Page 36 of Be My First

I look down. It’s a pale blue, flowy dress with a fairly high slit. The cut is a bit low in the front too, but nothing too sexy. It’s a family dinner after all.

When I look up at him again, he still has that look in his eye. I blush and then say, “Thank you. You look nice too.”

“We match,” he says. We are perfectly coordinated. It looks like we planned this.

I laugh. “We do. How did you know?”

He grins. “Lucky guess.”

I grin back and then he nods toward the steps, and we walk downstairs together.

“Do you guys always do such fancy family dinners?” he asks.

I laugh. “No, actually. We’re normally very casual. Sometimes we all attend White House functions that are formal. I like that we are doing it though.”

He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’m glad you’re doing it too.”

I gasp when we see the garden.

“Woah,” Bode whispers beside me.

“It’s stunning,” I reply. There are twinkling lights and lanterns hanging everywhere. The tables are covered with candles and flowers.

We walk over to Maggie and Declan. Celeste is standing beside them, holding Ian. Maggie is wearing a blush pink dress – so pale it almost looks white. Declan is wearing a navy suit without a tie – just like Bode.

“You look sharp,” I say to him as we walk up. “Maggie, I love your dress.”

Declan laughs. “Did you and Bode plan your outfits together?’

Before I can answer, Bode says, “Great minds think alike.”

I nod in agreement. “Exactly.”

The whole group trickles in, and Declan asks us to take our seats. Servers bring out food, starting with a beautiful Caprese salad.

“Is anyone going to Mt. Vesuvius?” Brooklyn asks.

“Hell yeah,” Declan says. “We’re going to head down to the Amalfi coast next week.”

“Is that safe? Hiking to the top of a volcano?” Zadie asks, freezing her fork midair.

Kip wrinkles his brow. “Yeah. When was the last time it erupted?”

“Oh, I looked this up last week,” Olivia says. “1944.”

“How often does it erupt?” Ethan asks.

“Well, it was erupting every twenty years so it’s long overdue now,” she answers.

Brooklyn shivers. “That’s a little scary.”

Declan waves his hand in the air like he’s swatting away that idea. “I’ve been to plenty of active volcanos.”

Brooklyn lets out a loud laugh. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

After we eat, Declan stands up and motions for Maggie to come join him. “I know James normally likes to give the dramatic speeches at family events, but I’m going to do it tonight.”

Eli calls. “James, does it bother you that Declan’s stepping onto your turf?”

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