Something in me wanted me to be reckless, to be a little rebellious, and it wasn’t only his good looks and sweet personality.
“My name isn’t really Diane,” I admitted.
“Oh. What is it?”
“Lorelei.”
“Why did you tell me it was Diane?”
“Caution,” I said. “We’ve been stalked.”
“Oh. Well, I won’t stalk you if you don’t want me to, but boy, I want to very much.”
I smiled. Surely, he was too sweet and innocent to be dangerous. He didn’t have Mark Daniels’s cocky attitude, either.
“Why don’t you give me your phone number, and maybe I’ll call you?” I told him.
“Really?”
“Really,” I said, and he wrote it out quickly on a slip of paper and handed it to me.
“So, are you coming back here tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Why did you come today?”
“Maybe I’ll go here someday,” I said.
“So you’re not in college? You’re in high school?”
I realized I had already said too much, but as Mrs. Fennel said many times, you can’t unring a bell. Before I had to reply, however, Ava returned.
“Let’s get the check and go,” she said. “We don’t want me to be late for my next class.”
“Hey, let me take care of the check,” Buddy said. “That’s the least I can do for telling a white lie.”
“Yes, redeem yourself,” Ava said.
I stood up. “Thank you,” I said.
“My pleasure.”
We started out.
“He’s telling the truth,” Ava whispered. “I checked him out on my BlackBerry. His father is a dentist in Long Beach. No renegade there.”
“Good.”
“I’ll speak to Daddy, but I don’t think he’ll want him.”
“What? Want him? What do you mean?”
“You know,” she said, smiling.
I looked back at Buddy, and then I tried to get my heart to stop thumping loud enough for everyone to hear.
11