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the misery she’s caused him over the years already!”
             “We’re
not like that any more, Mom.  We’ve both grown up.  I like
Tessa.  She’s really nice.”
             “So
is Lauren Jenkins.  Or Ivy Sinclair.”
             “Ivy
is Gracie’s agei!” he countered, incredulous that she’d even bring up Steve’s
little sister.  “And it’s just a date.  It’s not like we’re getting
married.”
             “That’s
right,” Luke agreed.  “This is Shane and Tessa, not me and Mary...and I
married you, not her.”
             “But
you sure do drop everything and run to her side whenever she calls.”
             “That’s
my job.  You know that.”
             She
ignored him, turning to Shane.
             “Please
don’t do this.”
             “That’s
enough, Susie.  Leave him alone.  Go on to bed now, son, I mean it.”
             “Yes,
sir.  Good night.”
             He
left them on the porch, feeling shell-shocked and two inches tall.  He
hated that his mom was upset with him but he didn’t think it was fair for her
to say he couldn’t see Tessa.
             “You
know this really isn’t about you, right?” His sister Cordelia said, surprising
him.  She and Gracie were sitting at the base of the stairs in the dark,
having obviously been eavesdropping.
             “It’s
because of what Miss Nettie and Mrs. Pendleton said,” Gracie confirmed.
             “What
did they say?”
             “They
were talking about how you and Tessa are finally friends now and Miss Nettie
said you two were a good match,” Gracie, four years younger than him said.
             “And
Mrs. Pendleton said if the two of you started dating it would be God’s way of
righting the wrong Daddy and Mrs. Kelly did by not marrying each other,” Cordy
said.  She was just one year behind him.
             “That’s
just stupid,” Shane spit out.
             His
sisters nodded.
             “Mom’s
been really edgy ever since,” Gracie said.
             Shane
met Cordy’s gaze.  “I asked Tessa out for tomorrow.  What do you
think?  Should I cancel?”
             Cordy
shrugged. “I can’t make that call for you...but I do know that you like her and
she likes you...you’re only seventeen.  It’s not like you’re getting
married.”
             He
looked to Gracie.  “What do you think?”
             “I
think Tessa was right.”
             “About
what?” he asked.
             Her
eyes twinkled as she leaned in a little closer to him.  “You are going to
marry her someday!”
             Shane
thought about the conversation with his parents and his sisters when he was on
his way to pick Tessa up for their date the next night.  His mother spoke
very little to him that morning before he left for school and she wasn’t home
when he got home that afternoon.  His dad stopped by as he was getting
ready and told him not to worry about his mom, that she’d calm down about it
soon enough.  Shane felt torn, though.  His mother was upset and he
hated that it was because of something he was doing.  Truth was he’d
thought about canceling a hundred times today, but every time he saw Tessa he
couldn’t do it.  He wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them,
away from school and their friends.  He wanted to know if they were just
good friends or if there really was something more between them.
             Tessa
was sitting on her front porch swing when he pulled up.  She was wearing a
yellow sundress that showed off her tan and her long blonde hair hung loose
over her shoulders.  He sat for a moment just taking her in, and telling
his heart to calm down.  He couldn’t help it, though; he thought she was
the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.
             He
got out when she stood, smiling