Holding On To Heaven (Allendale Four 2)

Noah arrived at eleven on the dot, standing at my door in a crisp, white, button-down shirt and plaid shorts. Sunglasses perched in his hair and a small gold cross hung around his neck from a chain.

I’d asked Samantha what to wear and she suggested a dress. I found a short-sleeved, red-and-white-striped cotton dress in Amber’s closet and accessorized with white Converse and a row of chunky bracelets on my arm.

“You look great,” Noah said, taking me in. The dress was modest; I didn’t feel comfortable showing off too much skin with him or his parents. The last thing I needed was word getting back to my dad that I’d embarrassed him somehow.

“You look nice, too,” I said closing the door behind me. Amber was still asleep and Ruthie and Samantha left earlier carrying red and black pom-poms for the game.

“My mom’s a traditionalist. Dressing up for the games has always been a big deal for her.”

I looked down at my shoes. “Too casual?”

“Nope.” He smiled. “Perfect.”

The whole campus transformed overnight, turning into one big party. Cars, campers, buses, and tents occupied every open space. Noah explained that his family had staked out the same location for the past thirty years, when his parents went to school at the University.

“I guess he wants you to follow his footsteps?” I asked.

“Yep. Business degree. Fraternity. Girlfriend. It’s like he wants a clone.”

“Can’t you tell him you want to live your own life?” I asked, walking around a grill someone had set up in the middle of the parking lot.

He looked at me from the side. “Can you tell your father that?”

“Apparently not.”

Noah introduced me to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hancock. They were clean-cut and professional-looking. Everything about them screamed vanilla with a side of wealth. What was my father, a small-town evangelical, doing with this man? Something didn’t add up.

Mrs. Bennett was lovely, handing me a plate filled with barbeque, deviled eggs, and piping-hot cornbread. S

he asked me about my classes, my mother, and where I was from. I couldn’t imagine my mother talking to this person for more than a few minutes. My skin itched from the anxiety of being around someone so genuine. I felt like I was in an alternate reality.

“We’ve been so worried about Noah since he started college. He’s always been a little rebellious—pushing his father’s buttons,” she said in a quiet voice, touching her very blonde hair. A huge diamond glinted on her finger. “But when he started this year I prayed for a change in his heart. I had no concerns about him not having a steady girlfriend. I always knew he’d find the perfect girl, but Roger is definitely feeling a little relieved. Kids date around these days, don’t you think? Everyone is less worried about settling down. It’s smart, if you ask me.”

Noah walked over with a plate filled with food and eased up next to me. Then he rested his hand on my back.

My lower back.

I tried not to jump out of my skin but instead cleared my throat and said, “Do you have a water?”

“Oh sure, honey,” his mother said. “A whole cooler full, right over there.”

I made my break and wasn’t exactly surprised when Noah followed me over.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“Just playing it up for my dad. He’s watching us closely, haven’t you noticed?”

“Not really,” I said, twisting off the bottle cap. “I’ve been talking to your mom.”

He nodded. “She likes you. I can tell.”

“Noah,” I said, as evenly as possible. “It doesn’t matter if she likes me. This isn’t real.”

“I know,” he said, frowning. “But they need to think it is, or he’ll never get off my back, and your dad…”

“My dad what?”

“Your dad wants my father’s funding and it’s my understanding there are some concerns.”