Free The Perfect Guy (Books We Love Young Adult Romance) by Ann Herrick

to the Hair Conditioner for a trim. I thought maybe you’d like to come along, and then we could go to lunch and do some window shopping."
    "Thanks," I said, "but I’ve got to work on a script for the play." Too bad, I thought. I hadn’t seen enough of Celeste lately. But, who wants to leave when maybe I could work in another congratulatory hug or two.
    "Rebecca," Celeste said. "All work and no play makes for a dull girl."
    "Don’t worry," Josh said. "I’m helping her .…"
    "... And things are never dull when you’re around," Celeste said.
    Josh grinned.
    "I can leave then, knowing you’re in such good hands, Rebecca." Celeste laughed.
    "Wait," Pres said. "I’m headed in that direction. Want a lift, Celeste?"
    "Sure. Thanks."
    Why couldn’t Pres have said something sooner? I would have gone if I’d known he was going to give us a ride.
    After they took off, Josh and I started working on the script. I had trouble concentrating. I kept thinking how great it had been to be in Pres’s arms, and how happy I was that he’d be going to Yale. I could see us going for long walks around campus on crisp autumn days, holding hands and kicking leaves on the sidewalk.
    "I said, ‘aren’t you ready for a break?’" Josh’s voice jolted me out of my daydream.
    "Sorry. Uh, I guess I was lost in Sandy Cove’s past." I felt the heat of a blush creeping up my cheeks and I wondered if Josh knew what I’d really been thinking about.
    Ordinarily I could share my feelings with him, but his friendship with Pres ruled out confiding in him now. He might let something slip, and I didn’t want Pres to know how much I liked him until it was obvious that he felt exactly the same way about me.
    "Well, Sandy Cove’s past is an interesting place to be," Josh said, "until it’s time to eat."
    "Oh?"
    "I’d rather raid the refrigerator than have to go out and shoot my lunch."
    "I get it," I said, finally noticing the sparkle in Josh’s eyes. "You’re hungry."
    We had a quick lunch, then worked on the script again. At one point Bill came in to check on our progress.
    "Hmmm. This looks interesting so far. " He rubbed his chin. "Of course, you have a lot of work ahead of you, a lot of rewrites. You’ll want this play to be the best it can be."
    "I-I’ll try." I gulped.
    "I know you will," Bill said. "Well, I’ll get out of your way now."
    After Bill left, I said, "I think he’s worried I’m going to destroy his reputation as a director."
    "Relax." Josh patted my hand. "I think he meant just what he said. He wants you to do your best, for the sake of the play and for you ."
    "Think so?"
    "Absolutely."
    That reassured me enough to get back to work, though I still had some doubts.
    I didn’t notice until my butt started to hurt just how long we’d been at it. It was almost five o’clock. I stood up. "No wonder my, uh, posterior aches. We’ve been sitting here for hours."
    "Hmmm?" Josh stared at me, a dreamy look on his face.
    "Wake up." I snapped my fingers and he blinked. "I think we’ve worked on this long enough for one day."
    "I enjoyed it."
    "Me too," I said. "But enough is enough."
    "You’re right. We need to relax. Why don’t we—"
    Just then Pres came in.
    "Where have you been all day?" Josh asked.
    "I met Celeste for lunch after her haircut, and then we had banana splits at the new ice cream shop. After that we went to the Pet Palace and Celeste practically had to drag me out. There were these kittens, and one kept coming up to me, trying to catch my finger."
    "Sounds like you painted the town red," Josh joked.
    I’d missed out on a fun afternoon with Pres, I thought, biting my lip. At least he’d been with Celeste and not some predatory female eager to get her hooks into him. I was glad he could be friends with a girl, and that he didn’t feel he had to flirt with every girl in school the way it sometimes seemed that Josh did. Pres was a gentleman, not a player.
    "I’m not sure Sandy Cove has the qualifications for