Her Maine Squeeze (When in Maine)

Chapter Four

Never before have I felt like the clock was my worst enemy. But now, the minute hands are flying by, and two hours seems to be passing far too quickly. As I pack our picnic lunch, I think about the day Oz and I made our pact.

It was our senior year, one week before the prom. Luke was at hockey practice, and Oz and I were lying on the trampoline in the backyard, staring up at the clouds. It had become our ritual to hang out on the trampoline whenever Luke wasn’t around—which was fairly often during hockey season. In the dead of winter, we’d bundle up in our warmest clothes, brush the snow off the trampoline, and spend hours watching our breath turn to frost in the air. But on this particular spring day, the temperature was above average, and the sun felt marvelous on my face.

I pointed to a fluffy cumulus cloud. “That one looks kind of like the shape of Kentucky.”

“It looks more like Virginia to me,” Oz teased.

We were quiet for a long time, just enjoying the warmth of the sun on our faces, and the comfort of the trampoline serving as a hammock. Then Oz said, “Do you have a date to the prom?”

My pulse quickened, and I licked my lips. “No.”

Was Oz going to ask me to the prom? For longer than I could remember, I’d been in love with my brother’s best friend. Was there a chance that he liked me back?

Oz rolled onto his side to face me, and I rolled over to face him. Our bodies were just inches from each other, and I could feel his breath on my face.

“I wish you could go with me,” he whispered.

“You do?”

He nodded, reaching out to tuck a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “I want to rent a vest that matches your dress, and buy you a corsage, and dance to every song, and—” He licked his lips “—kiss you goodnight.” His voice was hoarse.

My breath caught in my throat. I licked my lips, too, and Oz’s eyes followed the movement. A shiver rolled down my spine. If my body reacted like that just when he looked at my lips, how would it feel if he actually kissed them? I took a deep breath to regain my senses. “I thought you were going to the prom with Lauryl Myracle?”

He rolled away from me with a sigh. “I am.”

Anger flashed through me. He didn’t mean anything he’d just said. He was just teasing me. Leading me on. “You’re a jerk, Oz Green.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why would you say all that?”

“Your brother is my best friend. He wouldn’t like it if I took you to prom. But I want to, and I wanted you to know. Okay?”

Tears burned the backs of my eyelids, but I held them back. Because I knew it was what he wanted to hear, and because I couldn’t deny Oz Green anything he wanted, I whispered, “Okay.”

We were quiet again for several minutes. Finally, Oz broke the silence. “Lindy?”

“Yeah?”

“When we’re older, I don’t think it’ll matter as much what Luke thinks. Things will be different then.”

“How old are you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Thirty?”

Thirty was ancient. My mom and dad were only thirty-eight or so. It was hard to imagine being that old.

“So,” Oz continued, “let’s make a pact, okay? If we’re both single when we’re thirty, we’ll marry each other.”

I laughed. “Sure, Oz. For my thirtieth birthday, buy me a diamond ring.”

In my heart, I made a silent vow that I’d marry Oz someday—even if I had to wait until I was an old lady to do it.