AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s temporary, and not so bad.” John absently rubbed the top of his head.
“You’re living in Hope Harbor? Sleeping in the loft? And with that tiny shower?” Brooke asked wide-eyed. “Haven House at least has a bedroom and a decent sized bath.”
“It does?” John drawled, shifting his gaze from Brooke to Wren who gave an embarrassed shrug.
“I wasn’t going to ask her to move twice when you’re only there a few weeks.” Elizabeth took the blame. She had hinted to Wren about switching to give John the house better suited to his size, except Wren hadn’t offered.
“Naw, it’s all good. I’ve got my dog. Nobody’s shooting at me. It’s tight quarters, but better than a submarine. Anyway, I’ll be fixing up my house when my renter moves out. It has a bedroom where I can stand and plenty of space for the two of us.”
“After we wrap the last set, how about I give a lesson on partner dances so he can sweep the ladies off their feet at that wedding?” Buck suggested.
“Great idea,” Darrin agreed. “Now it’s time to hit the floor. I’m going to teach you all a new dance so you can impress your friends, being all fancy-like.”
Everyone laughed as they danced. John sang with a definitive country twang to the fun song while Darrin broke down the steps. One of the older women blushed when John pointed to her during the chorus. John then ignored the dance steps and reached out a hand to the woman.
“I’m so going to have this song stuck in my head all night,” Brooke said, watching John spin the older woman.
Elizabeth was impressed with John’s timing, gracefully moving so that no dancers had to maneuver out of the way. She’d already noticed he was a quick study, memorizing the dances by the second run-through. Maybe it was due in part to his military training, or that, despite his good-ole-boy persona, the man was keenly intelligent.
He wasn’t perfect, yet he really was the “whole package.” He loved his dog. Handsome, with a well-built physique. An endearing, not cutting, sense of humor. A protector, yet he didn’t run over people with his alpha nature.
She turned her attention back to Darrin before anyone caught her staring at John or her memories took her to a dark place. She rubbed a fingertip over the Path of Life charm on the necklace she wore most days. Maybe it’d been her lot in life to go through hell in order to help others. Usually, she was okay with that. Her life was better than she’d thought it would turn out when in the midst of purgatory, but watching the couples dancing side-by-side and having fun together, the void in her life hit her—hard. Once John and Boss left The Oasis, she definitely needed to get herself another dog to ease the loneliness of coming home to an empty house.
After Darrin closed out the set, Buck took center stage and invited anyone interested in a ballroom dance lesson to stay. Either they were hardcore dancers or wanted to keep John from being singled out, because only about five people left.
Everyone quickly mastered the basic box step.
“Elizabeth, will you come demonstrate the waltz?” Though Buck phrased it as a question, he extended a hand and pulled her from the front line.
Buck placed a hand on her shoulder blade and lightly gripped her hand.
She froze.
This is Buck. It’s a room full of people. Everything’s fine.
The few seconds of him explaining gave her time to regain her composure and perform the steps with him.
“Everybody partner up and give it a try,” he said.
Brooke headed toward John, but the man in the USMC hat intercepted her. Ariana quickly paired off with John. Two men watched rather than pair up with each other.
“Not too many of you young people do the waltz anymore, so we’ll move on to the three-step.” Buck released Elizabeth but motioned for her to stay beside him. “With it, you can do several dances, including the polka.”
“I may have to make a special request to get the wedding DJ to play a polka,” John cracked.
“The polka is versatile. It can be done to songs other than the traditional German accordion drinking songs, which can be fun too,” Buck conceded, counting aloud as he demonstrated the steps.
This time, when Buck reached out to her, Elizabeth was ready. She didn’t react when he took her hand and placed his other on her back. She moved with him to the music Darrin played.
“You can jazz it up with some hip action,” said Buck.
“What about spins and dips?” John asked.
“Come back again, and we’ll work on that. Change partners. Are you up for it, missy?” Buck crooked a finger at Ariana and placed Elizabeth’s hand in John’s.
Great. Just when she felt safe with Buck and had her anxiety in check. She inhaled before cautiously meeting John’s gaze.
“So, no spins or dips. You got this,” he said. “Just one, two, three. Quick, quick, slow.” He led her through the steps. “This was a lot of fun. Talking with the vets and the dancing. It’s good for me to do things outside my comfort zone, and you’re making me look like I know what I’m doing.”
