why couldn’t she stop looking at him? “Of course. I’d rather have that roomy backseat all to myself anyway.”
“Suit yourself,” Crystal said, and slid into the passenger seat.
“Here, let me get that for you, Carly,” Abel offered, opening the back door as he closed the front one.
“Oh, thank you,” Carly replied.
Abel reached for her hand, his fingers gripping onto hers as he helped her inside the SUV. There were definite, visible sparks between them, but unlike the other times, Carly didn’t pull away.
Until Crystal cleared her throat.
“Sorry,” Carly muttered, tugging her hand out of Abel’s.
Don’t be sorry, Abel replied, and closed her door. He jogged around to the driver’s side, grabbing something from the floor before he jumped inside. He held up two white roses and handed one to Crystal and one to Carly. “Corsages are so cheesy. I thought you’d like these better.”
“Classy, Abel,” Crystal told him, grinning. “I knew you had it in you.”
“I aim to please,” Abel said, locking eyes with Carly in the rearview mirror as he turned over the engine. “How are you doing back there?”
“Fine,” she said, and brought the rose to her nose. “This is great, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are Esther and Jeremy meeting us there?” Crystal asked. “They disappeared forever ago, so I figured they drove off somewhere to make out.”
“Gross,” Abel muttered.
“Come on, you know that’s what they’re doing.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I need to be reminded of it. Your brother had better behave himself.”
“And your sister better not break his heart.”
“Esther’s not really in the heart-breaking business,” Abel said as he sped down the street. “I’m definitely starting to get hungry, so I hope we don’t have to wait for them at the restaurant. I’d, uh, I’d asked Hutchinson if he thought he’d be joining us, but he just blew me off. I guess that means you don’t have to worry about running into him tonight, Carly.”
Disappointment weighed Carly down in her seat. She didn’t want to see Gabe, but she wanted to see Gabe. Would this push/pull she felt for him ever go away?
Stop letting Gabe dictate this night for you, she scolded herself as she caught Abel staring at her again. Abel, who’d been such an amazing friend through all this. Abel, who was so sexy it was difficult to look away.
What would be wrong with having a little fun? a familiar voice echoed through Carly’s thoughts. It was a voice she hadn’t heard in quite some time—her mother’s voice—and it made her smile.
Abel grinned back at her. “You haven’t told me yet.”
“I haven’t told you what?” Carly asked.
“Whether or not I can have your first dance.”
Carly brought her hand to her mouth, not wanting him to see that perhaps she’d already decided. “I don’t know. You’ll just have to wait and find out.”
eight
Gabe didn’t show at the restaurant, although Carly hadn’t expected him to. And there was still no sign of him as Carly stepped into the Sterling High gymnasium with her friends. Maybe this dance hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.
“Wow, it looks like they got the party started without us,” Crystal quipped as her disapproving eyes scanned the gym. “Winter Wonderland my ass. How hard is it to plan a freaking school dance and get it right
?”
“If you hate it so much, why don’t you join the dance committee?” Carly suggested.
Abel let out a laugh. “She did join last year, but that didn’t go over so well.”
“How was I supposed to execute an acceptable Homecoming dance when everyone else on the committee was an idiot?” Crystal asked. “No one would listen to anything I had to say, and don’t even get me started on the music. The whole thing was pretty much a disaster.”
“It was not,” Abel countered. “You’re a control freak, which is the only reason you didn’t have a good time.”
“Well, the only reason you did was because you got drunk and made out with Katelyn Seymour under the bleachers.”
“In my defense, Katelyn Seymour’s pretty hot.”
“Well, she’s also an idiot,” Crystal informed him. “Why don’t you go work your magic with the punch and then maybe we’ll be able to salvage this evening yet.”
“Oh, I,” Abel muttered. “I mean, I didn’t bring anything. It’s just, Carly doesn’t drink, so I figured we could go without it this time.”
“You figured we could go without it this time,” Crystal repeated, the words falling from her lips in a deliberate cadence.
“Sorry if that disappoints you.”
“Well,” Crystal groaned. “That just means I’m going to have to ask the boys from study hall, who will then spend the entire night hitting on me. So, thank you for that.”
“I could bring you a glass of punch,” Abel volunteered.
“That would be acceptable.”
“Coming right up. Carly?”
“Punch sounds great,” Carly agreed.
Abel nodded, and made his way across the room to the refreshment table.
“I’m sorry about the alcohol thing,” Carly apologized. “I figured he’d bring something, too. It’s not like I asked him not to or anything.”
“Of course not,” Crystal replied. “Is there a reason you don’t drink? Gabe had mentioned you don’t, but he never said why. You don’t seem religious, so I figure it’s not that.”
“I don’t know, I guess it just never appealed to me. My mom was very adamant that she didn’t want me to drink, but she also made it clear that I could come to her if I did and I wouldn’t get in trouble. It just never seemed worth it to disappoint her, and now that she’s gone…”
“Wow,” Crystal said. “That’s, um, that’s really cool.”
“It’s not that I think drinking is bad,” Carly explained. “It’s just not for me. Not yet. And especially not at something like this, where my dad’s more than likely to make an appearance.”
“Is your dad seriously coming tonight? That’s so lame.”
“I can’t believe how beautiful everything is,” Sharla cooed as she joined them, gazing around the gymnasium with wide eyes. “I was expecting it to suck, but this is really nice. Maybe I’ll actually have a good time tonight.”
“What’s got you in such a great mood?” Crystal asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’ve done a total one-eighty since we left the restaurant. Did a boy band tour bus break down outside or something? Or maybe your date gave you something to improve your mood? In which case—Kyle, share.”
“Don’t look at me,” Kyle said, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. “Your date’s the one who’s in charge of refreshments.”
“I wish,” Crystal sighed.
“Trust me, my good mood has nothing to do with Kyle,” Sharla spoke up. “I just got a text from my mom and she said my dad’s coming home for Christmas—from Romania. He’s flying in on the twenty-fourth, which means he’ll be here Christmas Day. I haven’t seen him in years, and I miss him so much… I’m just really excited he’s coming. I’m really looking forward to spending some time alone with him.”
“That’s awesome, Sharla,” Carly told her. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” Sharla replied, digging her cell from her purse. She thumbed at something on the screen, and added, “There’s nothing more from her, but that’s pretty much all I need to know. I can’t wait to hang out with my dad. We have the best talks about Dostoyevsky—”
“Really?” Carly interrupted, her tongue slick with sarcasm. “You read Dostoyevsky?”
Sharla dropped her smile as she glared at Carly. “Yes, I read Dostoyevsky. God, you’re such a snob. You and Gabe aren’t the only ones who read, you know.”
“Sorry, Sharla. Really, I just… didn’t realize.”
“What, that I’m smart? Well, now you do, so get over yourself.”
“Will your dad be in town in time for lunch on Christmas Eve?” Crystal asked. “Remember, it’s Carly’s birthday, and we’re having her party that night.”
“Yes, of course I remember it’s Carly’s birthday. Nobody will let me forget. Not even my mother.”
“Sharla, it doesn’t matter that it’s my birthday,” Carly told her. “You should spend time with your dad. I didn’t ask for a party anyway.”
“Well, you’re still getting one,” Crystal insisted. “You’ve never had the privilege of a Crystal Spencer birthday party, so you definitely have something to look forward to.”
“Regardless of Carly’s party, this is going to be the best Christmas ever,” Sharla announced.
“That’s the spirit,” Abel said as he handed Crystal a glass of punch. “See, we can have fun without booze.”
“Can we?” Crystal replied, and took a drink. “This definitely needs alcohol. I’ll see you kids later.”
Carly watched as Crystal stepped over to a group of boys, the stunning redhead instantly the center of attention. One of the better-looking guys, a senior, leaned over and whispered something to Crys as he pulled a flask from his pocket. She brushed her fingertips along his forearm, giggling as he poured whatever was in that flask into her punch. “She sure has a way, doesn’t she?”
“She sure does,” Abel agreed, handing Carly a glass of punch. “It sounds like they’ve started some music. I’ll have to take you up on that dance soon.”
“You think so?” Carly teased.
“Well, if you don’t want to dance with me, who do you want to dance with?”
Carly wondered if that was a trick question, if he was fishing to see if she still had feelings for Gabe—
“That’s not what I’m doing at all,” Abel interrupted her thought. “It’s just a school dance, Carly, and I just want to have some fun. After the week you’ve had, don’t you?”
A smile made its way to her lips. “Yeah, I could definitely use some fun. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to dance with you—especially since I’m pretty sure no one else will ask me.”
“No one else will ask you? Are you kidding, Carly? You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” she told him. “You don’t have to say stuff like that just to make me feel better.”
“What if all I want is to say stuff like that to you?” Abel proposed. “It’s not just the guys who are staring; the girls are, too. They all hate you for how sexy you look, of course, but they’re still staring. And if that doesn’t make you the hottest girl in this room, I don’t know what else would.”
She hated that she was blushing. “You’re really pushing for that dance, aren’t you?”
“Apparently. Are you about done with that punch?”
She took a drink, her eyes on him all the while. “I have to agree with Crys—this definitely needs something to make it taste better.”
Abel chuckled as he stole the cup from her hand and discarded it on a nearby table. He took Carly’s hand when he returned, electricity buzzing between them as he pulled her onto the dance floor. His fingers fell to her waist, and Carly ignored the fuzzy feeling in her stomach as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“There,” Abel said, his voice soft as he leaned in to look over her face. “That’s not so bad, is it?”
“No,” Carly relented. “It�
��s not bad at all.”
“So, who do you think’s going to win tonight?”
“Win what?”
“The stupid Winter Wonderland King and Queen thing,” Abel answered. “Crys has been going on and on about it. I figured she’d have filled you in on the details. She won last year, and I know she’s hoping for another victory.”
“Is it like Homecoming King and Queen?”
“Basically, yeah. Sterling’s a small town, so we have to make an event out of everything. Anyway, our names are on the ballot, too, so it could get interesting.”
“Ballot?” Carly questioned.
“Didn’t you see it when we came in?” he asked. “They had a table by the door.”
“No, I didn’t see it,” Carly said, glancing back toward the entrance. There were a few kids gathered around the table, whispering to one another as they stared back at her. “Are you sure my name’s on that thing?”
“Positive. We’ll have to swing by later and vote. It would be okay if you voted for yourself, you know. I can keep a secret.”
She let out a laugh. “Vote for myself? Abel, I don’t want to win anything. Seriously. Crystal’s definitely much more suited for that kind of thing. Even Sharla would have a better chance than me.”
Legends: Bloodline Book 2 Page 8
