Chapter Seven
Chapter Six
JESSA
I t had been a while since I’d been to The Sawmill. The space was actually much larger than it looked from the outside with a wide open dance floor that was always filled up. The girls and I went once in a while because Ellie loved to dance. Seeing how happy she was with Cooper right now, dancing the night away in his arms, laughing and smiling, I felt like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas at the end of the story when his heart expanded. And while I still felt that twinge of sadness that I was going to end up the lone spinster of the group like I always knew I would, I was happy for her. And for Penny and Tally too. I just didn’t see that kind of happiness ever coming my way.
Cash was a lot of fun. And he was so pretty to look at. I wasn’t sure how smart he was, though, since he made a couple comments that seemed like he was using phrases incorrectly, but I didn’t point it out. I never would’ve ignored that if Ethan had done the same, though.
My gaze slowly drifted across the room to where Ethan was dancing with Kassie. We were in the middle of a slow song, so I knew they’d be standing close, but I didn’t expect to see her that close. Her fingers were in his hair, and it looked like he might come away from the night with a hickey. My stomach unexpectedly churned at the sight, and I was beginning to think this wasn’t indigestion after all.
Ethan said something to Kassie, and she laughed, and then they both looked in our direction. I darted my eyes back to Cash, who gave me a goofy grin.
My head was spinning a little. I didn’t care what Ethan did or with whom, so why couldn’t I stop myself from looking in his direction again?
When I looked their way, Ethan and Kassie were walking off the dance floor toward the bar. And just like earlier when I’d seen them heading for the treehouse together, my heart rate picked up, and nausea set in.
“I’m thirsty,” I told Cash.
“Say no more.” He spun me out, which wasn’t great for my stomach, and kept hold of my hand. “Lead the way.”
We headed toward the bar, and my gut ached the closer I got to Ethan. I stopped next to him, and he glanced over at me, but I was at a loss for words.
“What can I get ya?” Cash asked.
“Vernors,” I replied, hoping it would help settle my stomach.
“You looked like you were having fun out there,” Ethan said as he took the root beer bottle the bartender handed him.
“I was.” I looked past him to Kassie, then my gaze flitted to his neck. “So did you.”
“Yeah, this was a good idea.”
“It was,” I replied.
“It was.”
“I already said that.”
“So did I.”
Our eyes met and held for long seconds, and I felt more nauseated than before.
“Whatever.” I grabbed my ginger ale and headed toward the tables across the room where our friends were gathered. I really needed to get out of there and clear my head. Better yet, I needed a good night’s sleep to restart my brain. This day was messing with me big time.
I took a swig as Cash and I rejoined our friends.
Ellie threw her arm around me when I sat down. “I’m so happy we’re all here together,” she gushed. “You girls are my everything.”
“Hey!” Cooper touched her chin and guided her to look at him. “I thought I was your everything.”
A sweet smile spread across her face. “You’re my everything and more, forever and ever.”
He leaned his forehead against hers then tilted his head and whispered in her ear, which made her giggle.
I looked around the table. Penny was leaning back against Luke, cradled in the crook of his arm. Tally and Jake were sitting close. In fact, every couple at our tables were lost in each other’s eyes. And when Ethan and Kassie returned and he welcomed her sitting as close as humanly possible to him, I really didn’t want to be there anymore.
“I need some air.” I abruptly stood, and Cash did the same to let me out.
“Want some company?” he asked.
I didn’t, but what the heck? “Sure.”
I avoided looking at anyone as I made a beeline for the door and pushed through into the parking lot. The fresh air filled my lungs, and I let out a deep breath.
“Nice little town you have here.”
I hated small talk more than I hated line dancing. “Yeah. It’s a good place to live.”
“It’s bigger than my hometown.”
“You’re a small-town boy?” I asked.
“Hooker, Oklahoma. Population 1,918.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Hooker? Really?”
“It’s a location, not a vocation,” he replied.
A loud burst of laughter escaped me.
“That’s our motto,” he said with a wink.
“You’re kidding.”
He puffed his chest out and stood tall and confident. “Nope. Proud former member of the Hooker Horny Toad baseball team too.”
“Oh my gosh.” I snorted. “Should I ask how the town got its name, or does it go without saying?”
He chuckled. “It’s not what you think. It was named after a cattle rancher who got the nickname of Hooker for being such a good roper.”
“I’m sure that’s their story and they’re sticking to it.”
Cash laughed with me.
“Do you miss it?” I asked.
“Heck no.”
“Do you have family there?”
“Parents and grandparents, but most of the rest of the family left and moved all over the place.”
“You have family here in Michigan, right?”
He eyed me. “How do you know that?”
“I remember they were at the show in Grand Rapids that we went to last year.”
“You’ve got a good memory. Yeah, my aunt and cousin live in Muskegon.”
“Do you have siblings?”
He nodded. “Sisters.”
“How many?”
“So many.”
“Are we talking many as in a few or enough for the Horny Toad baseball team?”
He laughed heartily, which made me smile. Gosh, he was good-looking. I knew he was leaving for Nashville after this weekend and that he probably wasn’t a relationship kind of guy, which made him the perfect guy to hang out with during this wedding. And I didn’t think it would hurt to do a little flirting while he was here too. He seemed interested, and I needed a solid ego boost before people started giving me that sad look when they saw me, the poor old spinster, out with all my married friends.
“Still as spunky as I remember,” he said.
“I didn’t think you remembered me at all.”
“Oh, I remembered. But Ellie’s brother made it seem like I was stepping on some toes there.”
“If you recall, he got an elbow in the ribs for that.”
He laughed again. “I do recall that. It was a memorable moment.”
“So, no girlfriend back in Nashville?” I asked, not wanting to be that girl flirting with another girl’s guy.
“Single as a Pringle.”
“And ready to mingle?” I asked with my forehead raised.
“If I get to mingle with you.”
He was the quirkiest guy with his funny answers and hilarious hometown. I was sure I was going to like him.
Penny, Luke, Tally, and Jake came out of the bar then.
“Hey, are you guys leaving already?” I asked.
“Yeah. We have to go pick up the girls,” Tally replied.
“You don’t all have to go, do you?”
“They’re our ride,” Penny answered.
“Party poopers.” I was only half teasing. “You’re like old married people already.”
“I am old and married,” Jake called over his shoulder.
“True.” Tally’s new husband was twelve years older than us with three young daughters.
“Hey, you weren’t supposed to agree with that,” he cried.
“You’re not old, honey, you’re distinguished,” Tally said.
That got us all laughing.
It was still strange to think of Tally as a stepmom, but she was a great mom. I always knew she would be. Coming from a large family and working as a nanny since we graduated from high school, she was meant to take on this role.
I watched them drive away, wondering if I’d ever have someone to go home with at night.
“We should probably get back inside,” I finally said.
Cash walked ahead of me and held the door.
“Thanks.” A gentleman, too. Nice.
Ethan and Kassie were the only ones at the table when we returned. The rest were on the dance floor again. The moment we sat down, the music turned to a slow song.
Kassie immediately stood. “I love this song. Come on, guys. Let’s have another dance.”
I reluctantly followed them to the floor, but when I went to move toward Cash, Kassie cut in.
“Partner swap,” she declared. “I want to dance with Cash.”
Before we had any say in it, she tugged Cash onto the floor with her. He gave me an apologetic look and shrugged his shoulders.
I glanced over at Ethan. “It’s fine. We don’t have to do this.”
“We can,” he replied.
“I’d rather not, actually.”
“But Ellie’s staring at us now, and our truce hasn’t exactly gotten off to the best start.”
Ellie wasn’t just staring at us, she was pointing at the two of us and motioning for us to get out on the floor.
“I guess we could do it … for Ellie,” I said.
“Right. For Ellie.”
Ethan took hold of my hand, but rather than yank it away, I left it there, and my stomach flip-flopped.
We held each other at a distance, my hand on his shoulder, his on my hip, and our other hands clasped together in the space between us. Very formal and awkward.
“You like Cash, don’t you?”
I didn’t make eye contact with him. “I mean, what’s not to like? Tall, blond, as hot as a movie star. And those eyes. Not to mention his body. My gosh. I haven’t seen that many muscles since Penny dunked Luke at the Fall Festival and he took his wet shirt off.”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I looked at him then. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t ask you to describe every little thing you find attractive about him. I simply asked if you liked him because it seems like you do.”
“So what if I do?”
“Then you do. Great. Have fun with him.”
“I will.”
“Good. And I’ll have fun with Kassie.”
“Good for you.”
“Do you want me to tell you all the things I find attractive about her?”
“I don’t need you to. It was obvious you’re into each other by the way she was sucking on your neck earlier.”
He frowned. “She wasn’t sucking on my neck.”
“That’s what it looked like from where I stood. A hickey isn’t appropriate for a good Christian boy, now is it?”
His eyes widened. “Judgmental much?”
“What would Grandma June say?”
“Oh my gosh. There’s no hickey.” He reached up and tugged his shirt collar to the side. “See. Nothing there because nothing happened.”
“Whatever you say.” I rolled my eyes, and a smile spread slowly across his face.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.”
“No, you don’t get to do that. What did I say that made you smile?”
“It wasn’t what you said. It’s what you didn’t.”
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged his shoulders, and in my annoyance, I lifted one foot and stomped hard on his.
“Aargh!” He cried out in pain. “What was that for?”
I smirked. “No reason.”
Ahhh, that had felt good. When we fought, everything was right in the world again. He’d been too nice today. I had to restore the balance of power.
And my stomach felt so much better now.