“I think they reserved the church for us. Is October the fourteenth good for you? It’s a Saturday.”

When he stopped at a light, he looked her up and down. “I will definitely be there,” he said in a way that made her blush.

The first thing they saw when they pulled into the parking lot was Vera’s Chevy. It was pumpkin orange and it was sitting below a streetlamp.

Kelly felt the air leave her. “Mom did this! She sent Vera to make sure that I don’t do anything awful.” She threw her hands up. “Mom believes I’ll sit with the chair back between my legs or something.”

“Vera isn’t exactly a queen of good manners.”

“Then she’s here to make sure you don’t pounce on her virginal little sister.”

“Virginal?”

“I’m not, but that won’t matter to Vera and my mother.” Anger was rising in her.

“You want to go somewhere else?”

“And have the police called on us? You would spend the night in jail.” Kelly frowned all the way into the restaurant. She and Pauly had never really gone on dates. Not like other kids in high school. But then, Kelly was always working at the clinic. And he was with his little trees.

By the time she and Miguel reached the front door, Kelly had decided to tell Vera to go away, that she was too old to need a chaperone. She could handle herself. She could—

To Kelly’s horror, both Vera and Adam were standing in the foyer. Kelly tried not to notice how good Adam looked. He wasn’t beautiful like Miguel but bigger and more...more man looking, she thought.

Vera saw Kelly’s expression. “Uh-oh. Looks like no one told you this was to be a double date. Maybe we should leave.”

Adam was looking at Kelly. “I’m hungry, so let’s just do this.”

Kelly glared at him but he didn’t seem aware of it.

Miguel took Kelly’s arm. “We’d love to have you sit with us, wouldn’t we? And Kelly is so beautiful I want to show her off as my date.”

Vera had on a flowered cotton dress that had seen better days. She’d tried to pull her hair back but it was escaping its bonds. “My little sister does look great, doesn’t she?” Vera was so loud people turned toward them. “But then, she’s so young, of course she looks good.”

Kelly looked at her sister, puzzled. “I am just ten months younger than you. Months, not years.”

“Ah, but experience ages one,” Vera said. “Shall we be seated?” She took Adam’s arm and went into the dining room.

“She’s acting very strange,” Kelly said.

“Her? Adam was glaring at you like he wanted to bawl you out. Did something happen between you two?” Miguel asked.