She tried to force these thoughts from her mind as Wendell pulled into the driveway. They didn't see any cars in the driveway or lights on inside. "Where are they?" Prudence asked.
"They're probably hoping to surprise us," Wendell said.
Prudence followed him up the steps to the front porch, waiting for Samantha and Joseph to jump out at any moment. Wendell motioned her through the front door and she paused there for the lights to come on. "Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out. No one answered.
Wendell turned on the lights, revealing the balloons tied to the banister, but no other signs of life. A cake sat on the kitchen table alongside a burned rectangle. "They were here," Prudence said. She touched the burnt cake, its surface warm. "Not that long ago."
"They probably went out to have some quiet time before we got here," Wendell said. "Why don't you go change?"
Prudence went upstairs to the bedroom to slip into the dress and check her hair and makeup. She wanted to look perfect on this night for Wendell. Maybe then he would feel better about her rejection earlier.
Wendell met her in the hallway, having changed into a wrinkled white shirt and chinos. In his hand he carried a felt box. "This is for you," he said. "I got it from Miss Pestona at the shop."
Prudence opened the box to find a gold necklace with an emerald at the end. "Oh my, Wendell, this is so beautiful. It must have cost you a fortune. I can't accept this."
"There's no returns. And it didn't cost me much. She let me have it in exchange for repairing some things at her house." He took it from the box, draping it around her neck with unsteady fingers. The emerald and gold matched her dress so well, she wondered if Wendell had known beforehand.
She fingered the chain around her neck and then turned to kiss Wendell. She pressed him up against the wall until she worried she might hurt him. When she pulled away, Wendell stumbled into her arms. "Wow," he said. He recovered his wits and added, "Let's go downstairs. The others will be here soon."
They waited in the living room, Wendell putting on some music. Neither of them knew much about dancing, but they could cling to each other and sway to the beat. "You look so beautiful," Wendell said. "I'm sorry about this afternoon. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
"I want to stay, I really do. I can't help worrying about leaving Samantha and the others."
He reached up to run a hand through her short hair. "I know. There's no hurry. We can wait."