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Erin was nervous about the two sophomore AP classes she had signed up for, and Mom and Dad were giving her encouragement.
    I nudged my sister’s shoulder, her blonde wavy hair swaying across her back.
    “Hey, don’t worry about it. I had both of those classes last year. I’ll help you study if you need me to.” Erin’s face brightened, and she nodded.
    “Thanks, Daniel.”
    “No problem.” I grinned at her. Of course I’d help her. I adored her, even if she drove me crazy sometimes.
    Dad glanced at his watch and reluctantly stood, draining the last bit of coffee from his mug. “I have to get to the hospital.”
    He patted my shoulder, kissed Erin’s head, and stopped to pull Mom up to him. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her hard, making her giggle against his mouth. She swatted him playfully. “Be good.” Erin grinned at me and rolled her eyes while I screwed up my face in mock disgust at the affection our parents showered upon each other. But secretly I hoped that I’d find a girl to love as much as Dad loved Mom.
    After Dad left, Mom went upstairs to shower, leaving Erin and me to do the dishes. We chatted a little more about school before Erin’s hazel eyes lit up.
    “Oh, there’s a new girl who started working at the coffee shop last night, Melanie Winters. She just moved here from Texas with her dad. I invited her to come over today.” Erin paused before adding in a singsong voice,
    “She’s really pretty.”
    I narrowed my eyes, knowing where Erin was going with this. She was constantly trying to set me up with someone.
    “Not even remotely interested.”
    She glared at me. “You don’t have to be like that all the time. I really like her. Would it kill you to be nice to her?”
    It wasn’t like I wasn’t nice to her friends, but I suppose I wasn’t exactly friendly, either. I couldn’t imagine this girl was any different than the rest of them, easy with not a brain cell to her name. No, thank you.
    Sure, I dated a bit here and there, but the girls I’d met never held my interest for long. They were all so superficial; all they cared about was how I looked, what I had, and what I could give them. So I didn’t waste my time.
    It had earned me a reputation of being a dick who thought he was too good for everyone, but I really didn’t care.
    With only two years of high school left to prepare for college, I needed perfect grades since I’d finally decided I wanted to become a doctor. Dad never pushed me, but I knew he’d always hoped I’d follow in his footsteps. He said other than seeing his family happy, he’d never found more joy than in helping someone heal.
    “Fine. I’ll make an extra effort to say hi to her,” I grumbled.
    After helping Mom around the house, I went upstairs to my room to watch TV, glad to have the rest of the day to relax. I heard a car pull into the driveway and stop in front of the house. A door slammed, and then the car drove away. I heard footsteps on the wooden porch and the sound of Erin’s voice.
    I shook my head, trying to focus on the football game on TV. I didn’t care what was going on downstairs. I turned up the TV to drown out the sounds from below, but it didn’t help. It was more as if I could feel the footsteps rather than hear them. When the front door opened and closed, I could ignore it no longer.
    I strode from my room and down the hall. When I saw her, I froze at the top of the stairs, unable to take my eyes off the girl standing in the middle of the living room, her intense emerald eyes staring back at me.
    She was breathtaking—literally. We stood there for I didn’t know how long before I tore my eyes away from hers so I could take in the rest of her. Erin had said she was pretty, but her beauty was beyond words. She had long, brown hair that flowed in soft, thick curls all the way down her back. Her skin was pale and smooth like a porcelain doll. She didn’t have Erin’s hourglass figure, but her slender build was gentle with