Lydia spoke with both men as they came close and Jessica forced herself to smile as she made eye contact with Tank and then Troy.
“Hey, Jessica,” Tank said with his trademark wide-open smile.
“Good to see you getting out of the house a bit,” Troy said as she returned his smile and greeting. His hand was warm on her shoulder blade as he stroked her lightly before he and Tank moved on to the table where the men had gathered.
A curious emptiness gave her pause as they walked on by. Disappointment?
Well? You didn’t exactly give them any reason to try now did you, Jess? Besides, up until just a little while ago, you were still pining away for Val and Ransome.
Lydia turned back to her after replying to someone’s comment and said, “Everything okay? You want another Sprite? Or anything else?”
Shaking her head negatively, she thought about Charity and the dance from earlier again. It had been hard to distinguish whether they were escorting her onto the dance floor or if she was the one leading them.
What must that kind of female power feel like?
To be the woman that not one but three men gravitated to. It was the stuff that fantasies were made of, she knew, but it also scared her a little. After what she’d been through, she wasn’t sure she could stand to be surrounded like that. Her heart thumped at the thought of hurting the feelings of a man, or men, who just wanted to be close to her. But she knew one thing for certain. She couldn’t afford to make any rash decisions right now. She had a life to get in order, and a daughter who needed her.
Just then, another pounding rock song started and Charity, Grace, Emma, and several of the others headed for the dance floor. Jessica got up from the table.
Lydia whooped. “It’s a girls’ dance!” she said as she turned to Jessica. “You have to dance with us, Jess. It’s a tradition—Wait. You’re leaving?” Jessica nodded as she slung her purse on her shoulder and pulled her car keys from it. The crowd was suddenly closing in on her and watching everyone else have fun had lost its appeal.
“I think so,” she said with a nod, avoiding eye contact with the others at the table, afraid to even look over and see if Tank and Troy noticed. She didn’t have the right to expect them to. “I don’t want LuAnn and the guys to stay up late on my account.”
Oh, because eight o’clock is soooo late.
Lydia checked her watch, but smiled in understanding as she hugged Jessica. Quietly, she said, “It’ll get easier, hon. You’ll see.”
Trying to swallow the silly knot that was growing in her throat, Jessica nodded. “Of course. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Several of the other girls caught her as she prepared to walk to the door and said good-bye, but Tank and Troy were involved in a conversation with Val and Ransome and didn’t seem to notice.
Silly, I thought you weren’t interested. Didn’t have time. And weren’t you just crushing on two other men?
The guys that worked the front door nodded to her kindly as she walked out. She looked back and noticed that one of them kept her in sight as she made her way to her car nearby. Knowing he did that made her feel safer as she traversed the sidewalk but each step felt heavier as defeat settled on her shoulders like a weight.
“Jess!” a deep voice called from right behind her. Without thinking, she immediately halted in her tracks, turned, and a big solid body bumped into her.
She gasped when solid, familiar hands wrapped around her upper arms, keeping her on her feet. Tank. His name seemed even more appropriate. “Sorry. I didn’t expect you to stop quite that fast.”
His clean scent surrounded her and she suddenly felt a little lightheaded. Her pulse accelerated as she looked up at him and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? I bumped into you,” he said, a wide smile on his face. “I heard you were leaving and wanted to make sure you made it out to your car safely.”
“Oh…well…thank you.” She looked down at his hands, still on her upper arms and then looked up at him. He slid his hands down her arms until he finally released her. Warmth lingered on her skin where he’d touched her.
“Troy wanted to come, too, but we thought it might be a bit…overwhelming for you.”
She noticed that his face had gone a little ruddy as he gazed at her. Was he embarrassed, too?
“That was really sweet of him…and you…” Taking a deep breath, she wasn’t sure what else to say. The way Troy’s green eyes sparkled when he smiled made her wish that maybe he’d come with Tank. She always wondered what thoughts were going on in his head when he smiled at her. Okay, that’s definitely hormones talking, Jess. “I really appreciate that. I thought I’d go out with Lydia and her friends for a little bit this evening but…”