Free Summer Rush by Ashley Wilcox Page B

I lean over and kiss my mom’s cheek, then quickly run to my room.
    “Hope!”
    Crap, I just left her in her room!
    “Sorry.” I apologize, wheeling her back into the living room. She laughs.
    “Thanks, honey.”
    Hurrying back into my room, I slip on my dress, clip my dull brown hair up into a French twist, carefully apply some mascara, and add some lip gloss. Just as I slip my white flip flops on, I hear a knock on the screen door.
    “Sweetheart?” my dad calls from outside my bedroom.
    “Come in!”
    Peeking his head around the door, my dad smiles at me. “You have a young man waiting for you when you’re ready.”
    “Thanks, Dad. I’ll be right out.”
    Checking myself in the mirror one last time, I make way out to the living room. Joey is waiting for me in the entry way next to my dad.
    My heart skips a beat, seeing how handsome he looks dressed up. He has on tan linen pants, a white button down shirt with the sleeves a quarter of the way rolled up, flip flops, and his hair is perfectly gelled. Seeing his tanned, smooth, muscular chest peeking out of his shirt is enough to make my temperature rise; he is unbelievably gorgeous.
    “Wow, you look beautiful,” Joey compliments me.
    “Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself,” I answer, trying to calm the out of control butterflies in my stomach. Smiling, I nod my head toward my parents. “I see you guys have already met.”
    “Yes, we have,” my dad answers. My mom winks at me from behind Joey with a huge grin. She obviously approves of his looks. “Well, don’t let us hold you two up,” my dad continues.
    “Yes go, have a good time,” my mom chimes in.
    “It was very nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Taylor,” Joey says, shaking my dad’s hand and nodding to my mom.
    After I give them both a quick peck on the cheek, we make our way out the door.
    Seeing his car in the driveway brings back all my insecurities from earlier. Parked next to my truck is a shiny black BMW with its top down. Suddenly, I’m ashamed of our small, three bedroom ranch. We come from such different worlds, it’s not even funny.
    Being a gentleman, Joey opens the passenger door for me before entering his side. Instead of looking at him I stare out the window, fighting back the knot forming in my stomach. There’s no way we can have a future together. Who knows what he thinks of me now; not only do I drive a beat up truck, but I also live in a house that’s maybe a quarter of the size of his vacation home. I can only imagine what his regular house looks like.
    “Hope, is everything okay?” he asks in a concerned voice.
    Turning, and looking at him I immediately feel bad, seeing the frightened look on his face.
    “Yeah, it’s nothing,” I lie, forcing a smile.
    “Tell me,” he says, seeing right through me.
    “You just… I just…”
    “Hope, it’s fine. Just tell me,” he says with his breathtaking smiling.
    “We just come from totally different lives, ‘ya know?”
    “Um, no I don’t. What do you mean?” he asks, arching his eyebrow in confusion.
    “Your family is incredibly wealthy and, well, mine is far from it,” I admit, staring at my hands on my lap.
    “Really…that worries you?” he asks, lifting my chin so I can look at him.
    “Kinda,” I respond, shrugging my shoulders.
    “Well, I couldn’t care less about that, so you shouldn’t either,” Joey assures me with a wink. “Okay?”
    Nodding my head yes, I softly agree, “Okay.”
    Wanting to change the subject, I ask in an enthused tone, “So, where are you taking me?”
    “You’ll see,” Joey responds with a mischievous grin.
    “If I guess the restaurant, will you tell me?”
    With a skeptical look, he ponders the question for a second, then answers, “Alright.”
    “Let’s see…” I say, tapping my finger on my lips, thinking of restaurants in the area. “Okay, Mexican or Italian?”
    Joey gives me an are ‘ya serious? look, arching an eyebrow. Laughing, I say, “I’m gonna go