Page 89 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve
“It’s almost as though you’retryingto misunderstand me sometimes. I meant that I don’t like that you had a rough time,” he said, staring straight ahead.
Before I could process that, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Hazel:Hey, I saw a big storm over Nashville. Are you OK??
Roxy:I’m fine. Came home early.
Hazel:I don’t remember if I ever told you this, but I’m really sorry I didn’t call you during that epic snowstorm in February. It was a rough time being stuck with Peter when we werenotgetting along at all, and I had no reception.
Hazel:Still, not an excuse though.
Roxy:It’s fine! Don’t worry about it, seriously.
Hazel:I want to do better.
Roxy:Thanks, but it’s all good! :)
“That was Hazel,” I said as I put my phone down. “Just checking to see if I was stuck in the snowstorm.” I didn’t mention the part where Hazel still didn’t even remember I wasn’t from Nashville. I was fairly sure I’d corrected her before, but it wasn’t worth doing again.
I saw him nod briefly and then grimace.“My deadbeat father called at Christmas.”
My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “Oh?”
“Yeah. And my mother actuallylethim.” His frown deepened. “So that’s why I had a bad holiday. You?”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I guess you don’t like your father, eh?”
“Not liking him is an understatement. He destroyed our family when I was young.”
“That’s … I wish I could help.” I reached out with my free hand and rubbed his upper right arm gently.
For a moment, I thought he was going to shake off my hand, but instead, he briefly placed his left hand over mine before returning it to the steering wheel. I pulled my hand back as though burned … because I was.
Heat swept over me, and I wished I could open the window. But he’d wonder what was going on with me, given that it was wintertime.
I wondered myself, actually. Touching him was completely spontaneous. Bold. Risky, even. All the things that I never was.
He cleared his throat. “I’m really looking forward to NewYear’s. The party, I mean.”
This statement did nothing to calm the swirling emotions threatening to overtake me. I tried to laugh a bit. “I didn’t see you as a party animal.”
“I’m not.” He eyed me briefly before turning back to the road.
I swallowed hard. “Oh. Me neither. But I guess I’m looking forward to it.”
He glanced over at me again, his eyes somehow piercing my skin, before once again looking straight ahead. “Good.”
Good? What did that mean?
And what was I going to do? Never in my life would I have imagined being torn between two men. Granted, I didn’t even know if either of them feltthatway about me.
But what if theybothdid?
Chapter 24
The party was tomorrow. Cue the panic.
It was New Year’s EveEve. I’d spent hours each day this week checking over and finalizing details for Hazel’s big birthday/holiday bash. Basically, she was inviting the whole town and several others beyond Shipsvold.
