“Really,” Wes says in a voice that discourages any more questions about it.

Nonna walks in carrying a stack of towels and mutters, “Oh my.”

I hold my hands out. “This is all your doing, Nonna.”

She drops the towels on the bed and then walks around me in a slow circle, clicking her tongue. She runs her hand down my arm. “There’s something sewn into the seam,” she says. Dropping to the floor, she lifts the hem and rummages around for a few seconds. “Aha!”

The next thing I know, I’m blinking.

Blinking.

As in there are tiny, blinking lights sewn under the seams of the robe.

“Oh. My. God,” Olivia says, then bursts out laughing again.

Charlie and Wes stare in disbelief. “Why are there lights? I don’t understand,” Wes says.

Nonna stands up. “It’s festive!”

“It’s a fire hazard! Nonna, you’ve got to get me out of this one!” I say frantically.

She cocks one eyebrow. “Are you using your one free pass?”

I glance at the others. Wes is nodding, vigorously, while Olivia and Charlie are shaking their heads and mouthing Evil Joes.

“I guess not,” I mumble, and drop down on the edge of the bed.

Nonna squeezes me quickly and says, “This date can’t last long — that Nativity thing shuts down around nine.”

“And her date’s bedtime is probably close to that,” Charlie says under his breath.

Nonna throws him a look over her shoulder, then turns back to me. “I’ll have some fresh beignets ready and we’ll all meet here after your date. It will give us something to giggle about.”

Awesome. I’m going to be stuck in this getup for up to five hours just so we have something to giggle about over beignets later.

Nonna leaves the room. Olivia and Charlie just keep staring at the blinking lights like they’re mesmerized by them.

“We’ll come through the tour. Several times,” Charlie says once he snaps out of it. “And make sure we get pictures. You do need a new profile pic now that you and the dumbass broke up. Do you think everyone will be lit up or just you?”

I throw a pillow at him. “No pictures!”

Wes picks up the last piece of the costume that I’ve been avoiding: the headpiece. He’s trying really hard not to laugh as he plops it on my head. “Wait, I think this has lights, too.” I hear him flip a button and I turn to the mirror. Sure enough, there’s a ring of light around my head just like a halo.

Wes’s face appears next to mine in the mirror. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

I push him in the chest, knocking him off-balance, and he falls back, laughing.

“All of you suck,” I say as I pick up my robes with as much dignity as I can muster and walk out of the room, trying not to trip.

I check the clock as I walk into the kitchen. I stuffed my phone and enough cash for a cab into the pocket of my pants so I can bail if I need to. And I’m pretty sure I’ll need to.

Papa is in the side yard, supervising a couple of guys as they unload a cord of firewood near the back door, while Nonna is writing a check and talking to another guy who looks my age at the kitchen counter.

I back into the hall to hide. My blinking lights bounce off the white walls and make me feel dizzy.

“Thanks so much for your business, Mrs. Messina.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for getting to us so quickly.”

I peek around the corner. The guy is just about to turn away when Nonna puts her hand on his arm, stopping him.

“How old are you?” she asks.

Oh God. What is she doing?

“Um, I’m eighteen,” he answers, confusion laced in his words.

“Are you single?”

I drop my head back against the wall and let out a groan.

“Um…No, ma’am. I, uh, I have a girlfriend.”

Nonna lets out a humph and says, “Well, drat.”

I wait until I hear him leave the kitchen before I move away from my hiding spot.

“Seriously, Nonna? Were you really going to set me up with someone you don’t know for New Year’s Eve?”

She shrugs. “I know him.” She picks up the business card he left on the counter and reads it quickly. “His name is Paul.”

“Paul, huh. Without looking back at the card, tell me his last name.”

I can tell she’s itching to take a glance. But she’s saved from answering when we hear the door open again.

“I forgot to give you your receipt,” Paul says, coming back into the kitchen. His eyes widen as he stares at me, trying to process the blinking robe and halo veil.

“Oh, thank you, Paul,” she says with a quick glance to me. “And it’s too bad you have a girlfriend. I was going to set you up with my granddaughter Sophia.” Nonna gestures at me with a huge smile on her face.

Paul is speechless. He nods and sputters and basically runs from the house like it’s on fire.

“I cannot believe you just did that,” I say.

Nonna laughs, then turns toward the front door when she hears it open. “You better prepare yourself, I think Patrice is here.”

“I’m just telling you now, if my date is in middle school, it’s a forfeit.”

***

A small crowd has gathered to witness my humiliation. Mom’s spies, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bruce, are sitting in the front room with Nonna and Papa, but they have their chairs turned toward the foyer. All they’re missing is a tub of popcorn. Of course, Olivia, Charlie, and Wes wouldn’t miss this. Uncle Michael is staying in one of the other guest rooms, so I’m not surprised he’s here, but Jake and Graham stopped by and acted like they were looking for Graham’s sunglasses, even though Papa pointed out his glasses were perched on the top of his head. Oh, and Uncle Sal and Aunt Camille were “just walking the dogs” and thought they’d pop in.

Yeah, right.

Aunt Patrice and Uncle Ronnie are standing in the foyer, flanking a very young, very short boy who I assume is my date. He’s dressed in robes similar to mine, but no one has turned his lights on yet.

Or — oh God. Maybe it is just mine that blinks.

“Sophie, I would like to introduce you to Harold Riggs. He’s a freshman at Eagles Nest High School.”

A freshman.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I turn to Nonna, throwing her a pleading look, but she moves to Harold and scoops him up in a hug.

“So nice to meet you, Harold!” she says, way too enthusiastically.

He nods and then looks at me. “Hi,” he says. I don’t think his voice has changed yet. “What grade are you in?”

“I’m a senior,” I mumble. I can hear Olivia, Charlie, and Wes snickering behind me, so I throw a death glare over my shoulder at them. All three of them are red in the face and have tears in their eyes from holding back laughter. Jake and Graham are just as bad on the other side of the room.

Harold’s eyes light up. “A senior! That’s so totally cool!”

I want to dissolve into the floor right now.

Turning to Nonna, I say through clenched teeth, “You said the dates had to be my age. He is clearly not my age.”

She waves a hand in front of me. “You’re both in high school. Close enough!”

I hold up a finger to the group in the front hall and say, “Can you give me a minute?” I pull Olivia to the kitchen, Charlie and Wes following behind us.

I spin around once we’re out of earshot.

“One hour. You will pick me up from this middle school in one hour.” I point to all of them. “None of you will take pictures, or mention this in any way for the rest of our lives or I will murder you in your sleep.”

Olivia and Charlie can’t even answer me through their laughter. Wes gives me a salute and says, “Whatever you say, Disco Mary.”

I push past them and head to the front door. As we walk down the front path, Uncle Michael yells, “You kids have fun tonight!”

***

Aunt Patrice is driving because, of course, at fifteen, Harold Riggs doesn’t have a license.

We’re in the backseat, and Uncle Ronnie is up front with Aunt Patrice. I’m as close to the window as I can get, and Harold sits as close to me as his seat belt will allow. There are precious few inches separating us.

Aunt Patrice looks at me in the rearview mirror. “Sophie, you should probably turn your lights off until we get there. I’m not sure how long the batteries will last.”

That’s what I’m hoping for. I nod, but don’t click them off. I keep staring at my watch. If my rescue team isn’t there by five, I’m calling a cab. This middle school is out in the middle of nowhere. God, I hope Olivia can find it, or it’s going to cost me a fortune to get back to Nonna’s.

I glance down at my costume and then at my date. It will be worth every penny.

We pull up out front and there’s a group of people all dressed like me, except I’m the only one blinking. There are several wooden structures lined up along the sidewalk in a row in front of the school, and a roped path I’m guessing the people who show up to see us will follow. The manger seems to be right in the middle, if the wooden crib is any clue.

“We’re here!” Aunt Patrice calls from the front seat.

I scoot out of the car, Harold close on my trail. He makes several attempts to hold my hand as we walk toward the school, but luckily I dodge him each time.

“Hey! Check out my date! She’s a senior. In high school!” Harold announces to the crowd. I want to dig a hole and die in it. Everyone else dressed in robes seems to be in middle school — Harold and I are clearly the oldest ones here.

I turn to Aunt Patrice. “I don’t really understand this date. I mean, we’re at a middle school.”