“Great. Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
“I’ve been busy in the evenings. Work is the same as usual.” Truthfully, Emma wanted to avoid being around Jane’s constant negativity. Her comment about being spinsters together had really bothered Emma. Things had changed a lot in her life in a short period of time. It was obvious Jane didn’t completely approve of the changes.
Jane crossed her arms in front of her and shrugged as Emma turned to face her while drying her hands on a paper towel. “So…you’re here on a date. I saw those two guys. Are you meeting someone else here? Maybe you and I could double-date with them sometime.”
Emma nearly swallowed her tongue at the thought and covered for her reaction by fiddling with the closure on her evening bag. Jane was the type that never let go of something once she’d latched on to it. She’d expect a response to her suggestion.
“I’m sorry, Jane. I’m out with them. We’re not meeting anybody.” Emma bit her lip, hoping that there was no one privy to this private conversation in any of the stalls.
Jane’s eyes got big, and then she rolled them and put out a hand when Emma would have said more. “Say no more. Have fun. Talk to you later.”
Emma frowned in disappointment as her friend stalked out of the restroom. Jane was jealous and probably a little hurt because Emma hadn’t spent much time with her. Leaning against the vanity, it occurred to Emma that if Jane was really her friend, she’d eventually understand. If she wasn’t, this was as good a time as any to let her go.
* * * *
An hour later, Duke helped Emma from the truck, admiring her long, shapely legs once more. He and Gage escorted her through the front door of The Dancing Pony. The rhythm of an upbeat country song pulsed in the air as they entered the dimly lit nightclub.
The bouncers, two very large Hispanic men, took one look at Emma and smiled. She greeted them both as though she knew them, and the taller of the two started talking a mile a minute to her. Duke recognized Mike and Rogelio but didn’t know them personally. He’d spent numerous hours observing the nightlife in the club while trying to pinpoint the person who’d been taping the girls dancing then posting inflammatory articles about them on the Internet.
Duke’s attention was drawn back to their conversation. “Thanks, Doc, for texting me a picture before you removed it. I was eating lunch at the time.”
Emma snorted and said, “It’s not every day you see a bean shoved up a kid’s nose actually sprouting. I thought you’d want to see before I removed it.”
“We still haven’t figured out which of Cole’s brothers talked him into doing that. They stick together.”
Duke chuckled along with Gage, getting the gist of the conversation. He imagined Emma probably had seen just about everything as a family practitioner in a small town.
Mike reached out and shook his and Gage’s hands and said, “It’s getting busy but you shouldn’t have much difficulty getting a table.”
They seated Emma and themselves at one of the tall tables against the back wall. Duke noticed that she eyed the dance floor and looked a little nervous. He felt for her. The dancing couples all looked comfortable as they swayed and danced together, looking as though they’d all been born knowing how to dance.
He leaned toward Emma and said, “You look gorgeous tonight. I can’t wait to get you on the dance floor.”
He was telling a small lie. He couldn’t wait to draw her close to him, that much was certainly true. He’d never spent any time in dance halls or nightclubs unless he was working. His choice of venues for dates usually revolved around dinner and a movie, not stepping out of his comfort zone.
He had other cousins who had learned to dance as teenagers, but he and Gage had never been interested when they were growing up, and so he’d spent his twenties and early thirties avoiding places like this because he didn’t want to embarrass himself.
Summer had been very patient and kind when she showed him and Gage some dance moves and encouraged him to just listen to the music and let the rhythm of the dance provide its own inspiration. Summer had asked if Emma knew how to dance, and Duke had told her no, that he knew for a fact she didn’t. Summer had smiled and told him, “Well then, she’ll never know the difference if you’re both beginners, will she?” That was true, and now the moment to test that theory had come.
“Emma, want to dance?”
The hunted look in Emma’s eyes was confirmed in her reply. “Already?”
Gage smiled in commiseration and said, “It’s better to rip the Band-Aid off, right? Angel, you look really beautiful tonight and even though this is a stretch for me also, I’m seriously looking forward to getting you out on the dance floor.”