Page 40 of The Lookback

“I—this is a lot,” I say. “You didn’t need to do all this.”

“Jed should have done it.” Tommy sounds bitter, but when he looks up, his smile’s bright. “You really are a princess, Amanda. You deserve someone who treats you like one.”

My heart darn near does a back flip. “Thanks.”

A moment later, Teri brings out a basket of sliced bread and their famous cinnamon butter. As she walks off, she winks at me. I’m not sure why or what it means, but I’m beginning to. . .hope.

Tommy says Jed should be doing this, but Jed isn’t. Tommy is. He’s bringing me a corsage, and decorating our table, and when the prime rib comes, it’s the best meat I’ve ever had. “Why is this so good?”

“Prime rib is slow roasted,” Tommy says.

“Actually, that’s not quite right.” Teri’s bringing out some kind of tray, but before she sets it down, she smiles. “You have to let the meat come down to room temperature, and then you cook it for just five minutes per pound at five hundred degrees. . .andthenyou turn the oven off and let it sit for two hours.”

Tommy blinks.

“You can’t open the oven in that time or you’ll ruin it. Then you pull it out, and.” She waves her hands. “Voila.”

“I thought you were the waitress,” Tommy says.

She shrugs. “Small place. I get to do a little bit of everything.” She leans closer. “And believe me. If I let Chuck do the prime rib, you’d be sawing pieces off with a serrated knife.”

I’m chuckling as she lowers the tray.

“Oh, I don’t need dessert,” I say.

“Should’ve told him that.” Teri’s smirking as she slides five different plates onto our table top. “He ordered them all.” She’s laughing as she saunters off.

“You ordered—” I look around more carefully. “A cheesecake, a chocolate cake, some kind of fruit tart, a cobbler, and. . .what is that?” I lean closer.

“It’s called Broken Glass Cake,” Tommy says. “Teri said it’s new, but I think it’s basically different flavors of Jell-O, cut into squares and frozen in place with whipped cream.” He shrugs. “It looks pretty, though, right?”

“How much did you really think I could eat?”

He sighs. “There aren’t a lot of ways to make something special in Manila, but I’m trying, okay?”

I glance around. It’s prom night, and not another single teenage couple is in here. Not that we’re a couple. Now I’m the one blushing, and just because of my own errant thoughts.

“Are you alright?” Tommy’s looking at me strangely. “Mandy?”

“Fine.” I dig into the Broken Glass Cake, and thankfully, it’s better than I expected it to be. Strawberry, Lime, and Lemon Jell-O all mix pretty well. But when we both reach for a bite of the cobbler at the same time and our hands collide, I can’t help my gasp.

Tommy’s mouth turns up on the edge.

I know what he said, but I can’t help thinking that maybe he’s changed his mind. Maybe he does like me after all. The way he’s staring at me, the effort he’s put into this, and the way his hand is still touching against mine. . .

“Alright, you two.” Teri walks up, hands on her hips. “If you don’t go soon, you’ll be late for the announcement of prom court. Tommy made me promise to have you out of here in time.” She tosses her head at the clock on the wall.

Tommy clears his throat and stands. “Right.”

“I didn’t bring money with me,” I say. “But?—”

“Your date already paid,” Teri says. “He paid a few days ago, when he first came in here and dictated this crazy menu.” She’s smiling broadly now. “Pretty cute one you got there.” She winks again, and this time, Tommy sees it.

I might die.

But Tommy acts like he didn’t see a thing. He just walks me back to the car, opens the door, and helps me tuck my dress into the space before closing the door. Once he’s walked round and climbed in himself, he smiles. “Ready?”

We only drive a few blocks, swinging around the corner to the school and then he slides into a space and cuts the growling engine just outside the gym. We’re late and there are still plenty of parking spaces.

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