I frowned. As a kid, she’d paid me a penny for every squash beetle I’d picked off her beans. It had made the work worth it back then, but I wasn’t sure sleeping in was worth getting stuck with the job now. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be up early.”

“Enjoy that dinner of yours. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to tell me about.”

I laughed. “That’ll never work with you, Granny. You like the dirty stuff the best.”

She cackled. “That I do. That I do.”

* * *

It was fifteen minutes after seven when I finally made it to Dave and Jamie’s house. I’d had a slight wardrobe crisis, and my hair was uncooperative, issues I was still working to let go of when I walked up their sidewalk and rang the doorbell.

Chloe answered the door. Chloe? Okay, so she didn’t actually answer it. It was more like she opened it, then barreled into me to give me a hug, pulling the door shut behind her. “Lane! It’s so good to see you! How are you?”

I took a step backward, creating a normal-person measure of distance between us. “I’m good. How are you?”

“Totally swamped. I just started summer classes, and it’s killing me. So what’s up? What are you doing here?”

“Just having dinner with Jamie. I guess Cooper got his mission call today, so we’re celebrating.”

She grinned. “You and Jamie. So you actually managed it.”

I shook my head and held up my hands. “I didn’t manage anything. I gave him my number, he called me, we’re dating. It’s really not all that exciting.”

She sighed. “It’s totally exciting. You landed the big fish, Lane. It’s a big deal.”

It wasn’t a big deal. It really, really wasn’t. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a tiny thrill of victory at her words. I was dating an untouchable brother—a guy no girl in all of North Carolina’s Research Triangle had managed to snag until now. It wasn’t a competition, but I still liked feeling a little like I’d won.

“It’s not a big deal, Chloe. I’m not . . .”

“Is he a good kisser? I bet he’s a good kisser.”

My eyebrows went up.

“Wait. No. You don’t have to answer that. That was totally rude. He is though, right? I’m just really guessing he probably is.”

Before I could respond, Jamie thankfully pushed open the front door. “Hey, Lane. You’re here.” He stepped outside and slipped an arm around my waist. He looked at Chloe. “Oh, hey, Chloe. What are you doing here?”

“I brought cookies over to congratulate Cooper.”

“Oh. Cool,” Jamie said. “Do you want to stay and eat dinner with us? Dave’s grilling.”