Page 66 of Heartbeat

“This is different,” Mom said. “It’s—”

“It really isn’t,” Noah said, proving he had been paying attention.

“I don’t mind it, Mrs. Hart,” Jonas said, still pretty fixed on the saucepan.

The doorbell rang, and they all turned to look at me.

“I’m gonna go,” I said. “Have fun, guys.”

I turned and left the room before anyone had time to protest. As I walked to the front door, my heart started to race, and I started to shake. There’s was too much about this night that was new to me, and most of it I still didn’t quite understand. It didn’t matter, though, for the second I opened the door, Ethan Cooper was looking back at me, pretty nervous himself. He wore dark jeans and a burgundy striped shirt that hugged his torso in the most distracting way.

I calmed down instantly. “Hi,” I said, smiling.

“Ready?” he asked, also smiling.

“Ethan!” Jonas came up from behind me.

He edged past me and hugged Ethan as if they were old friends.

“Hey…” Ethan awkwardly hugged him back.

“Am I late?” Jonas pulled away and asked a very confused Ethan.

I just slowly shook my head.

“Just kidding. I just wanted to meet you properly. I wasn’t very friendly earlier today.”

“And now you have,” I said, cuffing him on the shoulder.

“Now I have.” Jonas turned to me with a single nod.

“Jonas, dinner’s rea—” Mom said, going quiet once she noticed Ethan. “Who’s this?”

I just wanted to die.

Poor Ethan probably did too. He immediately tensed up.

“Mom, this is Ethan.”

“Why, hello!” she said.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Jane.” She ran her hand through her blonde hair.

“Jane,” Ethan repeated, nodding.

Jonas looked at me, and I bit the inside of my mouth as hard as I could.

“Why don’t you come in?” she asked, motioning to Ethan and glancing at me and then Jonas. “I swear, these boys have no manners—”

“No, we don’t,” I quickly said. “But he can’t; we’re late. Aren’t we?” I turned to Ethan.

“Y-yeah. Yes, we are. I’m sorry.”

She all but swooned. It was the smile; I’m sure of it. And the dimples—deadly combination. He knew it too. I could tell he knew he could do that. “Some other time, then?”

“Absolutely,” Ethan and his dimples said.

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