Page 33 of A Whim and a Prayer

Tears stung her eyes at the sudden fissure she sensed in their friendship, but she refused to let them fall. Just like she refused to let Beck or her mother win. She was almost eighteen now, and it was time to live her life on her own terms, not theirs.

A decision she fully intended to let Beck know. Squaring her shoulders she thrust her chin up as she approached their table with a practiced smile.

And she’d do it by not saying a word.

Chapter Twenty-One

“For heaven’s sake—you found her!” Abby jumped up when Winnie and Beck approached the table where everybody was together since the band was on break. “Finally!”

Beck edged past Winnie and reached for his jacket, slipping it on with a tight smile as he stared Winnie down. “Yep, for ‘heaven’s sake,’ I finally did.” He dropped in the chair and crossed his arms, still fuming over catching Winnie making out with that Casanova. It took everything in him not to smash the moron’s face in and even more not to shake some sense into Winnie.

“Goodness, Winnie,” Bella said, rising to pour Winnie a glass of Coke from a half-empty pitcher, “you’ve been gone for over an hour, so we were kind of worried.”

Winnie plopped into her chair and took the glass Bella offered. “Thanks, Bella.” She glugged half of it before coming up for air, swiping her mouth with a sheepish smile. “Sorry I disappeared, guys, but I lost track of time.”

“Because …” Kat waggled her brows.

“Because”—Winnie reached for the popcorn and tossed a piece in the air, chomping it with her teeth—“I ran into a guy I knew in high school, so we started dancing, and I guess we got carried away.”

“I think that’s safe to say,” Beck said with a slow sip of his own drink, pinning Winnie with a hooded stare as he lounged back in his chair. “Practically needed a crowbar to pry them apart.”

“Ooooo, Happy Birthday to you, huh?” Marilyn said with a sassy wink. “Who is this dreamboat—anybody we know?”

A blush invaded Winnie’s cheeks as she avoided Beck’s gaze, focusing on Abby instead with a pointed look. “I don’t think so since I barely know him myself. Haven’t seen much of him since high school, but tonight, we hit it off and I’ll tell you what”—she paused with a piece of popcorn at her lips, chest rising and falling in a swoon—“that man sure knows how to dance.”

“Yep, real fancy footwork.” Beck took another drink, suddenly noticing how quiet Abby was as she just stared at the drink in her hand. His mouth jammed tight, guessing Winnie had strong-armed her into compliance from the start, the little brat.

The band started playing again, and Will rose to offer Kelli his hand. “Well, good for you, Win,” he said, “nothing like a great dance partner, especially on your birthday.”

“I’ll say. And speaking of great dance partners …” Marilyn leaned forward with arms crossed on the table when Teddy asked Kat to dance, eyes gleaming with interest as she tossed Beck a flirty smile. “Since Beck is finally here, I say we put him to work.”

Beck smiled. “Well, ‘great dance partner’ is pushing it, Marilyn, since I have a bum leg, but I’m game if you are.”

“Great! Then I’m next after Winnie, since she is the birthday girl, right, Winnie?”

Head bent to Abby’s in a private conversation, Winnie glanced up with a distracted smile just as two boys asked Laney and Bella to dance. “What’s that, Marilyn?”

“I said, since you are the birthday girl, Beck should dance with you first, Abby next, and then me since everybody else is out on the floor, right?”

Winnie’s smile calcified along with her jaw as her tone bordered on curt. “No, thanks, Marilyn—he’s all yours.” She turned back to Abby, whose worried gaze darted from Winnie to Beck and back.

“No, I insist.” Marilyn stood and grabbed her purse. “I need to visit the ladies’ room anyway, so you get first shot. After all, he is your best friend.”

“Not anymore,” Winnie muttered under her breath, but Beck heard it, steaming him all over again.

Abby leaned close to Winnie once again, speaking low, but Beck caught it all the same. “Come on, Winnie, Beck’s only watching out for you like he always does. You can’t be mad at him.”

“Wanna bet?”

Beck bolted to his feet, not about to put up with a cold shoulder from a best friend, birthday or not. He loomed over her like a threat, hand extended. “Dance with me.”

“No, thanks. Don’t want to.”

“Tough.” He grabbed her hand and yanked her up. “It wasn’t a request,” he said through gritted teeth as he towed her to the floor, bucking him all the way. Jaw clamped as tight as his grasp, he spun her around to face him on the floor, grateful it was a slow song. He took her in his arms with a vice grip, unwilling to give her a chance to stalk away. “We’re going to talk this out whether you like it or not, understood?”

“You’re a bully!” She all but spat the words out, scalding him with a look.

“And you’re a spoiled brat—a perfect match for the friend you use as a chaperone so your mother will let you come here, wouldn’t you say?”