Chapter 5

Christine was certain that Mitchell would be insulted and leave the house. For her part, she had never been so humiliated.

"Dad," cried Hailey.

"It's okay, Hailey. Your dad has a good point there. I'll tell you this, sir. I never intended to force Christine to do anything against her wishes. I would never do that, unless it was done to save her from pain or injury. I asked her out and she declined, but her reasons sounded hollow to me, so I decided to press Christine a little. If Christine simply tells me that she truly does not want to go with me tonight, I will leave and never bother her again. However, Sir, it is my belief and hope that Christine is more than willing to accompany me to the dance. Let's ask her when she comes down, shall we?"

"Okay, son. You stated your case well. We'll do that, but there are a couple other things that you need to know," continued Christine's father. "You'll never go out with Christine again if you use alcohol, or tobacco. If I hear that you drive unsafely, you'll lose any privileges I may have allowed. If I learn of any questionable behavior on your part, Christine will be forbidden from seeing you. Do you understand me?"

By this time Christine wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She had all she could do to keep from crying as Maddie patted her hand and tried to calm her. Meanwhile, Melissa was horrified. What had gotten into her normally quiet and reserved husband? She struggled to find words to diffuse the situation. What a way for a young man to be treated the first time he meets a girl's parent, “This is normal for the first date. You never been around when dad met my guys in my life,” Maddie stated.

"Sir, I respect your conditions and am willing to abide by them without hesitation," replied Mitchell calmly as he extended his hand to Dan Leonard. "You've done an incredible job raising your daughters and I will do nothing to bring dishonor or harm to any of them, and especially to Christine. You have my word."

Dan Leonard beamed as he shook Mitchell's hand. It was always best to clear the air in the beginning, before any misunderstandings occur. He had taken the bull by the horns and laid the foundation for his daughter's wellbeing. It was only as he looked for admiration on the faces of the other folks in the room that he sensed something may have gone awry. The silence is almost deafening. Melissa forced a smile as she offered everyone more coffee.

That was the scene as Maddie descended the stairs and loudly cleared her throat. All eyes turned to her as she moved to her father and hugged him.

"Dad, if we weren't so sure that you really loved us, we'd think you were trying to ruin our lives sometimes. As long as Mitchell so graciously accepted your conditions, I want everyone to turn their attention to the stairway. Prepare to have your breath taken away. I give you Miss Christine Leonard."

Christine had never been so embarrassed in her life. Her anger allowed her to lose her jitters. At the bottom reached the bottom of the stairs, the silence made her stop thinking about her father, and the embarrassment he had caused. Christine looked around and saw jaws hanging everywhere. Tears were rolling down her mother's cheeks. Hailey was holding her hands to her mouth. Then she looked at Mitchell.

He made no effort to conceal his appreciation as he stood nearly transfixed. Christine could see his eyes move over her body and it excited her. It was far different than when the boys at school stared at her chest or made suggestive remarks. She didn't feel insulin or dirty by the way Mitchell so obviously enjoyed looking at every inch of her.

As Mitchell approached Christine, he looked directly at her, even as he spoke to her father. "Sir, your daughter is incredibly lovely. If she agrees to accompany me this evening, I promise that I'll do everything in my power to guarantee her safety as well as protect her honor. Christine, I am releasing you from the wager, but I'm again asking you to go to the dance with me."

Christine instantly gleaned that Mitchell was doing everything in his power to placate her father and his insensitive demands. He was showing her father more respect than he may have deserved after his lecture a couple of minutes earlier. With that understanding of Mitchell's motives, Christine became more tolerant of her father. A girl's suitor should try to live up to the expectations of her father, shouldn't he?

"Thank you, Dad, for putting this rogue in his place. He can't take advantage as long as I have a father like you are looking after me. It's a girl's prerogative to change her mind, however. I've reconsidered my previous decision. I would be pleased to be your date for the evening, Mitchell."

Christine's response to Mitchell opened the flood gates. Suddenly everyone was laughing and talking. Melissa was hugging a very smug husband as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Hailey produced her camera and insisted that Christine and Mitchell pose for a few pictures. Of course, everyone else quickly took advantage of the situation and used their camera phones to capture the moment.

Christine's aunt Donna hugged her and then hugged Mitchell as she whispered to both. "That was some of the fastest thinking I've seen in a long time. You saved Dan from an unbelievably bad moment. Melissa was considering pouring hot coffee on his head, but you two made him look good. I'm impressed."

"Christine, you are absolutely stunning. I've never seen a more beautiful woman, and in that dress, it's pretty apparent that you're all woman. You have to be the best-looking couple this town has ever seen."

As soon as things calmed down, Melissa watched Christine take Mitchell's hand and tug him toward the door. It was a small gesture, but it reassured Melissa that Christine was finally in control of her thoughts when she was near Mitchell. As the door closed, Maddie hugged her mother and wiped away tears that found their way down her cheek.

"Mother, did you see how beautiful Christine was? I had to talk her into wearing my red dress. Now I'll never be able to wear it again after seeing how she looks in it. She's been working out, Mom. The dress was a little loose in her waist and tight in the bosom. My little sister sure has grown up and I'm so happy for her. Let's hurry up and get to that dance. I need to find out if I can still break hearts. Christine's made me feel old and ugly all of a sudden."

"Mitchell, I'm sorry about my dad," began Christine as soon as Mitchell pulled out of their driveway. "He heard us talking about the bet and somehow came to the conclusion that I was going against my Will. He felt that since I had declined once, it should have been the end of it. He's a pretty good father, but he doesn't always understand the women in his life."

"Christine, I think you should be proud of your dad. I admire how direct and to the point he was. He made it pretty clear what was expected from me when I dated you. As far as I'm concerned, he did exactly what a good father should do. There is nothing to apologize for, and a lot to be proud of, if you ask me. You have a wonderful family."