Free Somewhere in the Middle by Linda Palmer Page A

sure. As his son's un-girlfriend, not so much."
    "Just so you know, I have a mind of my own. And while I try to learn
from my father, sometimes his ways just don't work for me. So forget
about any rules you think he might have, okay?"
    "Okay."
    Roone closed the distance between us and lowered his head. I met him
halfway, standing on tiptoe even though I wore shoes that gave me four
extra inches. Our lips touched. Once. Twice. And then again. Suddenly I
was caught up in an embrace so tight it hurt my ribs. I didn't care. In
fact, I barely noticed. When he finally let me go I stepped back, my
heels sinking deep into the winter grass. All at once fluttery on the
inside and definitely weak in the knees, I somehow managed to hold onto
Roone to pull my feet free. He was just so...there. Big and tall and
smelling like heaven on earth.
    "All right. Everybody back inside." Mrs. Collier, school secretary,
was so close that I startled. "The ballroom's clear." I realized that
several chaperones had come out to shoo us back in and were now rounding
up couples hidden all over the lawn. "Hurry along now."
    Before we could get to the terrace, the music began to blare again. I
guess I winced or something.
    "Have we done our time?" Roone asked.
    "And then some, in my opinion. Unless you want to stay...?"
    "No."
    "Then come on. We'll need to thank the chaperones and tell Dayna and
Gavin we're leaving."
    Roone followed me to the chaperone area, where we politely chatted up
the teachers and spouses who'd come and told them how appreciative we
were. Then I caught Dayna's eyes and pointed to the door before giving
her a wave. She pouted, but nodded permission I wasn't asking for.
    For the first time that night, I saw Sid, who'd never looked so
handsome. His immaculate black tux gave him what I called star
quality , as in he could've stood on a stage in Italy and belted out
an aria. If he could sing a note, which he couldn't. His talents
definitely lay elsewhere.
    Sid didn't seem to be with anyone in particular, but stood with a
group of friends and appeared completely at ease. When he spotted us, he
gestured to show he had his eye on my sparkly dress and gave me a thumbs
up, an opinion I actually valued.
    The moment Roone and I got into my car, I kicked off my shoes. If just
two dances were making my feet hurt this much, I definitely should've
played it smart and gone with flats or, better yet, sneakers. Roone
started the car and drove it from the parking lot. I let him drive for a
while before I impulsively redirected him. It was early yet, and I just
wasn't ready for Dad's inquisition. Roone followed my directions without
questioning them, so we wound up at a rocky overlook I loved.
    Living on the Cumberland Plateau of northern Alabama meant we had some
nice mountains, if not the sky-scraping Rockies. My favorite spot was
located on a craggy bluff that was perfect for sky gazing. Determined to
avoid further damage to my feet, I subjected them to a different type of
torture by walking barefoot from the gravel parking area through some
trees to a giant rock that overlooked a valley. Roone shook his head the
whole way, which was only a matter of yards, no doubt wondering just how
crazy his un-girlfriend really was.
    But when we got where we were going, he did just what I did--instantly
forget the cold. By then I had his jacket draped over my shoulders. I sat
on the jutting rock. He sat next to me. We eyed the heavens stretched out
before us, a canopy of night sky and windswept storm clouds that teased
us with fleeting glimpses of starlight.
    Click!
    "I feel like I could reach out and pick that star like a flower," I
said, pointing to the one and only we could see at the moment.
    "What would you do with it?"
    "Keep it in a wishing jar."
    Roone smiled at me. "And what would you wish for?"
    "I'm not sure yet. World peace?"
    "World peace works."
    "Or maybe a cure for every disease that's incurable."
    "That works, too."
    "Or maybe free pit tickets to a