The Last One(2)

“But everyone’s going to be there. It’ll be epic.” He was trying to look confident and convincing, but I caught the hopeful pleading behind the bravado. It irritated the crap out of me.

“Will there be dancing? ‘Cause that’s what I want to do. I want to dance. If I’m going to get my ass in gear to dress up and go out, it won’t be to get pawed by drunk boys and have beer spilled all over me. It’ll be to hit a decent dance floor. And I doubt that’s going to happen at Oswald’s party.” I opened one eye and fastened it on Owen.

He shrugged. “Probably not, but hey, we could make it happen. They have a sound system, and we’ll plug in and clear a space.” He leaned forward, his blue eyes going soft and suggestive. “And I bet we could find a dark corner for some slow dancing. Some special slow dancing.” He winked.

I thought I might gag. “God, Owen, is that all you think about? This—” I pointed at him and then at myself. “It happened once. Get over it. No repeat performances.”

“Geez, Meghan, can’t you take a joke?” He huffed out what was supposed to pass for laughter. “I was just saying, it’s going to be a party you don’t want to miss. Everyone’s going to be talking about it for weeks.”

Laura tucked her bare feet beneath her, curling up in the corner of the couch. “Actually, the girl who does my hair was telling me about this place that just opened in her hometown. It’s in ... ummm ... God, what was the name of the town?” She rolled her eyes up, thinking. “Burton. She said it’s like forty-five minutes southwest, and this bar that opened has a huge dance floor and some killer local bands. The guy who owns it used to be in the music biz, so he gets all the best acts.”

I brought my hand down onto my knee with a loud smack. “Sold! We’re going to—what was it? Burton? And we’re dancing.”

Owen fell back in the recliner. “Seriously? You’re driving an hour to some podunk town to hang with locals just because they have dancing?”

“Yep.” I smiled at him. “You know me, Owen. Unpredictable.”

He sighed, long and loud. “Well, I guess I can do that. I can’t believe I’m going to miss the biggest party of the year—”

“Oh, no, my friend. This is a girls-only night. You go to Oswald’s and get wasted. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you missing a fun time like that.”

Owen frowned, and for the space of a breath, I thought I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. But he recovered fast and shook his head. “Whatever.” He stood up and pulled keys from his pocket. “I’m gonna bounce. Later.”

I watched until the door closed behind him, and then I let out a long breath. “Crap on a cracker, that boy wears me out. I’m not trying to be mean, you know? But he doesn’t seem to get subtle.”

“Meghan Hawthorne, leaving broken hearts in her wake as usual.” Laura leaned over and bumped her shoulder against mine. “Owen’s a big boy. He’ll get over it.” She stretched her arms over her head. “So were you serious about going out tonight? Or was that just to get Owen off your ass?”

“Of course. I never kid around about dancing, you know that.” I shot her a look. “Why, you didn’t make up the whole thing about the bar, right?”

Laura held up one hand. “Nope. Scout’s honor, Natalie told me.”

“Okay. I need about an hour to get myself together.” I nudged her with my foot. “Get ready, bitch. Taking no prisoners tonight. We’re gonna dance the cowboys off the floor.”

“Oh, joy.” She reached for her drawing pad and flipped it closed. “Bring ‘em on.”



“I’LL BE DESIGNATED DRIVER. From the look on your face when you got home, I think you need to let loose tonight.” Laura stepped out of our building’s front door, concentrating on her high-heels as she navigated the uneven sidewalk.

I twirled car keys on my index finger. “Thanks, that sounds good. Want to take the Honda? Might be a little more dependable.”

She tossed me a glance of mock indignation. “Are you insinuating that my car couldn’t make this trip?”

“Not insinuating. Saying it loud. I love the Bug, but let’s face it, that car spends more time up on the mechanic’s lift than down on the road.”

Laura sighed. “Sad but true. Okay, we’ll take your dependable car, and you can drive us out there, since I’ll be getting us home.”

“It’s a deal.” I unlocked the Honda and wiggled into the driver’s seat.