“You did not say that. ‘What Makes You Beautiful?’ A song about five different guys creeping on one girl? You don’t have a problem with that?”

“See? You’ve listened to them, Nick Maguire. Don’t deny it.”

“Last time I checked, Eliza, I don’t live under a rock. You know, like with bugs and without any news.” The car slowed as we reached the bottom of her street.

“That’s good. I’m sorry, I don’t think I could date someone whose roommates are fire ants.”

“What do you have against fire ants? They’re trying to provide for their families.”

“They attack and eat dead worms. That freaks me out.”

“Well that’s rude.”

“Hang on,” she said, “you didn’t correct me.”

“About the friendships of underground species?” I tried to act casual.

“No.” The scent of chlorine dripped off her as she scooched closer. “About the ‘d word.’ Isn’t it coded in your DNA to correct girls about that?”

“Um, do you know what’s going on with Carter and Hannah?” I asked.

“I take it he gave you the ‘I’m not going to date Hannah because that would mean it’s okay for . . .” she paused, “‘other stuff to happen’ talk?”

“Yup.”

“Fantastic.” She drummed her seat with her fingers. “I told him it wasn’t his job to butt in on who I go out with. Like Josh. He didn’t want me to go out with him and I did anyway. I don’t have to listen to Carter. That little conversation isn’t going to change my mind about you, Nick. Maybe for you, though, what Carter said hits a little different.”

That little conversation isn’t going to change my mind about you, Nick. I’d barely heard what she’d said after that.

“Wish we’d had this conversation before I totally wrecked our picnic last week.”

“We were a little busy.”

Her hand twisted in mine, shocking me with its smallness. A squeeze from her was all I needed.

“How to tell Carter, though . . .” I mused.

“Do we have to?”

We both knew we did.

With a tender clatter, my Mustang crawled up her driveway. The kitchen light was on and Ms. O’Connor’s car was in the driveway. The vehicle the siblings shared was not.

“Interesting,” said Eliza. “Carter’s spending an awfully long time at Hannah’s house.”

Her red cheeks drew me in, but it was her whip-smart observations that kept me diligently staring at the soaking wet beauty beside me.

We both knew, deep down, that Carter was going to lose it. Then her pruned palm covered mine, making my heart thump so loudly in my ears that it drowned out everything else. And that was that. I was sold.

“You’re cute, Nick.”

I’d never been described as “cute” before. I had to wrack my brain for everything I’d filed away about the Girl Code. Was “cute” good?

“You know that thing you do with your eyebrow is incredibly sexy.”

Sexy, on the other hand, I knew.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What about this?” I lifted her knees and slid to the passenger side, climbing underneath her so she was now on my lap, her back to the passenger door.