“Um, yeah. I need to get back in there anyway, before Phillip sends out the Calvary.”

“You know, Phillip and I really care about you. We hated you dating a guy like Jake. We've never had any proof, but I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time he's cheated on you.”

Figures.

I grab my lip-gloss out of the car, put it in my pocket, and shut the door. I stop, grab the car handle and start to open the door, as I say aloud to myself, “I suppose I better grab my jacket.”

“You don't need a jacket, Jay,” Danny says, taking my hand. “I'm pretty sure I can keep you warm.”

God, am I swooning?

I'm not exactly sure what swooning is, but I may very well be doing it.

He leads me back toward Frick and Frack, who I am sure have been watching everything.

Gary says to Danny, “You know, Big D, the shit's gonna hit the fan if you do that,” and they both roll their eyes in the direction of the car, indicating that they, in fact, saw us kissing, “in there.” They lean their heads in the direction of the party.

“I'm pretty sure I don't care what Jake thinks,” Danny states emphatically.

As we walk by them toward the party, Gary smiles, slaps Danny on the back and says, “Well, Big D, if you need it, the pipeline's got your back. And hey, JJ, did we ever mention that there may have been a few times during the season when we accidentally tripped and Jake got sacked?”

I grin at that thought. Looking back, I give those boys a salute. I always knew I liked them for a reason.

Danny and I laugh and head toward the keg where our friends have gathered. Michael and John are standing around it, chatting with Phillip and seem to have already hit it off with Lisa and Katie. I wonder where Billy, the love of Katie's life, is?

Phillip leans in toward the keg and pumps it again for Lisa, as he eyes me suspiciously.

“I'm okay,” I mouth silently to him.

He nods his head toward Danny, whose arms are wrapped around my waist, and mouths back, “I see that.” But his eyes are big with question.

Accusing type questions.

I know he's wondering why Danny is holding me, but he probably thinks Danny did the same thing he would have done eventually. And that is to drag me back in here and help me have some fun.

Or not.

Phillip wanted to take me out of here.

I watch as Phillip and Danny do the whole male backslap, Hey Mac, What's up Big D, high five, fist bumping stuff.

Garry and Larry, done with their door duty, come join our little group. Larry holds up a big bottle of Jack Daniels, says, “Lets get down to business,” takes a big swig and passes me the booze.

Now I'm not much of a drinker, maybe just a beer or two, but my, this does go down smoothly tonight. I'm standing in front of Danny, who has us both wrapped inside his brown leather jacket.

Did I mention that Danny smells really good? He has an amazingly sexy, crisp, citrusy smell. And I flashback to standing in Hollister with him, helping him pick out a scent girls would die for.

And now I am the girl dying for it.

Fate?

Everyone is having a seemingly great time. The guys are telling old jokes and old stories. But I'm having a hard time listening to them because as they are talking, Danny slides the hair off my neck and is peppering my neck with little ticklish kisses. I think right now they are telling about the time Gary and Larry convinced a carload of city boys that they could drive straight through a huge hay roll, and the hay would fly out all around them, just like on cartoons. P.S. For you city folk, it's a lie. They might as well have run into a tree. Fortunately, no one was severely injured. Everyone laughed and I almost forgot about Jake.

Almost.

The bottle goes around again, and I take a little swig. When Danny kisses me, his mouth feels hot from the whiskey, and the hot feeling of our mouths combined with the cool weather is incredible. I can't help wonder if Jake has seen us, but I'm assuming he is too busy with the sleaze. Phillip, on the other hand, is watching us like a hawk. A hawk with a scowl on his face. Or I guess, technically, it would be a beak.

Oh, whatever.

I'm not sure why he's scowling, and I'm too enthralled with Danny to care. I mean, I know Phillip watches out for me like a big brother, but I really don't think he needs to worry about Danny. He loves the guy.

Lisa announces that she has to pee, grabs my arm, and drags me off to a remote corner of the cornfield.

I'm sure she has to pee, but I also know that she is dying to know how I ended up with Danny.

Sure enough, as soon as we are out of earshot, she screeches, “Ohmigawd! JJ! Danny!!!! How did that happen?”

“I'm not exactly sure.” Because I'm not. “But you may be right about the clothes and makeup.”

“Told you. So did you just jump him in the parking lot or what? God, I've had a crush on him since, like, eighth grade.”

Her and every other girl in school.

“Do you know how lucky you are? I mean Danny is 100% pure unadulterated hotness.”

I can't help but laugh and wonder if she even knows what unadulterated means. Probably one of her SAT study words. I'm tempted to ask her, but she's still gushing on.

“I mean I always thought you were lucky just to live by him because you got to see him mow with no shirt on.”

“Don't get all revved up about this, Lisa. I practically had a meltdown out there in front of him. He's just trying to make me feel better. Help my ego,” I say, trying to convince myself that that's all there is to this. It just doesn't really feel that way.

“Like you've ever had ego problems.”

Well, I am usually quite confident. But Lisa doesn't understand how I have perfected the game face from years of playing sports. And trust me, I'm wearing it big time right now. So she can't see the hurt and confusion I'm feeling over the whole Jake dumped me thing.

“I really think he's just being a good friend.”

Lisa, not deterred from her fantasy, says, “Yeah, well, you don't usually see good friends kissing like that. And come on, you've been good friends for a long time and had a lot of boy issues, and you've never made out with him before.”

“Uh,” I kind of squint my eyes and look guilty before I realize it.

“Shut Up!” Lisa's eyes get huge. “You made out with Danny and didn't tell me? When?”

“It's not a big deal. It was a long time ago.”

“How long ago?”

“Freshman year, but I begged him to. I needed to know how to French kiss.”

“And that worked? I should've tried that one because I know you'd kissed boys before that.”

“Not really. I had that date with Ryan Marshall, and I was just a wreck about it,”

“So he told you how, or he taught you how?” She has a goofy grin on her face, and I know she is dying for details.

“Taught me.”

Her eyes get big again.

“Okay, I give up.” I hold my hands in the air. “Enough questions. We made out for a couple hours, and it worked. When I went on my date, I knew how to make out properly.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“It was really no big deal, plus he was dating someone at the time.”

“Who?” she asks, like this very old news is some juicy piece of gossip.

“I don't remember. Some cheerleader, I think.”

“Which one?” She is still enthralled.

“They're all the same one, Lisa.” I shake my head because Danny's girls are pretty much all the same. “They just have different names ending with the letter y.”

She laughs and nods, knowing exactly what I mean.

“Okay, so Jake? You were all set to, you know, with him. So are ya bummed?”

“No, not really.”

“Ohmigawd! I have a brilliant idea. You can do it with Danny!”