Chapter 60

Liz sat at her desk, anxiously tapping her pen on her book. Lucky wasn’t there yet and the bell was about to ring. Finally, at the last second, he hurried into the classroom. She smiled as he quickly made his way to his desk and sat down.

“You were almost late!” she said.

“I know. You won’t believe this, but I was looking for a parking space, and just as I found one, someone else took it!” he answered angrily.

She burst out laughing. “Well, serves you right. Now you know how I felt that day!”

“Maybe, but I still don’t regret doing it. After all, if I hadn’t taken your space, we might not have been stuck on this project together.”

She nodded. “Good point. Speaking of which, do you think she finished grading them?”

Before he could answer, the teacher shouted for everyone’s attention. “Class, I know you’re anxious to get your grades, and yes, I do have them, but I know better than to give them out now, so you’ll have them when class is over. In the meantime, we’re going to continue reviewing for the exam next week.”

The class groaned, not wanting to wait any longer for their scores. The rest of the period seemed to drag by, but finally, she decided to put them out of their misery and hand the projects back. She returned them in order of group number, so Lucky and Liz were the last to get them back.

Ms. Kraft approached them and smiled. “Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, you had the highest grade in the class. I know this was just a simulation, but I really believe that you two would make a very successful married couple.” She noticed the embarrassment on their faces and laughed. “I’ve watched the two of you from the first day of school and seen the transformation you’ve gone through. It’s obvious to me that you both care very much for one another, and I think it’s wonderful that this project might have played a part in that. What you’ve found is very special, don’t let go of it.”

“Um, thanks Ms. Kraft,” Liz said, floored by what she had just told them.

“Yeah, thanks,” Lucky added. Ms. Kraft smiled warmly at them and headed to the front of the class as the bell rang.

Lucky and Liz looked at each other in shock. “What was that all about?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know Wow, the highest grade in the class? That’s a first for me!” She opened the folder in front of her and gasped. “An A! We got an A!”

Lucky grinned and looked over her shoulder. “Pretty impressive. Who knew?”

“Your dad,” she said, laughing as he rolled his eyes. “Come on, we better go before we’re late for our next classes.”

“Right. Hey, did you find a dress?”

“Yep. I finally found one last night. I can’t wait for Friday.”

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Me neither.”

~*~

The rest of the week came and went, but all Liz could think about was the dance. She was so excited about it, she couldn’t wait to see him all dressed up, and hoped that he liked her dress. Every night, before she went to bed, she’d take it out of the closet and look at it. It was a floor-length, pale lavender gown with long-sleeves and a swooping neckline this fit her like it was made especially for her.

Finally, it was Friday. School went by in a blur, and she couldn’t concentrate on any of her classes. Even when she was talking to Lucky, her mind kept drifting. As soon as the bell rang, she rushed home to start getting ready. Lucky was picking her up at 7:00 and she wanted to have plenty of time to shower and get dressed.

~*~

Lucky went home after school and collapsed on the couch. Elizabeth had been acting strangely all day, like she wasn’t really there. He figured it must be excitement about the dance and smiled. In a few hours, he’d be dancing with the most beautiful girl in the world. She’d be in his arms, gazing into his eyes, as though they were the only two people in the world. He sighed happily.

“How did I get so lucky?” he asked himself, not realizing he had said it out loud until her heard a chuckle from the doorway to the kitchen. He looked up quickly and saw his father grinning at him.

“Where do you think your name came from?” he asked with a laugh.

Lucky grinned and shook his head. “Well, I’m finally living up to it. Dad, why did I fight you for so long? You knew the whole time that we were meant for each other!”

“Because you’re stubborn. It’s part of being a Spencer. Everyone else might see something, but until you’re ready to see it for yourself, there’s nothing anyone can say or do to convince you. I’m just glad you’re happy.”

Lucky grinned and stood up. “Very happy. I better go shower. I told Elizabeth I’d pick her up at 7.” He hurried upstairs to the bathroom as Luke watched with a smile.

He showered, ate some dinner, then went back upstairs to get dressed. When he was finished, he stood in front of the mirror, smoothing his hair back and smiling. “Not bad, Spencer, not bad,” he muttered to himself. He quickly straightened his tie and brushed some lint off of his jacket, then headed downstairs.

“Bye Mom, bye Dad! Don’t wait up!” he shouted with a laugh as he opened the front door.

His parents came out of the kitchen and smiled at him. “Oh, we’ll wait up all right. Have fun, Cowboy,” Luke said. Lucky laughed and left the house, bounding down the steps to Luke’s car.

~*~

Liz smiled at herself in the mirror. She had been trying to get her hair just right for the past 20 minutes, and had finally done it. She quickly touched up her lipstick, then turned off the light and went downstairs. “All done with 5 minutes to spare!” she chuckled, glancing at the clock on her way to the living room. She grabbed her coat and purse as she heard Lucky’s car pull up, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering in her stomach.

A minute later, the doorbell rang. She waited a few seconds before answering it. After all, she didn’t want him to think she had been waiting at the door! She took a deep breath and swung the door open. They both stood there, staring at each other.

Liz spoke first. “Wow, Lucky, you look...” She trailed of, unable to find the right word to describe how incredible he looked.

He smiled sheepishly and shook his head. “Elizabeth, you look more beautiful than I ever thought possible! You took my breath away just now.”

She blushed and stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her. “Thank you.”

Lucky leaned down and kissed her before they walked to the car. They felt like they were floating, and the night was just beginning.

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