Crazy Little Thing Called Love

MCD-Chapter Seven

I couldn’t believe Brad was actually letting me go on a date with Trick Garrett. I could tell he wasn’t exactly at ease with the idea, but the fact that he hadn’t thrown a fit….well, I don’t know. It kind of threw me a little, if I was being honest. My dad would never let me go off with a boy I barely knew, even if it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But I had meant what I said to Brad. I actually liked Trick. Liz and Melany, of course, hated my guts. At first, I didn’t mind telling them every single syllable Trick Garrett uttered. But it really is amazing how knowing someone for a little over a week does to you. Almost instantly, it was easy for me to talk to Trick as he was a real guy, and not a hugely famous Australian actor.

That still didn’t stop me from dressing and redressing a thousand times that night. Eventually, I decided on simple skinny jeans and a peasant blouse. As always, there was little hope for my hair, so I just straightened it and left it alone. The only makeup I put on was a tiny bit of blush, mascara, and cherry chapstick; my hands were much too jittery to do anything else.

As it turns out, Brad wasn’t kidding about the tazer. To make him feel better, I tucked it into my purse even though I wouldn’t need to use it.

A part of me was really nervous about this date. I wanted it to be perfect, but then not like rehearsed kinda perfect. What if he was completely different offset? What if he took me to this club where everyone knew him in an attempt to impress me?

My mind was full of "what ifs" until Trick showed up at Brad’s front door. Though Brad didn’t know it, I had thought ahead and locked Magnum up in his room so he couldn’t use his massive dog as an excuse to knock Trick on his ass. As it was, he seemed to look for him before opening the door.

My heart melted just a little bit. I was used to Trick being gorgeous, and I hadn’t known what I expected, but it was anything but seeing him in a nice button down navy shirt and nice jeans; the kind that aren’t too tight or baggy. His hair even had an extra care to it. Even though I knew he had people at his disposal to help him dress and what not, you could kind of just tell he’d gotten ready by himself.

I felt way underdressed and almost ran back upstairs to change. Thank God I had switched my ratty Converse for sandals!

A blush crept up my neck as I slowly descended the stairs. "Hey, Trick," I greeted, hoping my voice was even enough.

He looked up and flashed an easy and genuine smile. "Wow, Kenzie, you look beautiful."

I tugged at my white blouse. "Should I change? I feel underdressed….."

Trick shook his head. "No, you’re perfect." He turned to Brad and said, "Is eleven thirty too late?"

"How about eleven?" Brad compromised begrudgingly.

"Brad," I hissed under my breath, coming to stand beside Trick.

My date—haha, my date!!!—just grinned, though. "Eleven’s great. Thank you."

Brad grunted in response, arms crossed firmly in front of his chest to look intimidating. "And be careful. That’s my daughter your with."

I felt like slapping my forehead. On one hand, I could have gotten pissed off at him for pulling the typical Dad move. On the other, it was actually really sweet…..if not a little annoying.

"Absolutely," Trick agreed easily.

Before he could say anything else, I said a very pointed, "Bye, Brad," before practically shoving Trick out the door. I wasn’t dumb enough not to know Brad was watching us even as we pulled out of the driveway in Trick’s Jeep.