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well as it did. Lindsey wasn’t quite ready, and he was early—something she hadn’t planned for at all. The doorbell rang just as she was tucking the tail ends of her sheer black lace blouse into her blue jean miniskirt—ends she would later tie up to expose her midriff, after she was out of the house, of course. When she heard her stepfather say, “I’ll get it,” Lindsey bolted for the stairs.
    “ That’s okay, it’s for me!” Her high heels clattered on the linoleum as she slid into the kitchen, grabbing her purse from the table and surprising her mother standing at the sink doing the dinner dishes. Lindsey knew she was going to be too late, and she was. Her stepfather was saying something about the Watchtower, and then she heard Zach say her name.
    “ I’ll be home by curfew.” Lindsey edged by her stepfather, smiling at Zach who stood tall in the porch light. No navy whites tonight—just jeans and a soft gray shirt.
    “ Lindsey? Is everything—” Her mother paused at the doorway, the dish towel she was drying her hands with stopping as she saw Zach standing on the porch. “Oh. Hello.”
    “ Hello, Mrs. Anderson.” Zach gave her what Lindsey would call a parent-placating smile. He’d obviously been taking notes when she talked to him on the phone earlier. “I’m taking Lindsey over to the Palladium to see Kenny Wayne Shepard. We’ll be back no later than one.”
    Lindsey saw her parents exchange uneasy glances. She rolled her eyes, knowing they were entirely too politically correct to object, but that she would hear all about it later. “Yes, that’s right, I’m going on a date with a nee-gro.” She turned her face up to Zach, whose eyebrows raised slightly at her words. “This is the new millennium, okay? Just remember it could be worse—he could be from another planet or something.”
    “ How do you know I’m not?” Zach was laughing. She could feel it when she pressed back against him, urging him down the steps with her body. Her stepfather’s face was twisted between fear and rage, and she rather liked the look—not that she hadn’t seen it before or anything. She grabbed Zach’s hand, and noticed how it swallowed her own as she pulled him toward the car parked on the curb.
    “ Nice ride.” She laughed out loud when he opened the passenger side of the black Camaro for her, glancing back and waving at her parents, still standing shell-shocked in the doorway. “You don’t have to lay it on that thick! They’re not going to like you, no matter what you do.”
    Lindsey tossed her purse in and followed it, flipping down the visor and putting on lip gloss as Zach went around to his side. The car smelled like oranges and sandalwood, and was absolutely spotless. He put the key in the ignition and started the car . Cold air blew over her face. When he pulled his seatbelt over, he glanced at her.
    “ Strap in.” He nodded toward her belt.
    Lindsey made a face, rubbing her full, glossy lips together. “I live dangerously.”
    “ Not with me, you don’t.” Zach reached over her for the seatbelt. His body was warm, and his breath sweet, she noticed, as he clicked her belt into place.
    “ I thought a Navy boy would be a little more adventurous!” she scoffed, flipping the visor up as he put the car into gear. Her parents were still standing in the doorway. She wondered for a moment what they were saying—but really, she already knew. It thrilled her.
    “ Gotta draw a line somewhere.” Zach pulled slowly away from the house, glancing in his rearview mirror. “So, tell me—what percentage of you decided to go out with me tonight based on the fact that I’m black?”
    Lindsey shook her head, giving him a sly smile as she fished a pack of gum out of her purse. “Don’t flatter yourself. It was the Shepard tickets that hooked me from the start. The black thing was just a nice bonus.”
    “ And here I thought it was my witty charm and incredibly good looks.” He snorted,