The Best Is Yet to Come (35)

“You mean you are?”

She smiled. “Surprisingly so, yes. I hope you are, too.”

Callie was in his arms just the way he’d dreamed about. “I don’t have any complaints,” he said, grinning at her.

“Me, neither,” she whispered.





Chapter 12




Hope could feel the tension rise in Cade as soon as they entered the school for the homecoming dance. She knew he’d had reservations when he agreed to chaperone with her. His willingness made her appreciate him all the more, knowing this dance was completely out of his comfort zone. She also knew he was doing this for her, for the simple reason that she’d asked.

Seeing Cade come out of his shell, a little at a time, had delighted and encouraged her. Like Cade, Hope had a protective guard around her own heart, for fear of being abandoned again, as her mother had done, and Hunter, who had left her, too, although not by his own choice. She struggled in facing life alone without any family connection.

The gymnasium was filling up. Lois Greenly had been assigned to check the QR code for those who had paid for the dance. The DJ had started the playlist, and a few brave souls had already taken to the dance floor. Even from the far side of the room the music was loud enough to hurt her ears. It’d been a long time since Hope had attended a high school dance, and she’d forgotten how deafening the music could be.

Cade paused as if he, too, was taken aback by the sound blast. With the volume high, it was nearly impossible to decipher the words to any of the songs. From what Hope knew of the more recent chart-topping hits, it was probably better that the lyrics remained obscure. As soon as more couples entered the dance floor, the worst of the noise was muffled somewhat.

“You best tell me what the responsibilities of a chaperone are?” Cade leaned close to ask.

Hope had needed clarification herself. While working in California, she’d taught fifth grade. Most of the extracurricular activities she did were field trips, so this experience was new to her, too. It helped that she’d been given a list and would be trading off with the other chaperones. Lois Greenly and Hope were both on the faculty. Two other chaperones were on the PTA board.

“Our first job is to man the beverage table,” Hope told him.

“All night?”

“No, just the first hour. We’re trading off assignments with the other chaperones.”

“What else?”

“We’ll need to monitor the doorway to make sure no one leaves and then wants back inside. No good will come from letting anyone return to the dance from the parking lot.”

“They can’t bring any food or drinks in, either, right?”

“Right. Lois is doing the initial check-in. She’s got a good eye and won’t let any contraband through. We’ll man the table later, but by then the majority of the kids will have already arrived. A few stragglers are bound to make a showing, though.” Hope had asked for the assignment later in the evening so Cade would have a chance to sit down.

“Anything else?”

“Before the end of the evening, we’ll have our turn as floaters.”

“What’s that?” He sounded skeptical.

“We drift around the room, and make sure everyone is having a good time. And we’ll have to check the bathrooms. I’ll check the girls’ room and you can check the boys’.”

“Okay. Do we have any other responsibilities? Like me having to dance?”

“Nope, you’re free and clear. The dance is for the teens, not us.”

“So that’s it, then?”

“That’s it,” she said with a smile, sensing his relief. “Told you it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Big enough,” he muttered.

“Come on, soldier boy, it’s our turn to man the refreshment table.”

Weaving their way to the back of the room, Hope noticed everything was set up and ready for them to take over. Seeing that it was early, they didn’t have many takers.

At one point, she glanced up to see Spencer dancing with Callie, unsure what to make of the scene.

“Is something wrong?” Cade asked.

Hope slowly expelled her breath, unsure and suspicious. “That’s Spencer. He’s the boy I was telling you about, remember?”

“What I remember is that you got a flat tire because of him.” Cade was looking toward the dance floor and frowning.

Hope felt the need to defend the teenager. “That wasn’t Spencer’s fault.”

Cade continued to watch the couple dancing. To Hope’s eyes, it seemed as if the two were having the time of their lives. Callie had her arms linked around Spencer’s neck and she seemed to only have eyes for him. Every once in a while, she would press her head on his shoulder, and he would tighten his arms around her waist. If Hope didn’t know better, she’d think the two were a real couple.

This sudden change in behavior went against everything she knew about Callie and her treatment of Spencer. From the moment Spencer had asked Callie to the dance, she’d gone out of her way to avoid him. It was as though he was invisible. And not just Callie, but nearly everyone in the entire school. His friends had stuck by his side, she knew, but that was only a few students.

“This is unexpected,” Hope whispered, more to herself than to Cade.