“I can take some off your hands, if you want. Is the rest in the car? I can go get it.” Dare set down the drill and ducked out the front door before either of us could respond.

I walked into the kitchen behind my mom.

“How long’s Dare been over?” She wasn’t looking at me, but I could tell her mom radar was pinging like crazy.

“Not long. He dropped off the wrench he borrowed.” I unfolded the top of the chin-height box she’d slid onto the counter.

“And returned it to your room.” She laughed.

“Mom, come on. We were just talking about a group presentation we have on Tuesday. He’s one of the most popular guys in school.” I glanced over my shoulder. “It’s not like that. Dare’s being nice.”

She made a disbelieving sound and turned to me. Her hands dropped to the tops of my shoulders. “You’re eighteen. In a few months, you’ll be away at college. I know what young adults your age do. I want you to be safe and happy. I love you.”

I hugged her tight around her waist. Leaving would be hard for so many reasons.

She kissed the top of my head and squeezed me.

“I figured you could take a lot of this to the theater club tonight. You’ve been putting in a lot of long hours there. You look so sleepy all the time.” She brushed my hair back from my forehead.

I kept the smile balanced on my face.

“You’re always hard up for snacks and performance fuel.”

Peering into the box, a bouquet of pineapple, green apples, strawberries, chocolate covered strawberries, berries of all kinds and marshmallows poked up on skewers from a green Styrofoam base, barely visible through the fruit avalanche.

“I picked up an extra shift for tonight. Maybe I could drop you off early. You can’t carry this on your bike.”

A throat cleared behind us. “I can take Bay back to school.”

I froze with my back to him. Oh god, how long had he been standing there. Had he heard the ‘did he like me’ chat?

“You’re always such a gentleman, Dare.”

I covered my laugh with a cough at her not-so-subtle ‘don’t dick my daughter around’ tone.

He slid the boxes of donuts and even more chocolate covered strawberries onto the counter.

“Can I have one of these now, Mom?”

“Please, they’re getting more stale by the minute. I’m heading up for my shower. You kids be good.” She patted the doorway before her footsteps padded up the stairs and across the floor above my head.

“Do you want a donut?” I flipped open the lid on the box, my shoulder nudging into Dare’s chest.

He didn’t step back and neither did I.

I was playing with fire and the giant bucket of ice water teetering on the ledge was right upstairs.

The box held a dozen donuts with so many flavors and colors. I grabbed the glazed rainbow sprinkle one with chocolate frosting and bit into it. It was a sugar rush explosion in my mouth.