The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2)(24)

Eddie glanced at me then back to Brayden. "Well. Something tells me you guys are going to have a great time together."

Once we were able to extract ourselves from my well-wishers Brayden said, "You have very... devoted family and friends."

"Oh," I said. "That. They just, uh, happened to all be going out together at the same time we were. To study."

Brayden glanced at his watch. "Not too late for that, I suppose. If I can, I always do my homework right after school because - "

"If you put it off, you never know if something unexpected might happen?"

"Exactly," he said.

He smiled at me. I smiled back.

I followed him to visitor parking, over to a shiny, silver Ford Mustang. I nearly swooned.

Immediately, I reached out and ran my hand along the car's smooth surface. "Nice," I said.

"Brand new, next model year. These new ones will never quite have the character of the classics, but they certainly make up for it in fuel economy and safety." Brayden looked pleasantly surprised. "You know your cars."

"It's a hobby," I admitted. "My mom is really into them." When I'd first met Rose Hathaway, I'd had the incredible experience of driving a 1972 Citroen. Now I owned a Subaru named Latte. I loved it, but it wasn't exactly glamorous. "They're works of art and engineering." I noticed then that Brayden had come with me to the passenger side. For half a second, I thought he expected me to drive. Maybe because I liked cars so much? But then, he opened the door and I realized he was waiting for me to get in. I did, trying to remember the last time a guy had opened a car door for me. My conclusion: never.

Dinner wasn't fast food, but it wasn't anything fancy either. I wondered what Julia and Kristin's opinion would be on that. We ate at a very California type of cafe, that served all organic sandwiches and salads. Every menu item seemed to feature avocado.

"I would've taken you somewhere nicer," he told me. "But I didn't want to risk being late.

The park's a few blocks away, so we should be able to get a good spot. I... I hope that's okay?" He suddenly looked nervous. It was such a contrast to the confidence he had shown when talking about Shakespeare. I had to admit, it was kind of reassuring. I found myself relaxing a little bit. "If it's not, I'll find a better place - "

"No, this is great," I told him, glancing around the cafe's brightly lit dining room. It was one of those places where we ordered at a counter and then brought a number to our table. "I'd rather be early, anyway." He'd paid for all of our food. I tried to make sense of the dating rules my friends had bombarded me with. "What do I owe you for my ticket?" I asked tentatively.

Brayden looked surprised. "Nothing. It's on me." He smiled tentatively back.

"Thank you," I said. So, he was paying. That would make Kristin happy, although it made me a little uneasy - through no fault of his. With the Alchemists, I was always the one picking up the bills and handling the paperwork. I wasn't used to someone else doing it. I guess I just had trouble shaking that feeling that I had to take care of everything because no one else could do it right.

Academics had always been a breeze for me. But at Amberwood, learning how to hang out with people my own age in a normal way had been a much more difficult task. I'd gotten better, but it was still a struggle trying to figure out the proper things to say to my peers. With Brayden, there were no such problems. We had an endless supply of topics, both of us eager to put forth all we knew on anything and everything. Most of the meal was spent discussing the intricacies of the organic certification process. It was pretty awesome.

Trouble came when, as we were finishing up, Brayden asked if I wanted to get dessert before we left. I froze, suddenly in a dilemma. Jill had said to make sure I ordered enough to not come across as a cheap date. Without even thinking about it, I'd ordered an inexpensive salad - simply because it sounded good. Was I now on the hook to order more so I'd seem like someone Brayden had to work for? Was this worth breaking all my own rules about sugar and dessert? And honestly, what did Jill know about dating etiquette anyway? Her last boyfriend had been homicidal, and her current one was oblivious to the fact that she was a vampire.

"Uh, no thank you," I said at last. "I'd rather make sure we get to the park on time." He nodded as he rose from the table and gave me another smile. "I was thinking the same thing. Most people don't seem to think punctuality is that important."

"Important? It's essential," I said. "I'm always at least ten minutes early." Brayden's grin widened. "I aim for fifteen. To tell you the truth... I really didn't want dessert anyway." He held the door open for me as we stepped outside. "I try to avoid getting too much sugar."

I nearly came to a standstill in astonishment. "I totally agree - but my friends always give me a hard time about it."

Brayden nodded. "There are all sorts of reasons. People just don't get it, though." I walked to the park, stunned. No one had ever understood me so quickly and easily. It was like he had read my mind.

Palm Springs was a desert city, filled with long stretches of sandy vistas and stark, rocky mountain faces. But it was also a city that mankind had been shaping for a long time, and many places - Amberwood, for example - had been given lush, green makeovers in defiance of the natural climate. This park was no exception. It was a huge expanse of green lawn, ringed with leafy deciduous trees instead of the usual palms. A stage had been set up at one end, and people were already seeking out the best spots. We chose one in the shade that had a great view of the stage. Brayden took out a blanket to sit on from his backpack, along with a worn copy of Antony and Cleopatra. It was marked up with notes and sticky tabs.