Chapter Thirty-2

The whirlwind that is Lizzie's father swept Everett into the house, a reaction Everett had been privy to once or twice before. David Baldwin always sounded happy, smiles woven in and out of his words no matter what he said. Everett smiled back at the man. "Hey, Mr. Baldwin. How're you doing tonight?" he asked politely, shaking the older mans hand before shoving both his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Well, pretty good. I have to say, I'm really happy about tonight." Everett furrowed his brow at the words. He didn't think this conversation would be going in that direction. Aren't dads supposed to stupidly protective? "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir." David led Everett to the couch, sitting him down. "Everett, I want to be clear about something," he started, sounding more serious than Everett had ever heard him. "Lizzie is my little girl. I love her more than anything. Does it freak me out that she has a boyfriend now? Yes, yes it does." David blew out a breath of air. "But you make her so happy. I'm glad that as far as boyfriends go, you are the first one. Just don't hurt her, okay?" At a loss for words, Everett just nodded stupidly. But just like his daughter, David could understand what Everett didn't say. I would never hurt Lizzie. "You're not terrorizing my date, are you, dad?" Lizzie voice came through the room, grin evident in her voice. Everett stood and waited for her to appear by him. "Of course not," her dad retorted, sounding scandalized. "I would never do such a thing." Everett only grinned as Lizzie and her father dissolved into a bickering match. Until Lizzie called a draw. "I gotta get going. Tell mom I love her when she gets home, okay?" Lizzie requested, taking Everett's hand in her own. He vaguely remembered Lizzie saying her mom had some bids on an art piece she was trying to sell. He assumed that's where she currently was. "I promise I will. Oh, wait! She'll kill me if I don't get a picture or two. Just smile all happy like. Perfect." * * * * * * * * * * * Ten minutes later (David insisted on posing them - it wasn't prom but he seemed to enjoy taking all sorts of pictures, anyway), Everett and Lizzie left the house. "Took you two long enough," Jesse noted as they crawled into the backseat. The use of his parents came in handy; he almost wanted to use the Mustang for the date tonight. But when he realized that both Lizzie and Everett would be using the backseat for the duration of the evening, he thought better of it. "Well, my dad. You know," Lizzie replied, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Don't worry, Lizzie. I'm not third wheeling tonight," Jesse clarified, flipping on his blinker and pulling out onto the highway that ran through town. "I'm dropping you guys off at the diner and then heading out until you call. And now I'm going to be quiet so you can chat." He made the motion of locking his lips with a key and proceeded to focus on the road. Lizzie rolled her eyes fondly and turned her attention to the boy next to her. Everett had his head turned in her direction and a smile already found it's way to his lips. A smile creeping up on her own, she scooted closer. "Hi," she whispered. "Hey," he whispered back, the smile on his face growing. "Why are we whispering?" Lizzie giggled, mentally smacking herself afterwards. "I have no idea. But I do know that it will drive our driver up the wall, so..." Everett laughed, leaning his head back on the seat and his grip tightening a bit on Lizzie's hand. He bit his lip and leaned a bit closer. "Can I tell you a secret?" he whispered lowly. Lizzie nodded in reply, watching his closely. "I was really nervous about tonight," he confessed in the same low tone. "Which I know is kind of ridiculous, but . . ." "It's not," Lizzie quickly interjected. "I was nervous, too, to be honest." She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I think we may have built this up way too much in our heads," she told him gently. Nodding in agreement, Everett replied, "Yeah. I think so. I just . . . I already feel so comfortable around you. I don't know why, but it feels like we've already been on a billion dates. And so I really wanted this to be a good night out, you know?" If the smile on her face got any bigger, Lizzie's face would have split in two. Despite his flaws and despite how they got off on the wrong foot so many months ago, Everett knew how to be the sweetest guy she knew. He got nervous, he stumbled over his words, but at his heart, he wanted to be the perfect boyfriend for her. And even though sometimes he said stupid stuff ("I am not watching this movie again, Lizzie. It's pointless and I'm totally walking out of this house if you put it on." "It's your house, dork.") and the occasional hurtful thing ("Stop bugging me, Lizzie, you're such a pest."), he was pretty amazing. And well, Lizzie couldn't deny how much she liked him. To be honest, she might even . . . "We're here, guys. Have fun and call me when you're ready to leave." Jesse smiled at her brightly from the front seat, almost like he could read her thoughts and that alone caused her cheeks to flush. She nodded hurriedly and jumped out after Everett, who already made his escape. Their hands linked together and they slowly made their way into the pizzeria, Jesse already pulling away from the curb. "Hello, how are you guys tonight?" the hostess asked as they reached the podium. "Doing great," Everett replied for them, smiling a bit as he did. "Just two for dine in tonight." Lizzie watched as the hostess smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "Of course." She tapped the screen in front of her and gathered two menus and some silverware. Stepping from behind the podium, she motioned with her hand and said, "Right this way." With Lizzie leading them, the two followed after the young woman, leading them to the back of the pizzeria. "Veer left, waiter coming through," Lizzie muttered to Everett, successfully steering them around the man holding a pizza and some drinks. "Here you are," the woman announced, directing them to a booth towards the back corner. Lizzie placed Everett's hand on the back of one bench, letting him get situated before sitting down herself. The hostess looked slightly puzzled, but didn't mention anything. She laid their menus down and gave them a dazzling smile. "Your waitress will be with you in just a moment." With a whirl, the hostess stepped away from their table and onto the next person who needed help. Lizzie looked across the table from Everett, who was wringing his hands together.