“You’re an idiot,” she said.

The bridge hit—that swelling, ridiculous, glorious crescendo where Madonna promised that the power of love would keep you warm at night. And Frankie, who had never danced a day in his life, held out his hand.

So one Friday night, Mickey hotwired the speakers in the town’s old bandshell—the one overlooking the pier where the teenagers gathered like moths. The plan was simple: Frankie would stand under the lights, look up at Diana’s window on Ocean Avenue, and let the song do the talking.

But the screen door banged open, and she came running down the wooden steps in bare feet, still wearing that yellow dress. She didn’t stop until she was right in front of him, close enough that he could smell coconut sunscreen.