I can’t help it. I have to lean over and kiss her immediately. “Hi, savior. Can we please get the fuck out of here?”

“Don’t need to ask me twice.” We drive away from the building, and Amber suggests we take the long way back to my place.

“How about we go to your house for once?” I suggest as casually as I can. And okay, maybe I’m curious about going beyond her front door and seeing what her room looks like, maybe even what her mom’s like. Hooking up in the back seat of her car isn’t a relationship, and if I learned anything from going on an actual date with her, it’s that I want to go on more of them. I want to know this girl who rescues me with tinsel and takes me to bizarre bowling alleys and loves to put on a short skirt and wave pom-poms. I want to get that last part, to understand what makes her tick.

I want a lot more than I should, especially from someone who’s keeping me a secret.

And yes, I’ve seen what happens when you want something you shouldn’t. But even though getting my last dream turned out to be half nightmare, I still get to play, to wear the uniform, to watch the ball soar from my hands under the lights.

I know that getting what you want can be both heaven and hell.

And I’ll take it, if she’ll let me.

“My house? It’s really nothing special.”

It’s special because you live in it. “No offense, but does anyone in Atherton live in anything special? That’s not the point.”

“Well, it’s not exactly spacious or full of privacy, and my mom is home tonight, so, maybe another time would be better.”

I shrug, words coming out of my mouth I can’t seem to stop. “Or maybe we hang out with your mom. Y’all get along, right?”

Amber snorts. “Yeah, we get along great, but—” She stops at a red light and turns to me. “You’re serious? You wanna come over and meet my mom?”

So help me God, I do.

And that’s how I know I’m in deep.

Heidi McCloud just might be my favorite adult on the planet.

First of all, she says, “So this is the girl,” with a wink at me that makes Amber blush to the heavens, which is just about my favorite thing that’s happened since I moved to Atherton.