“If she knew that you were going out with Cole Baker, she may have been thinking you needed the aid of a strong young man who would do anything to keep you safe,” said Melissa. “Is that a possibility? Two young women could still be accosted in the darkness by a deranged suitor. A woman with Mitchell Kays next to her would have no such worries.”“That’s the other problem. Cole took me to Buddy’s for dinner. While waiting to order dinner, a gorgeous red-headed woman around twenty-five walked in. She was shown to a table back in the corner, and guess who her date was?” sniffled Christine. “None other than Hailey’s big brother.”“Oh, no,” gasped Melissa. “Are you sure that Mitchell had a date with her? Did he see you with Cole? What happened then?”“I gave Cole some lame story about being allergic to garlic, and we left and had dinner at the Roadhouse. She hugged him and kissed his cheek, Mom. Unless he has a bunch of girls wanting to be his sister, I’d have to say it was a real date. He’

"My dear, that doesn't have to be a bad thing," laughed Melissa. "Why do men do things for women? Why is society the way it is? Because men want what we have. That gives us power. You just have to learn to wield that power wisely. I've kept your father in line and interested in well over twenty years, and it wasn't just my good cooking that did it.""How do you know whether you have a good guy like Dad, or a letch like Cole?" asked Christine."It doesn't usually take too long, if you watch the clues," assured Melissa. "Mauling you in a parked car against your wishes is an obvious deal breaker. You shouldn't have to experience that to find out what sort of man you're dealing with. Watch how he treats his family, his friends, strangers, and people less fortunate than he is. You'll learn a lot about a person that way.""I seem to have a problem telling the good guys from the bad ones. Cole was a huge mistake every way imaginable. It looks like Mitchell was, too. I guess I'm batting 1000%

When it came time for them to dance, Christine initially seemed a bit tentative. “Christine, relax,” whispered Mitchell. “You look fantastic, and everyone loves you. Let go and feel the music. We can do this right.”Christine looked up at Mitchell as he spoke. She was again struck by his rugged good looks and engaging smile, and she felt his eyes could look into her very soul. Without conscious thought, Christine moved closer and allowed herself to follow Mitchell’s lead, trusting that her partner wouldn’t make any mistakes. By the end of the dance, Christine was relaxed and smiling. The applause was surprising in its duration and volume.“That was beautiful.” gushed Ken Smith’s wife. “You two look so perfect together and move so well. I’ve been after Tyler to take some lessons with Christine’s Aunt Donna, but he always claimed it was for sissies. Now I’ve got some new ammunition. Mitchell sure doesn’t look like any sissy-boy and look at the beautiful woman he holds in his arms when h

"I don't know where Christine gets her self-discipline. She wears those sweaters and sweatshirts to practice and hardly interacts with the guy, even when she's in his arms. I know she's pissed about him supposedly having a woman on the side, but if I were her, I'd be doing my level best to make him forget the other woman. Christine has the equipment to make him forget." Mellissa stated.When the arrangements were made for Casino night, no one had considered the football team playing that same day for the district title. Luckily, Highland played early in the day, and everyone had time to return to Highland and participate, as promised, in Casino night at the fire hall. The fact that Highland had won 42- 21 made for a festive occasion. The members of the firefighters and ambulance crew had a large sign proclaiming Highland district champions on the wall."Wow, Ashley. You look great. I guess if college doesn't work out for you, there's always the option of being a cocktail waitress," te

"Thanks, Mitchell," spoke to the EMT behind him. "That was close. I wouldn't have blamed Liam if he clocked this bozo, but he'd probably be crying to his mom and lawyer before he hit the floor. Liam's the one that would be in trouble. I told Kim to call the cops. They'll be here pretty soon. I'll handle it from here."Mitchell left the bathroom to see his classmates huddled around Liam and Ashley. She was wearing Liam's suit jacket and looked very small in it. Christine gave Mitchell a big smile as he approached the group."Thanks, Mitchell. It sounds like you arrived just in time. Ashley told us that Liam looked like he was going to kill that jerk. What a mess that would've been. I told Liam to take Ashley home. I promised that you and I'd double as wait staff when we weren't dancing. I don't think you have to make any plans to get those two together. She won't let go of him now.""Kids, we're sorry about that situation. The police are outside talking to those college kids now. They