Free Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber Page A

she’d rather sit home and watch reruns of
Lizzy McGuire
than attend Homecoming with Hudson. She doubted he’d ever kissed a girl and she could only imagine what it would be like to dance with him. It didn’t take much imagination to know Hudson on a dance floor was a disaster waiting to happen.
    “Would you like to go with me?” Ryan asked.
    Coco had been too stunned to respond. It didn’t seem possible that Ryan Temple had just asked her to attend Homecoming with him. A date with Ryan, who was sure to be nominated for Homecoming king, was beyond the realm of possibility. For what seemed like an eternity, all she could manage was to stare openmouthed at him, hardly able to believe she’d heard him correctly.
    “Coco?”
    She pressed her hand over her chest. “Okay,” she squeaked. The lone word robbed her of oxygen and she gasped for air. In an effort to appear as nonchalant as possible, she smiled and added, “That would be great.”
    His face broke into a huge smile. “Perfect. What color is your dress? I want to be sure the corsage will match.”
    Flowers? Dress?
She hadn’t given the matter of the dance, let alone a dress, more than a wayward thought.
    From that time forward, Coco’s world had gone into a whirlwind of activity and excitement. Ryan Temple had asked her to Homecoming. She was going to be his date! The entire school knew Ryan had asked her. It was as if it’d been announced over the school intercom.
    By the time Homecoming rolled around, Coco swore there was less fuss made over a royal wedding. The week preceding the dance had been crazy. Though she wanted to find something secondhand and fix it up, her mother insisted that Coco buy a new dress, and so they had begun a shopping expedition to find the perfect one, along with shoes and other accessories. She had her hair and nails styled at the priciest salon in Cedar Cove. Her mother said Coco looked positively stunning. Her father took pictures.
    The night of the dance, when Ryan came to pick her up in his father’s car, it felt like something out of a fairy tale. He’d talked to her parents for a few minutes until she appeared. When Coco stepped into the room, he slowly came to his feet as if she were an angel who’d made a visitation to earth. Her beauty left him speechless, or at least that was the impression he wanted to make, and naturally she fell for it.
    On the ride to the dance Ryan repeatedly told her how beautiful she looked and how it was hard for him to take his eyes off her to drive. Oh, how foolish she’d been. Once they arrived they danced to every song. Just as she expected, Ryan was named Homecoming king, but he wouldn’t hear of her dancing with anyone but him. She was the entire focus of his attention. He acted as if he’d fallen head over heels in love with her.
    After the dance, Ryan suggested they drive around for a while and she’d agreed. Most every other couple she knew were going to one of the after-parties. For her part Coco was caught in this magical fantasy, and if Ryan wanted to spend time alone with her, then that was what she wanted, too. Her head swam with joy.
    After a short while, Ryan parked the car in a dark area that overlooked the cove. Lights from the navy shipyard sparkled in the distance. It was romantic and perfect in every way. It grew even more wonderful when Ryan kissed her.
    Eagerly, Coco came into his arms, loving the taste and the feel of him. She didn’t know how long they kissed before he groped for the zipper at the back of her dress and lowered it enough to gain access to her breasts. Coco wasn’t completely naïve and she knew matters were advancing far too quickly. She broke off the kiss and drew in several breaths in the hope of clearing her head before things grew any more serious.
    Ryan paused. But then he brought his mouth back to hers, seducing her with his tongue, whispering how much he loved and needed her, until her head was swimming. This was his night. He’d been