"A date? With the new boy?"

I nodded slowly as I faced my mother from across the kitchen counter. I could see Sophia getting food out of the fridge from the corner of my eye, stifling her laughter as she went. I had rushed home from my jog, Emma in tow, and immediately cornered my mother to inquire about this date.

"Yes, Mom. A date. With Lincoln Carter. Remember, you liked him when he and his family dropped by on their first day?"

My mother nodded slowly, thinking through the conversation she had had with the Carters.

"Yes, I remember that they were a nice family. He seemed like a nice boy, but isn't he famous? Isn't he a big singer or something? Isn't that dangerous for you to become involved with?"

A burst of laughter came from Sophia, to whom Emma and I both shot a glare.

"I apologize for my outburst." Sophia shook her head, still shaking with laughter. "I will be excusing myself now." She rushed out of the room, taking an entire carton of milk with her in her hurry.

"Ignore her." I rolled my eyes as I turned back to my mother. "It isn't dangerous because he is smart and knows how to take care of himself. I'm sure we will be perfectly fine, Mom."

She thought for a second before turning to Emma.

"And you approve of this boy, Emma? He isn't going to take advantage of Olivia in any way?"

"No, Mrs. White, he is not." Emma nodded seriously. "He is going to be very good to her, and I'm sure that he is very serious about his interest in her. Like, you know, he's not planning on doing anything stupid."

My mother nodded and turned back to me.

"Alright. We will see how this date goes and then we will decide if you can continue to see him. Please be careful, Olivia. You know how much I worry."

"I know Mom, but don't worry. I'll be completely safe." I assured her again. "And I won't look like a tramp or anything like that. I'll be classy and polite the entire time."

"You'd better be." my dad's voice rang in my left ear as he entered the kitchen. "No daughter of mine is going to be out and about looking like she just left a show in Vegas." he gave my mother a kiss on the cheek before heading for the fridge. "Please be careful, Olivia."

"I will be!" I let out an exasperated sigh. "I will be perfectly fine. It's just a simple dinner with Lincoln Carter. Nothing is going to go wrong!"

***

"Alright. It's quarter to six, you're showered, dressed, makeup done, hair done...I think you're good to go!" Emma announced proudly. She had done all of my makeup, my hair, and picked out my outfit--I had asked her multiple times if she wanted to go on the date for me. She insisted that she was simply trying to help me out and was not at all interested in living vicariously through me.

"How tall is he?" she asked as she rummaged around my closet. "I want to find heels that compliment his height and don't make you seem too tall."

"He's 6'3"." I replied instinctively, knowing that she would judge me for knowing the number off the top of my head. Yet instead of uttering harsh words, she simply pulled a pair of 4" red pumps out of my closet.

"You're 5'6", right? These should do." she tossed me the shoes and closed the door to my closet. "So, look in the mirror! What do you think?"

I pulled the shoes on and stumbled over to the mirror, looking myself up and down carefully. Emma had selected a sleek black dress that went down to just a bit above my knee yet hugged my curves gracefully, satisfying both my desire to look attractive and my parents' desire for me to not look like a hooker. The jewlery was subtle but elegant; silver hoop earrings and a diamond bracelet that my father had bought for me on one of his many business trips.

"I approve." I nodded. "I think this will be good." I shot a glance at my window, the blinds having been closed for the entire day as I got ready for this date. "I wonder if he's getting ready."

"I'm sure he is." Emma nodded. "He's probably just as nervous as you are."

I scoffed at the mere idea of Lincoln Carter being nervous about going on a date with a little Texas girl who he thought he had never met before. I knew what he was probably thinking, and that was that this date would make for a great photo op. The headlines would talk all about how he was doing his charity work by taking a small town girl out to dinner during his initial stay in Houston, and how he was just the nicest young boy and the most eligible American bachelor.

I knew how these things went.

"5:57. Let's get going!" Emma cried as the doorbell rang. I walked over to the door carefully, having not walked in heels in over a month.

"He's early. This is not 6 o'clock sharp." I muttered under my breath as I descended down the stairs, Emma hot on my heels.

"Oh who cares. It's freaking Lincoln Carter!" Emma cried. I heard Sophia open the door to her bedroom and follow us down the stairs. I was sure that she was enjoying every second of this.

Yet at the same time, so was I. For all of my complaining and issues with going out with my former boyfriend who didn't even know he was my former boyfriend, I was incredibly excited. I didn't know what to expect, but at the same time I was willing to bet that there was no one else in the world who I would rather be at this very moment.

As I walked into the foyer I found Lincoln Carter standing with my father, shaking his hand and having a civil conversation as they waited for my arrival. As I walked into the room and he turned to face me, I couldn't help but blush, which was something Emma had specifically told me not to do, sicne she had perfectly contoured my cheekbones and didn't want anything to ruin the effect she had created.

He just looked so handsome. There was no getting around the fact that Lincoln Carter was by far one of the most attractive people I had ever seen, and was getting ready to go on a date with me. He was wearing a plain black suit with just one button buttoned, paired with a red tie that just so happened to match my shoes exactly.

"You look stunning." he complimented me as he took my hand and kissed it respectfully. "Mr. White, you truly have graced me with a spectacular date for my evening."

"And I am sure I am sending her into good hands." My father replied, smiling. "I would like her back by eleven and no later, is that understood?"

"Yes sir." Lincoln nodded politely before turning to me. "Shall we be off?"

I nodded silently, not trusting my voice to come out as anything more than a squeak.

We turned and left the house, walking out to where a sleek black limosine was waiting to take us away.

"A limo?" I finally spoke. "That's quite extravagent."

"Well, when you're dining with someone as interesting and lovely as yourself, the ride must suit the girl." he winked at me as we walked down the driveway. "I'm sure that tonight will be simply lovely for the both of us."

A/N: Might as well continue with the daily uploads as long as I have them. Enjoy!