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“Nah, I made the mess. I should clean it.”
Taylor leaned forward and turned, narrowing her gaze at Derrick. “You’re going to have the staff clean it up, aren’t you?” Derrick just smirked and shrugged his shoulders, causing Taylor to roll her eyes and laugh.
“You are unbelievable, Ken Doll.”
“Ken Doll? Really, Taylor?” Derrick said in irritation. “You know how much I hate that nickname. Now you have to pay the consequences.” Derrick started to full-on tickle Taylor, causing her to laugh, and kick, and breathlessly beg him to stop.
“No, Derrick,” she laughed, “I’m sorry.”
“Say you take it back,” he said, not letting up.
“I take it—”
A knock on the door had them both freezing. “Taylor,” her mom called through the door, “I just put Marty to bed. It’s late, honey. We should go.”
Taylor was about to call back to her mom when Derrick got up and opened the door. “Can I walk her down in a minute?” he asked Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s gaze flicked from Derrick to Taylor. When Taylor gave her mom an “it’s okay” nod, she smiled at Derrick. “Five minutes,” she said and Derrick shut the door behind her.
Derrick came back to Taylor, who was still sitting on the floor, and offered her his hand. He helped her up and then kept her hand in his as he walked her across the room to the door.
This is it, Taylor thought,this is where he says that’s it, thanks for coming by but never speaks to me again.
But at the door, Derrick stopped and turned to her. “Will you go out with me tomorrow?” he asked quickly, like he was nervous, and then he ran his free hand through his hair.
“Where?” Taylor asked in confusion.
Derrick shrugged a little. “Uh, dinner? I’m not sure yet, just out. Like on a date,” he emphasized.
“A date?” Taylor asked, even more confused. She had never been asked out anywhere in her life, and she never imagined Derrick would be the one who would ask her for the first time. There was a time she had hoped and wished for it every day, but she had pushed that away slowly as he walked out of her life.
Derrick nodded. “Yeah, we could eat and talk, and just, you know, spend time together.”
Taylor didn’t answer, mostly because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Please, Taylor,” Derrick pleaded as the silence spread between them.
“Uh, okay. Yeah, yes,” she stumbled as she answered him. “Yes, Derrick, that sounds great,” she finally got out.
Derrick’s face lit up. “Great,” he said as his dimple-popping smile spread across his face. “I’ll be there at seven. Does that work?”
Taylor just nodded. She wasn’t sure she could find her voice anymore. She was going out, on a date, with Derrick, and her heart soared with all the feelings for him that she had pushed away. Her heart beat triple time, and she was breathing fast as nerves and excitement and hope ran amuck inside her.
Derrick leaned down and kissed the top of Taylor’s head, and she literally felt like she would swoon. He put his free hand to her face, the other still clutching her hand, and tilted her face up, “I can’t wait to take you out tomorrow, Tay,” he said and smiled.
Derrick opened the door, and Taylor basically floated down to the back door and out to her mother’s waiting car. As soon as she sat, her smile covered her face, and she could not take it down even when her mother noticed.
“So, how did it go with Derrick?” her mother asked, and Taylor told her everything—about his hands and the talk and then the pending date. If Taylor weren’t seat-belted in, she would be springing out of her seat.
When she was done with her tale, Taylor noticed that her mother didn’t look as excited as she felt. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
Elizabeth slid her gaze to her daughter as she drove. “Just be careful, Taylor. Derrick, he’s—well, he is young and unpredictable. I’m not sure he knows how to be serious about anything yet.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Just,” Elizabeth heaved out a breath, “just don’t get your hopes up, please. I don’t want him to break your heart again.”
Taylor nodded. “I’ll be okay, Mom,” she assured her, touching her arm. Then she turned to the window and bit her bottom lip to hold the smile in. How could she not be okay? Her skin and hair still tingled from Derrick holding her,andhe was taking her on a date tomorrow night—a real date. Seven o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.