“Heaven,” she declared. “Greasy, delicious heaven.”
His chuckle was pure satisfaction.
The music shifted into something bright and cheery with a tempo that made her want to move. Brick, too, apparently. He wiped his hands and stood, holding his hand out to her.
“Know how to dance?”
“I do but…” Blaise hesitated, glancing at the tiny sliver of floor cleared between tables. “Here?”
“Here,” he confirmed. “Unless you’re scared of being the center of attention again.” His grin was cheeky and lit up his face in such a way that it made her forget he could even be grumpy.
Blaise laughed, the sound surprising her, and placed her hand in his.
He led her onto the floor, his grip steady, his movements sure despite the uneven boards. They twirled under the string lights, Blaise’s sundress swishing, Brick’s smile wide, the instruments filling the air with a rhythm that was impossible not to move to.
The tempo increased, and Blaise’s worries scattered like leaves in the wind. Her past mistakes and future fears were forgotten. She was in the moment, whirling, happy, enjoying the company of the man leading her.
The song ended to applause and whoops from strangers. Blaise was breathless and glowing. Brick brushed a stray curl from her cheek. She smiled at him. “That was fun.”
“Glad I changed the plan,” he murmured.
She nodded, “Me, too.”
They got back to the table just as the server arrived with their baskets. The dancing had given Blaise’s appetite a boost and she didn’t care that she was about to eat a basket of fried shrimp and sweet potato fries. All she knew was she was hungry.
Brick seemed to be thinking the same way. He picked up a gator bite and held it out to her. “Ever had gator?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’ve heard it tastes like chicken.”
He snorted. “Maybe. It’s good. Try it.”
She ate it, the flavor surprising her. Yes, it was like chicken but at the same time, it wasn’t. It was wilder. And the seasoning was spot on. Her eyes widened. “I actually like it.”
Brick grinned, obviously delighted. “Told you.”
She smiled as she reached for her drink. Gator bites, bluegrass music, dancing in a tiny fishing camp with a man who looked at her like she was still full of possibility…
Was that what turning the page looked like? Maybe the next chapter of her life was going to be more interesting than she’d dreamed. Maybe even more wonderful.
Brick reached across the table, brushing his fingers against hers, just a light touch, but a significant move for him.
Yeah, she could get used to this.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cece opened her eyes and lifted her head to check the time on the clock on her dresser. She couldn’t see it, however, because her personal feline overlord was already awake and in the way.
Sunlight slipped through the blinds in thin stripes, landing squarely on Peanut’s calico form where she perched at the side of the bed, staring Cece down with her usualget up and feed megaze.
“Give me a minute, will you? Neither one of us is going to wither away if we eat breakfast fifteen minutes later than usual.” Cece yawned and reached for her phone just as Peanut let out a chirp of disapproval.
“I hear you, Princess Peanut. Two minutes, okay? Just let me make sure I haven’t missed anything.” But apparently, she had. A long list of notifications covered her lock screen. One in particular caught her eye.
It was in the Queen Bees group text and it was from Paige.
Good morning, ladies! Graham just asked me to go to NYC with him. His son and girlfriend are having a little get-together tomorrow to celebrate their baby news and invited Grahamand me to join. But don’t worry, I’ll be back for Thursday’s book club!
Cece sat up, excitement buzzing through her chest. “Holy cow, she’s already taking a trip with him? This sounds like it’s getting serious fast.” She looked at Peanut. “Then again, at our age, you realize time is not a commodity. Good for her, don’t you think?”
