utside one of Mr. Jones's open windows, hoping it was loud enough that my idea would work.

ght the whole album and hurried inside. As the first heart-p

invite and wrote them out quickl

... tomorrow I would invite Mr. Jones to my birthday party, personally. My stomach did a giddy flip-flop at the thought of seeing him

going to be

ough my morning routine at an almost inhumanly fast speed and bounced down the stars. I grabbed the stac

ng in bed all morning," my mother said as she walk

en and bright as the sun, filling the room with light from just her smile. I smiled, happy to see her before I went off to school, which was out of the norm. Mother must h

radiant!" Mrs. Short com

amazing today as well

le hug, then whispered into her

she found out that the cook had

y, remembering the last time she had been a

r, half-listening to my mother going

ing out of town this weekend, so you will need t

fell a bit behin

efore Mrs. Short could agree to

cessary. We hired Mrs. Short

weekend. She should be spending time with them instead o

a moment, then loo

dren?" Ingram asked

weekends that she hadn't been able to get off. Of course, my mother would never remember anything like that. Mrs. Short just nodded, having grown used to the c

re of myself. Mrs. Short and Mrs. Robinson can both take

the condition both came in early on Monday to clean

. Short shook her head slightly at

y ear when my mother wasn't looking. "Pic

nd looked at the time onc

ace as I hugged Mrs. Short once mo

ght was on. However, this time his front door was not open. I felt a bit disappointed, but I pushed those feelings aside. I stuck the

lled open, dropping it to the ground. I reached down to grab it and found myself looking up at the very man I wa

ked in yet. I finally met his eyes, and there was no smile on his face. But instead of anger, the emotio

" he asked as

my birthday,

you had jus

weeks. Better for my father's business," I explai

efore tossing the invite on the tabl

ood in front of him, trying not to

autiful you looked when you handed

erally, I leaned forward and inhaled his scent, letting it surround me and fill me. I realized I had closed my eyes and was leaning into him l

me, Rebecca," he quietly warned

ook my head able to una

t's dangerous?" he ask

d finally. "I just do

essed his hands against

Tell me, sweet one, have you ever even been kiss

d, unable to take my ey

jealousy seemed to flash