At twenty-nine, Derek was the youngest member of Midnight in Dallas. Upon first glance, you’d think he was a California surfer with his blond hair and tanned skin, but in reality he was a tender-hearted guy who loved photography and motorcycles.
“You guys should go dance.” Derek motioned toward the sea of dancing bodies. “I don’t think I’ve seen you two out there all night.”
Ryan shrugged. “I’m not much for dancing, but I’m having a lovely time.” He clicked the button on the side of his iPhone, lighting up the screen. I rolled my eyes, and Derek shot me a sympathetic look.
“On that note, would you mind if I asked Ella to dance?” Derek asked.
Ryan’s face flooded with relief. “Actually, that’s a great idea. I really need to be heading out anyway. It’s getting late.”
“It’s ten o’clock on a Saturday night,” I blurted.
Ryan stood from his seat. “Yeah, but I’m doing a ten-mile hike bright and early tomorrow.”
I wrinkled my nose. “On purpose?”
“You’re a trip, Ella Claiborne.” Ryan chuckled and leaned down to kiss my cheek. “I’ll call you. Give my best to the bride and groom.” Before I could remind him that he was supposed to be my ride home, he was gone.
“So, about that dance?” Derek extended his hand to me.
“Just so we’re clear, I know this is a pity dance.” I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. “But I’m so bored I don’t even care.”
“It’s not a pity dance,” Derek assured me, “but anyone with eyes could see how… not exciting Ryan is. I couldn’t stand to see you sitting there in misery anymore.”
I laughed. “I’m pretty sure you just defined what a pity dance is, but I’m grateful nonetheless.” He guided me to the dance floor, and we fell into step with the slow tune.
“I have to ask the obvious question,” Derek said. “Where on earth did you meet that guy?”
I grimaced. “We met online. We had one date, but I didn’t quite grasp the full extent of how boring he actually was. He said he worked for Gibson, so I assumed he might be fun and cool. You know, like you guys.”
Derek beamed. “You think we’re cool?”
I shoved him playfully in the arm. “You drive a motorcycle for fuck’s sake. I’m pretty sure they won’t even sell you one of those if you aren’t cool. Anyway, I didn’t realize how… dull he would be.”
“It’s okay to call it like it is. That dude is a dud.”
I snorted. “Don’t I know it.” My heart suddenly felt heavy.
My face must have reflected the sadness I felt because Derek’s eyebrows had knitted together with concern. “Everything okay?”
I chewed my bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment. “It’s just… it’s times like this that I miss my husband. I mean, there’s not a single day I don’t miss him, but on days like today? I really, really miss him. Honestly, sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever find love like that again.”
“You will,” Derek said gently. “But you won’t find it with a guy like Ryan. He’s not your type. You deserve a lot better than that dude.”
“Oh, really?” My curiosity was admittedly piqued. “What kind of guy do you see me with?”
Derek gazed at me for a moment, a contemplative expression on his face. “You deserve someone who lives out loud, a guy who would dance with you even if there wasn’t any music playing.”
“Derek Knights, that might be the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in a long time.”
“You also deserve someone who says nice things to you all the time… someone who is happy to be with you and not glued to his phone.”
“Hmm,” I mused. “Perhaps I should get a dog. They’re always happy to see you, and they don’t even use phones. It’s a win-win situation.”
Derek laughed. “That’s true. I never had a dog, but my neighbor did when I was growing up. They kept her outside and pretty much neglected her, but I loved that damn dog. I used to sneak food out to her all the time, and I even taught her how to sit and shake hands.”
“Aww.” I tilted my head up at him. “I had no idea you were a dog whisperer.”
Antoni strutted to our side, shimmying to the beat of the new up-tempo song the band had begun to play. “Excuse me, but may I cut in? I saw that Miss Ella finally got her tushie on the dance floor, and I justhaveto take her for a spin.”
