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She held up her phone once more. “I’m perfectly happy reading the books I have on my app.”
“But you said you’d come for me.” Dianna pouted with exaggeration.
Constance laughed again. “What? Do you want to go out there and dance with me right now? I hardly think this song would be appropriate for the two of us, but I guess I can’t be certain.”
Dianna glanced at the dance floor, then swung her focus back to Constance. “Sure, why not?” She grabbed Constance’s hand and got to her feet.
A gasp tore from her throat as Constance tugged back. “I didn’t mean it. I was joking.”
“So? I think it would be fun to dance with my sister. And you’re right. I don’t have any interest in the guys here because I don’t have any interest in falling in love any time soon.”
Constance pressed her lips together. She really wasn’t worried that people would talk. They were a close family as it was. Her hesitancy came from being around other couples in love and the tendency for her thoughts to go rogue. She didn’t want to think about James and what she had willingly lost. “Fine. One dance. That’s all.” She allowed Dianna to pull her to her feet and they moved onto the dance floor.
The slow country song was one she hadn’t heard before. It told the typical story of a cowboy losing his love and wanting to get her back. Constance’s heart ached, not just for herself but for James, too.
It wasn’t the first time she’d thought of him and wondered if she’d made the wrong decision. She hadn’t exactly stood up to her father to find out what would happen if she told him she was in love.
There were worse things.
She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily. Her father was no longer the only thing that stood in her way. James had a lot to explain. He should have told her he’d been involved with Brielle. They both should have brought it up. That was the reason Constance had avoided speaking to Brielle all week.
What hurt the most was that she knew deep down that she would have to forgive Brielle. They were family. That fact alone would force her to accept that the past was the past.
With James it was different. She’d trusted him, and he hadn’t proven himself worthy of that. When Constance opened her eyes, she shifted her focus around the room. Everyone seemed so happy together—so free to choose their path when it came to love.
A familiar head of dark hair caught her attention. The locks were wavy at the man’s neck just like James. His skin was sun-kissed and bronzed like many of the men who worked long hours outside. Her heart leapt in her chest and her grasp on Dianna tightened. The man couldn’t be James. He was dancing with a woman whose arms were wrapped securely around his neck.
James wouldn’t move on that fast—not so soon after he’d confessed his feelings for her.
“You okay?”
Constance’s gaze darted to Dianna. “What?”
“Your hands—they’re a little tight on mine. You okay?”
She grimaced and released Dianna quickly. “Yeah. I’m fine. I just—” Her focus shifted toward the man and everything in her body went cold and stiff. He turned just enough for her to get a clear view of his profile.
ItwasJames. And he was dancing with Chloe.
Constance’s stomach knotted, crumbling and rolling together until she could barely breathe.
No.
Shecouldn’tbreathe. It was like her lungs had forgotten their only purpose in this life.
James’s dark eyes lifted to meet hers briefly before she spun on her heel. Her eyes sought the exit. She needed to get out of there. It was too soon to talk to James about what had happened. He’d called, he’d left messages, and she still didn’t know what to tell him about her refusal to call back. Even Monday seemed too soon to speak to him, but at least at the clinic she had Chloe as a buffer.
Only now, that concept somehow made things one hundred times worse.
By the time she made it out the front door, her breaths were coming out in sharp, short puffs. She could barely hear Dianna’s frantic voice calling for her but refused to turn around until she heard her name from the one voice she’d been terrified to hear.
“Constance.” The door to the club shut and James’s soft voice somehow thundered through the evening air, wrapping around her and refusing to let her take another step.
25
James
James stood on the steps of the country club. His whole body felt weighed down and heavy. His heart thundered and he was lightheaded. This was the last place he had expected to see Constance. Even when they were together, she preferred to spend time with him in a quieter setting.
