A/N: Wow, I know. Two chapters in one night! But these were both kind of easy breezy, fluffy-furry, focusing more on Adam and Lacey's relationship than their battles and Adam's hockey career. Those of you who enjoy the romance will definitely enjoy these, whereas those who don't as much will maybe find yourselves skimming, but take it all in! I'm a big creator of mood with my stories, and seeing the dynamics of the A + L romance will hopefully help set the tone for later things. Trust the process!

I'm also enjoying presenting Adam in different scenarios, developing what I think he'd be like, etc. I see the same strong-minded, mature, private guy that was implied to us in the movies, and I'm imagining that even in the midst of his battles, love is causing him to blossom in some ways he otherwise wouldn't. Hope that's evident!

AND ANYWAYS, who remembers the days of straightening your hair with a big-barrel curling iron? It always took forever!

/*/*/

"We never know how frozen we are until someone starts to melt our ice." – Bridgett Devoue

In the years prior, Lacey had always regarded with cynicism the phrase she would hear sometimes from high school seniors, the romantics of literature, people in love, and the many exotic vacations of the popular kids at school: "It was the best time of my life." She hadn't known there could be a "best" to a life where there was fear lurking around every corner. She certainly didn't see it in relationships with people other than family, and she'd never once heard either her mom or Stuart utter it as they got up early and dragged home from work every day at jobs that left them drained of all energy, but bound in the shackles of bills waiting in the wings.

But now–the Spring of 1998, senior year–Lacey finally understood how possible it was to live out that phrase.

So much had changed for her just in a year. Not only was she in love with the sweetest boy, she actually had friends. She and Julie and Connie, both all together and in separate pairs, spent some time together watching movies, sometimes shopping, and strolling downtown on boring Saturday afternoons. She felt honored to have become a part of a friendship, to have her "people." And what connection Lacey didn't have with Julie and Connie was more than made up for in Kristy, who was fast becoming a very close friend. Kristy, like Adam, had a gift for listening and seemingly infinite patience for hearing her ramble on and on with her occasional big questions like "What is the goal of humanity?" and "Who really came up with the thing about cardinals being dead loved ones visiting us?" and "Is there a time limit on fortune cookie predictions?"

"Gee, Lacey, I don't know," Kristy answered that last question, giggling. "But I have another good one. What would happen to the world's oceans if every person on earth jumped in them at the same time?"

"Wow," Lacey lay on her bed holding the phone, staring blankly up at the ceiling as she tried to imagine the scenario. "And I wonder if the weight of clothes would matter that much. Like, if people jumped in wearing their parkas or jumped in wearing nothing at all."

Kristy was laughing, and Lacey glanced toward the door of her room just in time to see Ariel pass by with a laundry basket before doing a double take and looking in at Lacey like she had lost her mind.

And thus was her and Kristy's new tradition born: every night on the phone one of them had to ask an unanswerable question. Sometimes the things they came up with spawned deep conversations, and other times, they just served to make them both laugh.

The next event Lacey and Adam attended together, in this season of events, was Spring Cotillion at Eden Hall–otherwise known as the private school's prom.

"Fancy name," Lacey's mom tilted her head, glancing up from writing the rent check. "But I bet there will still be guys spiking the punch bowl and passing condoms out to one another and girls wearing lacy underwear to lose their virginity in. Kids are kids."

"Mom! Can you not take the magic straight out of something for once, please?" Lacey shot back, feeling testy, but mostly out of anxiety regarding her new hair color and how it would complement her dress.

Adam's comment at the lake house a couple of months ago inspired a change. Not something she was necessarily doing for him, but something his words had definitely caused her to consider for herself: going back to her natural hair color.

So she did it. But before she was ready to spend her hard-earned money on a stylist job, she thought she would try dye out of a box first to see if she really liked it. She and the twins took a good look at her roots and at old pictures, and determined her hair was somewhere between ash brown and chocolate brown. So she went with ash brown, thinking it to be a much softer transition. After taking the plunge, she went back to look in the mirror about every half hour to examine it again, and smiled.

She actually liked it. So much so that she did go to her stylist the next day and forked over money for a cut. The chunky layers from post-Christmas had finally grown out and her hair curled softly right below her shoulders. Lacey was good to let it grow again, but now what she wanted was something she'd never been brave enough to do.

"Bangs!" Ariel and Halen shrieked, practically at once.

Lacey grinned. She'd had Amber cut bangs in a half-moon shape fringing her face, and liked how it gave more of a "cute" look to her as opposed to "sexy." Her mom and Stuart had even been noticing the fact that she was toning her eye makeup and lipstick down for a softer look.

"Hot, popular, hockey girlfriend Lacey" was slowly transforming into…just Lacey. As she'd wanted to be for years. Confident to do the things she wanted to do with her appearance, not just follow the trends to try to look flawless.

"And Halen, I really, really like it. I feel free," she remarked as she tried to have a conversation with Halen one day after her little sister had made a snobbish remark about her more relaxed appearance. "One thing I hope you get before it's all over is that you shouldn't live for high school and what other people think of you. I mean…it's just people's opinions, is all. In a few years, all that melts away and you're just left with you. And if you don't know who that is, well…"

Halen had listened, but Lacey could tell her sister hadn't really, truly heard her. And she couldn't do anything about that. Halen would have to learn her own lessons, in her own time.

So it was with this new hairstyle that Lacey greeted Adam when he came to the door the evening of Spring Cotillion. She had fashioned her hair into a simple chignon with wavy tendrils on each side, and her sheath dress was made of dark purple faux silk, flaring slightly at the bottom. He took one look at her, wide-eyed, gazing back and forth between her hair and her dress.

Finally he smiled. "You look…"

"Like your wildest dream? I know," she cheesed. Adam himself looked striking, wearing an eggplant colored vest that matched her dress as opposed to the traditional cummerbund. It was a trend that awed her mother.

"And you're not going to wear pantyhose?" Her mom had stared in amazement a couple weeks ago when Lacey informed her that girls now were foregoing the long-time prom staple as Darlene had just tossed a pack of nude colored hose across the couch at her one evening. "Everything's changed, hasn't it?"

"Not everything. I still love you."

Lacey felt rather beautiful and proud of herself the entire time Stuart took pictures at home, then Yvette took pictures at Adam's house.

"And you're sure you don't want me to chaperone," Yvette tilted her head as she lowered the camera. "I've already made a poster with a huge arrow to show the world whose mother I am."

"Thanks, I'm good," Adam rolled his eyes, but flashed his mom a small smile.

Lacey came to learn that Spring Cotillion was called thus because, at the beginning of the evening, those in Eden Hall's Etiquette classes were formally introduced by the school's president. This was followed by an organized dance among the debutantes and their partners, which was executed elegantly and flawlessly.

Lacey took a little too much pleasure in the fact that her mom was wrong about Eden Hall's Spring Cotillion. Sure, she figured some less-than-savory activities went on behind the scenes and in the back rooms of the school's multiplex. But for the most part, the private school knew how to keep it classy. Candles and wall sconces cast a soft hue over the dance floor, and even though some prom staples were still present such as the punch bowls–each made of real crystal, however–and chaperones, the music wasn't quite as eardrum shattering as it had been at her junior prom at Driskell last year. And even though some peppy, modern tunes comprised a good deal of the music selection, there were alot more slow-dancing songs, which suited her fine. Adam turned out to be quite the talented dancer, whereas Lacey most certainly was not. She could much more easily handle the slower pace.

Although the slow romantic numbers definitely belonged to Adam–she specifically felt goosebumps rise on her skin when they danced to "My Heart Will Go On" the first of the three times it was played, and "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls–she agreed to dance with a handful of the other guys. She and Kristy had decided for fun to switch partners for "This is How We Do It" and just as Lacey suspected, dancing with Averman was quite entertaining. She also danced with Fulton, who had come dateless ("Poor Fulton," Kristy had mourned earlier. "He's such a nice guy, and you can tell he's a closet romantic. Why don't girls give him a chance?"). Jesse even danced with her, which was a nice surprise as the guy had once disliked her so much. And, just to be able to give Ariel some juicy details about Portman's dancing abilities, she took a turn with him.

That one wasn't so fun. She might have taken her first clue when the guy burst on the scene during "Wannabe", substituting a full-on jog for dance moves. During the one song Lacey managed to limp through with him, Portman was about as graceful as an oil tanker on the Great Lakes, but she figured she could embellish a bit to her sister. Besides, one couldn't be around Portman without belly laughing, and that was of much more value than a good dance.

Kristy looked truly beautiful in a ballgown of pink, rhinestones covering the bodice as the full, tulle skirts reminded Lacey of cotton candy. She had paid to have her hair styled, as she had no mothers or sisters of her own to help her since her mother's death three years prior. Lacey had wanted nothing more than to have her friend over to her own house to experience the fun chaos of getting ready for a dance with the Primmer/McBrayer girls, but she thought better of it when it dawned on her that pastor's daughter Kristy might be offended by the smoking and swearing that often went on.

But it did her heart good to see the way Kristy and Averman looked at one another throughout the evening. Kristy had even whispered to Lacey early on in the evening that she thought tonight was going to be the night she would finally get her kiss.

The only downside of the evening for Lacey was seeing way too many other girls stared at her as she danced with Adam. It wasn't surprising, really, knowing that a date with Adam Banks had been one of the most coveted honors in the whole school. It drove girls crazy for him to be so good looking and gentlemanly, yet until now showing almost no interest in anyone. But then, on the scene comes this random girl from some public school, and he's smitten.

The old imposter syndrome from middle school started to sweep over her as they danced to "November Rain". Finally, Adam turned his face into her neck and whispered, "What are you looking at?"

He could apparently feel her tensing up.

She turned her face toward his, feeling her confidence return as she smiled. "Nothing."

And that's exactly what she needed to regard it as. These girls didn't know her. They just knew that she was with Adam and they were jealous. It wasn't specifically personal.

For the most part, the two of them danced without talking. But as they swayed steadily to "Never Say Goodbye" by Bon Jovi, Adam spoke low, tickling her ear. "I love your hair. I know I've already said it. But I do think this is what I remember from when we were kids." He kissed her cheek.

She looked up to face him, smiling. "I remember that day all too well."

"And I remember it only a little," Adam replied honestly. "I mean, I guess I thought about it while we were driving home–how I kind of felt sorry for you not just because of your nails, but because your mom was making such a show."

She laughed. "Now that you know my mom, it all makes sense, doesn't it?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well…anyway, since I was a twelve-year-old, I didn't carry it any further than that. But when I saw you at the cat shelter and you told me how you knew me, I remember thinking 'So that girl turned out okay, then'. And that was a nice feeling."

Lacey reached up to brush back that stubborn lock of hair that always fell onto his forehead.

When Spring Cotillion was a wrap, Adam took her home following the after party given by Connie's friendly parents at her cramped but cozy house.

"And you're sure you don't want to go to your own prom next week?" He questioned her again, having brought up the subject multiple times that week. "I mean I know you keep saying you don't want to, but it's senior year and you won't get another one."

"Adam!" She countered, exasperated. "I told you, I'm done. After the thing the hockey team did, I just...it's like I can't look at my school the same way. And something's changed about the way they look at me, too, so there isn't this big sense of loyalty. Plus, you know there's no way in heck I'd take you back to that place."

"You could take Kristy and the girls. I mean, I don't have to go."

"I know I could do that, but I really just don't want to." She squeezed his hand as they stood on her front step. "I had my prom experience tonight, and it was perfect. Besides, don't you want to do what we talked about and go to the roller rink? I want to see you bust your butt on roller skates like I've busted mine on the ice."

"Oh!" Adam burst out laughing. "I knew there was a catch to this. I shouldn't have told you I wouldn't be any good at the four-wheel thing."

"I mean, skates are skates!"

"No, trust me. Roller skating and rollerblading–and by association ice skating–are pretty different. Now that I'm used to one, I don't think I could do the other. But you didn't hear me say that. I'm going to try to fake it, especially now that I know you'd laugh if I hit the ground."

"Alright then. It's a date," she winked.

But skating, alas, was forgotten. Because as it happened, something much better had been planned by her parents without her or Adam having any idea.

/*/*/

It was Friday morning, and Lacey had her hair in hot rollers. Not necessarily for any special reason, but because she'd been experimenting with the best ways to style her new cut. Her wavy locks still required something, and even though flat-irons bursting on the scene were causing the trend to lean back toward straight hair, Lacey was tired of straight hair. She'd been tired of a lot this past year, but now she felt emboldened to do something about it. What if she just tried curly?

"Lacey?" her mom called up the stairs.

"Just a minute. Ow…" the heaviness of the curlers and the pins used to hold them in place were pulling her hair and jabbing into her head. But she persevered in putting makeup on, determined to keep them in as long as she could stand it. Finally she put her lipstick on, blotted it with toilet paper, and went to the top of the staircase, looking down. "Yeah?"

"I want you to pack a bag for two nights. We're leaving in an hour."

Lacey's mouth dropped open. "Leaving for where? Mom, I have school!"

"Not anymore you don't. I called yesterday and got you an excused absence. Family emergency. And anyway, does it really matter? You graduate in two weeks."

"Well…is there a family emergency? Is it Aunt Rachel?" Lacey asked, alarmed.

Darlene wrinkled her nose. "No! How about you just do what I say and stop asking questions?"

Her heart began to pound with anticipation. A surprise! Her mom knew her all too well.

"And my other two children had better do the same."

A series of squeals came from the twins' bedroom, which became a flurry of activity.

Lacey hurriedly packed a suitcase with as much as she could pack, not knowing exactly where they were going or what they would be doing. Were her parents finally taking them to the beach?!

Taking her suitcase down, Lacey paused to look at Stuart, who made a zipped-lip gesture, then winked. "By th'way, ye migh' wanna take th' rollers oot yer 'air, Lass."

" …"

She raced back upstairs, pulling the pins out of her curlers as she unraveled them from her hair. When she was done, it only took a few seconds of staring at herself in the mirror before she shook her head. "Nah."

With that, she went back downstairs to dig out her big barrel curling iron for yet another straightening job.

/*/*/

Thanks to her hair emergency, it was more like an hour and a half total before Stuart, who was driving her–with, confusingly, her mom and the twins following in the Subaru–pulled in front of Adam's house.

"Wait, what?!" She whirled around to Stuart. "I wondered why we were heading to Edina!"

"Now ye know," he smiled.

Adam himself was standing in front of the house, holding a rolling suitcase and a garment bag, looking confused and a tiny bit disheveled.

"Ah," Stuart observed. "Looks like 'is mum dinna wake 'im in time."

Oh, that's right, Lacey remembered. Adam had Fridays off school.

Yvette stood beside him, looking fresh as a daisy and every bit the morning person she was. Adam gave Lacey a brief smile through the window before glancing back at her, but she simply patted his arm and pointed toward Stuart's car.

Lacey jumped out. "Hey, are you…going somewhere with us?"

Her mom was staying in the car, but Yvette, likely sensing Stuart was the more approachable parent, went over to his window. He rolled it down.

"He has everything he needs. I think," Lacey heard Yvette say as the woman eyed Adam, who was none too quick at loading up his stuff. "And I've stayed completely mum. Thank your wife–I mean, your…" she trailed off, blushing a little. "...sorry; well, Darlene, for inviting him. It was such a neat idea."

Lacey peered, confused, at Adam, who shrugged in response. Finally Yvette stood up, beaming. "You're going with Lacey on a trip for the weekend, Honey."

"So I gathered," Adam replied. "Where to?"

"T' Mantorville," Stuart spoke up, addressing Lacey after leaning across the front seat to roll the window down. "T' see yer Aunt Rachel, an' 'ave some fun there wi' 'er."

Lacey froze, trying to force a smile to her face. Usually, there was nothing she liked better than going to Aunt Rachel's house, But it was way out in the country, on an actual farm her Uncle Bryce had inherited and still worked. Would Adam be comfortable in a setting like that?

"How…how cool!," she gushed, throwing an arm around her boyfriend, who was still just standing there.

"Indeed t'is!" Stuart turned back to Yvette. "Well, we 'ad better make a go o' it. Thank ye again fer lettin' us borrow yer lad."

Lacey slid into the backseat so she could be beside Adam as Stuart pulled away from the curb, waving to Yvette. She was glad to see, when she glanced behind her, that her mom had lifted her hand from the steering wheel in a half-wave as well. Then she turned back to Adam. "Have you ever been to Mantorville before…?"

"Never," he replied in a light tone. "But I've always wanted to go."

"To Mantorville?" She questioned in disbelief.

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "Or, you know, one of those little towns. Never been to a place like that before."

"You're not in for much," Lacey whispered while Stuart was distracted fiddling with radio dials, squeezing Adam's hand. "Farm town."

"'Tis only an 'our an' a 'alf south." Stuart called back. "D' ye get carsick, Adam?"

Lacey noticed the way Adam hesitated a moment before calling back up to Stuart. "No, but thanks for asking."

But an hour later found Adam sitting up front in the station wagon, pale and holding his hand over his mouth to keep from throwing up.

"Here, try some mint gum?" Lacey was leaning up from the backseat, offering him everything she had in her purse. "What about some pop. Do you want us to stop for a Coke or a 7Up?"

Adam simply shook his head at all her suggestions.

"Lacey! God's sake!" Stuart finally spoke up. "Th' lad feels poorly, 'e doesna need ye t' keep askin' questions. Let 'im be!"

And Adam nodded to that.

Lacey sat back, sighing, feeling helpless. Stuart's station wagon rode like a boat, swaying back and forth and shaking all over every time a bump on the highway was hit. Driving two miles down the road to watch a drive-in movie was obviously a lot different than sitting in the backseat all the way to Mantorville.

By the time they reached Rachel's charming little town, it felt as though they were on a completely different planet from Minneapolis despite the relatively short distance between the two. The little downtown was coated in historic charm, and was driven through in under three minutes. On the other side of it, the sky opened up into a wide expanse of blue, rows of various crops dotting the landscape as they entered the farmland district. From here, it took only about ten minutes to reach the familiar tractor-shaped mailbox her uncle Bryce had constructed, and Stuart turned left into the long, dirt driveway.

Lacey could tell the bumpy drive was doing Adam's car sickness no favors. His face went from pale to green.

"Jus' stare straight a'ead, Lad. Try no' t' look aboot. That makes it more bearable. Won' be long now…" Stuart encouraged him.

When they pulled up to the robin's egg blue, rambling farmhouse, Lacey smiled. This place was like coming home. Her family didn't come here as often as they should, especially given that Rachel was unable to leave to come visit them much despite the short drive. A working farm wasn't something you could just pay a pet sitter to look after.

Rachel and her mom were as different as night and day. Her mom was like a bulldozer, Rachel like a dainty carriage. She was soft spoken and optimistic, a good listener and an amazing homemaker. Stepping into her house was like stepping into an issue of "Good Housekeeping." It always smelled like baked goods or cinnamon; dried herbs and flowers hung in the corners of windows, and a fresh bouquet perfectly arranged in a large mason jar sat in the center of the table at all times. There were at least five bedrooms in the farmhouse, each one perfectly decorated in a different theme despite the fact that the couple rarely had guests. Knowing how her aunt had always wanted children, it made Lacey somewhat sad to see the rooms go untouched.

Notwithstanding, once she had one foot over the threshold of Rachel's house, Lacey felt her anxiety melt away like butter on a hot slice of homemade bread.

"Rachel's one of those people who can turn shit to gold," her mom had commented with an eyeroll upon Lacey's remark once that being at her aunt's made her feel safer than anywhere else in the world, and it only occurred to her later that her mom had probably always felt inferior to her younger sister in more ways than one.

Her uncle's cocker spaniel, Holly, ran in circles on the porch, barking like crazy but too afraid to come near as the family piled out of the two vehicles. Bryce came out onto the porch then, waving, and bounded down the steps to help carry luggage. Her uncle was a slight man, but he was energetic and strong, born to run the farm he had inherited.

"Hey!" He greeted Stuart with a shoulder slap. "Good to see you. I'm glad you all made it in one piece. Darlene," he nodded to her mom, then he went over to lavish generous hugs on the younger girls. "Go on in and grab Holly a treat. Rachel just made them."

"She even makes her own dog treats?" Darlene shook her head, opening the trunk of the Subaru to heft out the twins' large suitcase.

By then Bryce had made his way over to Lacey. "Hi, Little Lady!"

Lacey beamed. Bryce had always called her by that nickname. "Hey, Bryce. It's good to see you." She turned back to Adam who was joining her, having finally managed to get out of the car without being sick everywhere. "This is Adam."

"Welcome to the Kevitt farm, Adam," Bryce smiled warmly, holding out his hand.

Adam returned the smile, taking the offered hand and shaking it. "Thank you for having me."

About that time, Rachel came out onto the porch and let out a little squeal. "Darlene!"

Her aunt dashed across the yard to embrace her mom. Darlene had to abruptly drop the suitcase she was carrying in order to catch Rachel in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here! How long's it been again?"

"Long enough," Darlene smiled. How could her mom possibly resent her aunt for long when Rachel always greeted her like this?

After all the greetings were issued, the house tour given and luggage delivered, Adam went to his room to lie down and nap off the sickness. Lacey felt bad for him–he was clearly embarrassed to have called attention to himself like this. But she knew he'd feel alot better after he rested for a while. Despite the fact that car sickness wasn't a big deal for most people, she knew Adam's disease made it twice as hard for him to fight off things that wouldn't affect other people half as much. And she knew he hated it. He had always been the tough hockey player. Now, he was the tough hockey player made weak by RA.

She wondered if she'd have a chance alone to talk to her aunt about living with the disease. Rachel had been diagnosed with the very same thing, inherited from Lacey's grandpa, when she was only twenty-five. She wished she'd known more about her aunt's struggle, but knew only that it was tough for Rachel to help Bryce run the farm when she had days of hurting so badly.

And then, as if Rachel read her mind, Lacey heard footsteps coming down the hall toward her. Assuming it was Adam, she turned around and readied a big smile only for her aunt to round the corner.

But it was still an event worth smiling over.

"Rachel!"

Her aunt beamed as she came in and flopped down on Lacey's bed like she was a teenager. "Hey, close the door."

Lacey did so, with a growing sense of anticipation. She hopped back over onto the bed beside Rachel. "Isn't he beautiful?"

"Beautiful? He's gorgeous! Those eyes are so big, and he has such a nice smile." Rachel popped her on the arm playfully. "Where'd you find him?!"

Lacey told the most abbreviated version of the story she could manage. "And I've got to say," she finished. "I know it's the most cliche phrase ever, but I have never been so happy in my life."

Rachel giggled. "Oh honey, I'm so glad. You've needed something to make you happy for a long time. And who's to say he isn't going to be The One? I mean you're so young right now, but you never know!"

"So everyone keeps saying," Lacey blushed. "All I know is, we're having fun now."

"And that's all that matters," Rachel smiled at her warmly. "Sometimes the right person comes along when we're young, and sometimes we have to wait. You know I had to wait before I met my Prince Charming."

Lacey did indeed know. Her aunt had been the one to get to go to college on academic scholarship while her own mom had been busy raising her. Rachel had majored in elementary education and had a career teaching fourth grade until changing school districts put her into contact with Bryce Kevitt, a sweet young widower who was volunteering to bring his rabbits to the school for the special ed students to interact with for pet therapy. It was love at first sight, and when Rachel married Bryce at age thirty-two, she was ready to switch occupations from teaching school to becoming a full-time farmer alongside her husband. It was one of the sweetest love stories Lacey had heard. And from what she could tell, Rachel and Bryce were still honeymooning.

"The thing is," Lacey sat up and turned, cross-legged, to lean back against the headboard. "He was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis."

Rachel raised her brow. "Oh my goodness. And at eighteen."

"Yeah…and here he is wanting to go to the NHL. I just don't think he's going to be able to do it, Rachel, but I can't seem to make him understand."

"You can't," Rachel shook her head. "He's going to have to learn about this disease and how to live with it. He'll soon figure out his own limitations, the things that make him feel better, and how worth it it is for him to take care of himself."

Lacey nodded. "He's kind of quiet about it. I don't think he wants a lot of people knowing, because Adam is well…shy in a way, and very private. He doesn't like to be defined by anything except as a good hockey player. But if there's an opening in the conversation sometime, will you maybe offer some advice…?" Her eyes pleaded with her aunt.

"I will do," Rachel nodded sincerely. "There's a lot I could say on the subject, but he's definitely going to have to be ready to talk about it. By the way, I assumed, as you're with your parents, you didn't want me to put you two in the same room?"

Lacey's face reddened. "Separate rooms are fine. I wouldn't want things to be awkward."

Rachel smiled reassuringly. "We'll try to make sure that doesn't happen on any count. Okay?"

Lacey nodded.

"Now. How's the Cat's Cradle?"

She and her aunt talked for almost an hour about Lacey's job, school, more about Adam, and a very tiny bit about college.

"St. Paul's College is nothing to turn your nose up at, Lacey," her aunt admonished at one point after she had made a smart remark about going to community college. "If I hadn't gotten the scholarship, I was definitely planning to start off there. You're basically taking the same classes as you would in a four-year-college for the first two years, and at half the cost. It's a smart move."

"Yeah…I mean I know. It's just th–"

Right then, of all times, there was a knock at the door. "AUNT RACHEL!"

Rachel jumped up and rushed to open the door. There stood Halen.

"I just started my period! FINALLY! Like just now!"

Lacey stood up, surprised but delighted that her sister, who was in such a hurry to grow up, had finally experienced this rite of passage. "Halen, seriously?!"

"Seriously!" Halen grinned. "Mom sent me down here to see if you had pads. She's only got those other things…you know…"

"I know," Rachel nodded knowingly. "Tampons. Let me see what I can find."

She went out past Halen, who was left there with Lacey.

"Halen, that's awesome. I know you've wanted it to happen for months." She reached out and ran a hand soothingly over her sister's head.

"I'm just really hurting right here," Halen rubbed her lower belly.

"Yeah. Well we'll see if Rachel has a heating pad. Was Mom happy for you?"

Halen shrugged. "I don't know. She just told me to go ask Rachel for a maxi. She's been in a weird mood since we got here." Her sister wrinkled her nose.

Lacey's suspicions were definitely confirmed. Her mom did, apparently, have some feelings about being at Rachel's house. And she wondered why she hadn't ever realized it before.

"I think it's hard for Mom to come here." The words fell out of her mouth before she meant for them to, and she felt ill-equipped to follow them up with a good explanation. But she didn't have to. Her sister already seemed to know.

"I wonder if Mom's jealous of Aunt Rachel."

Lacey shrugged, trying not to get sucked into an incriminating discussion. "I don't know. We know they love each other though."

"I think Mom only came here for you."

Lacey paused, looking back over at Halen after she had already turned her attention to picking at her nails. "What?"

Halen nodded, then smiled, eyes sparkling. "She said in the car that it was a surprise for you since you didn't get to go to prom. And that's why she brought Adam."

"Really?"

"Yup!" Halen replied happily. "There's going to be a dance tomorrow–!"

Rachel re-entered the room with a pad then, and the conversation about their mom was cut off by excited chatter from Halen about her new state of womanhood, Rachel answering her many questions. Lacey hung around with them, but found herself wondering what kind of dance they would be going to here in Mantorville, and most of all, thinking about her mom's sacrifice for her.

/*/*/

The rest of the day was good once they were all unpacked and Adam was feeling better. He wandered into her room after lunch while she was on the bed reading, and the two of them went out to visit the pigs. Uncle Bryce saw them from where he was disbudding the horns on his goats. He came over and asked if they'd like a tour of the farm, which Adam was surprisingly very keen to do, even though he wasn't into the idea of petting the pigs. Lacey, however, adored the creatures and loved scratching them between the ears and tapping their adorable snouts with her finger.

Bryce took them around, showing them the way he disbudded the goats and why it was important to do so. From there they went to visit the horses, chickens, and cows all while Bryce discussed their function and how to care for them. Her uncle was quite the accomplished talker, but neither of them minded.

They got cleaned up afterward, and everyone went into town to eat at The Hubbell House, an antique-themed restaurant that had a little something for everybody–except Ariel.

"I'm a vegetarian," she announced quite suddenly.

"Oh Lord, Ariel," Darlene rolled her eyes. "You're the last person on earth who could carry that off. Remember you have half your dad's chromosomes."

Everyone at the table chuckled, but Lacey caught Ariel's face burning with anger, even though she tried to hide it by looking down.

"Hey." Adam reached across and gently flicked her nose. "It's okay. If you want to be a vegetarian, it looks like they have salads."

Ariel finally looked up, grateful for the positive feedback.

"Pizza's also vegetarian, depending what you get on it." Adam glanced over at Lacey and supplied a quick smile. She smiled back, watching him for a moment.

Next was the chore: going to the movie theater in Kasson and getting everyone to agree on which one to see. Rachel wanted City of Angels or The Horse Whisperer, and Halen wanted her second choice or The Quest for Camelot.

"We're not seeing a dumb animated movie, Halen, so forget it," Ariel remarked. "Uncle Bryce and I want Lost in Space."

"Ariel, stop picking on her. I've heard Deep Impact is good," her mom offered, staring at the bill on the outside of the theater. "Stuart, what do you want?"

"Doesna matter t' me, Dear," he replied, winking at Lacey.

"Lacey, what do you want to see?"

"I'd like to see Sliding Doors."

"Ha! Not happening."

Adam, meanwhile, stayed quiet.

"What do you want to see?" She whispered.

"Not Sliding Doors," he smirked. "I don't know, maybe Deep Impact would be good?"

After a full thirty minutes of debating, they all settled on Everest.

"I'd rather be nailed to the wall by my fingernails," Halen rolled her eyes, having been in a bad mood all night. Puberty had officially hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Well, that's what we're watching, and I don't want one more word," her mom turned around and gave her daughter The Famous Look. So as naturally as he had comforted Ariel, Adam did the same to smooth Halen's ruffled feathers by buying her Raisinettes and letting her sit on the other side of him in the theater.

"You are a natural with the girls. How do you even do it? Especially since you supposedly don't like kids," she took his hand and squeezed it.

Adam shrugged. "I don't know, I just feel like I know your sisters well enough to help out sometimes. It's no big deal."

Lacey rested her head on Adam's shoulder during the movie only to realize that, close to the end, Halen was doing the same thing on the other side, asleep.

"Sorry," she giggled, trying to be quiet. "Are your shoulders okay from all the pressure?"

"Yeah, they're holding up," he chuckled and passed her the Coke they were sharing.

The evening ended in sheer exhaustion on everyone's part, but a promise that they'd all be up at seven sharp the next morning to get ready to head off to Spring Fling, a yearly tradition in downtown Mantorville that Uncle Bryce participated in with his tractor, "Marilyn," at the Garden Tractor Show and Parade. There were vendor booths and a bake sale, and the local shops were open for business. Rachel was all ready for the event, staying up late as she stacked layers of heating pads atop one another, some smelling of baking spices, others smelling of lavender and peppermint.

"You know," she informed Lacey as she packed her wares up for selling tomorrow. "Next year I think I'm going to try my hand at soap using my essential oils. They're very good as natural medicine, you know. Especially Frankincense."

"Where do you get them…?" Lacey asked, resting her head in her chin as she watched her aunt sort out the various colorful pillow-like pads. "The oils I mean."

"Oh, I know a wholesaler. A lot of people think they're just a scam, like snake oil, but I can definitely tell a difference in my joints when I keep Frankincense rubbed in. I have some that might help with your anxiety, too. Remind me to send you home with them."

Lacey smiled gratefully, but shared the sentiment that essential oils were probably a bit like snake oil–probably water tinged with a scent. But she didn't want to say this to her aunt, especially since she seemed to think they worked so well for her pain.

"I've got fresh cherry pie and hummingbird cake all made up for the bake sale," Rachel stood back, surveying everything she was preparing. "So we're good I think! You'll help me at the booth, won't you?"

Lacey felt like doing nothing of the sort, and had to keep from making a face, but found herself nodding. "Sure."

"Great," Rachel beamed. "Then afterward, we're going shopping for you a dress."

"A dress?" She perked up, interested.

"Yes ma'am! You have to have something to wear to the barn dance at the Jenson's, don't you? It's going to essentially be your prom."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sure. You didn't think we were going to let the day go by without giving you a chance to dance, did you?" Rachel closed up her crate with a hammer and some nails. "And Adam certainly looks prepared, given the garment bag I saw him carry in," she chuckled.

"And you're sure he didn't know?" Lacey felt excitement brew in her stomach.

"Not a bit. At least, he shouldn't have. It was going to be a surprise for both of you." She provided Lacey with another big smile. "I think your mom likes him."

"Oh you're kidding," Lacey laughed. "She takes shots at him every chance she gets."

"Well, that's just your mom." Rachel took a sharpie and wrote a number on the crate. "She can't ever seem to express her true feelings. I guess because she always had to stuff them down when we were growing up. You probably figured this out, but she was the strong one who took care of us both when Mom couldn't be home or people picked on us at school for wearing shabby clothes."

Lacey nodded. "I thought so. She never talks much about that, except to tell me the story about Steven Sigmon."

"That boy!" Rachel looked back at Lacey, eyes flashing. "Can you believe the gall?!"

"No, I can't." Lacey cringed. "I think that could be why she has the feelings about Adam that she does."

"Well." Rachel reached up and pulled her hair into a ponytail. "I think she's past that now. She seems to see how good this relationship has been for you, you know?"

Just then, Adam entered the kitchen, but paused just after stepping over the threshold. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No Sweetie," Rachel answered. "Get whatever you want."

"I was just after water," he continued toward the sink. "Um…may I ask where your glasses are?"

Lacey wanted to chuckle at Adam's manners in front of a woman as laid back as Rachel.

"They're just to the left of you." Rachel then winked at Lacey. "Hey Adam, you ready for a good ol' fashioned country barn dance?"

He had grabbed a glass and was filling it from the sink when he heard the words, and turned quickly to stare at Rachel, wide-eyed, nearly overflowing his glass. "What…?"

"A barn dance! We hold it every year at a different farm. It's a lot of fun. And you strike me as the kind of guy who can pick up on dancing quickly."

"He can," Lacey winked at Adam.

"Well then, it's settled! Barn dance tomorrow night."

Later, as Lacey and Adam were saying their goodnights outside Lacey's room, Adam expressed a little doubt. "You know I can't do, like, that kind of dancing," he informed her. "We tried it a couple of times with Robertson, and I seriously suck."

"Hey. You cannot possibly suck more than me. And after Spring Cotillion, you know it, too." She leaned in and kissed his cheek quickly.

"Okay, well you're right," he let out a laugh, dodging lest she smack him.

But Lacey just shook her head. "Listen. One day I'm gonna surprise you and get really polished up with my dance moves. I just need practice."

"Yeah, well… you're good at a lot of other things. Here's one of them." He pulled her close against his body, moving in to kiss her.

The kiss lasted a while, Lacey finally needing to break it off to come up for air. But Adam wasn't finished, pressing her gently against her door as he nuzzled her nose before feverishly taking her lips again.

"All right," he finally pulled away, biting his lip as he took a step back. Lacey wasn't ready for a break-off just yet, but wondered briefly if the heated moment was becoming too much for him and he felt he was losing control. The boy was nothing if not controlled.

But how she wished sometimes he wasn't.

"It's okay, Adam," she took a step forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again, going in for another kiss.

"I can't," he whispered breathlessly. "It's…I'm…" he flushed deeply. "I just think we need to stop. Your sisters are right next door."

"You can come in," she took his hand and began to pull him in after her.

"I'd better not," he replied quickly, squeezing her hand before pulling it away. "See you in the morning." And with a peck on her forehead and a smile, he turned to head back down the hallway.

Tease!

Lacey smirked, shaking her head as she went back to her room, sighing.

Sex was a topic her mom had barely broached with her, and sometimes Lacey wished she had. Adam had probably been right to stop things when he did, but something deep within Lacey had wanted to go further. But despite being eighteen, and knowing a good half of the people at her school had already indulged, she felt like she wanted to be with Adam longer before they took the ultimate step in their relationship. He must feel the same way, so they would need to back off a little on their fiery kissing and sensual, if chaste, touches if they were ever going to make it longer.

Something else about waiting, though: the suspense was delectable.