Page 72 of The Second Dance

And I’m not good for him.

When he turns to toss the paper towels, I stand, straightening my skirt. “I’m not trying to fuck with you, Bo. Believe it or not, I came after you so we could clear the air.”

He gives me a long look. “You hiding more secrets up your sleeve?”

“No. I just mean all the misunderstandings, I guess.”

“Baby, if it weren’t for the misunderstandings, there’d be nothing left.”

He’s reduced us to a single sentence. And the worst part is, he’s not wrong.

Suddenly, I feel like I can’t breathe. My eyes burn and I just feel wrung out.

I don’t want him to see me deconstruct.

Breezing past him, I pause at the door. There’s about a hundred things I want to say to him. I’m too chicken shit to say half of it, and the other half would just result in an argument. Or tears. Straightening my spine, I swing the door open. “Have a good night, Bo.”

I step into the hallway and find it mercifully empty. This is not the place to fall apart. There’s about a hundred Silver Bend citizens between me and the door. I have one more gauntlet to run.

Pausing at the entrance to the auditorium, I scan the floor.

There’s Dusty, Skyler, and Josh laughing by the bar.

Chad Thomas’s standing by the stage, talking to his brother. His eyes meet mine over his brother’s shoulder and my gaze slides away. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I chart a course through the perimeter of the crowd.

I’m searching for my coat in the front lobby when Chad calls out to me. “Running off already?”

I find my jacket and yank it from the hanger. Slipping it over my shoulders like armor, I turn to face him.

His eyes scan my body. They linger on my mussed hair. My swollen lips.

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “You two just can’t stay away from each other, can you?”

I don’t have the energy for this. “Says the guy who elected me queen.”

He grins, tipping his head in acknowledgement. “Seemed like you two needed a little push.”

I stare at him, shaking my head. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, Mr. Thomas. But I’m not your puppet. Next time you’re trying to prove a point, find someone else to mess with.”

He comes closer, rubbing the back of his neck. It’s a gesture that reminds me too much of Bo.

I expect him to fire back, but his expression is surprisingly genuine. “Take it from an old man. If you’ve got love in front of you, you got to reach out and grab it.”

I lower my voice. “What would you know about love?”

“Not a hell of a lot, it turns out. I may not know how to hold on to it, but I know what it feels like.”

I take the tiara off my head and plop in down his hand. “Thanks for a lovely evening.”

He calls out after me just as my fingers curl around the door handle. “You can’t predict how long something’ll last, Andy. Even if it’s a short ride and you get dumped on your ass, it’s worth it.”

41.

Bo

I feel like someone just scraped my heart across a washboard.

That someone was me.

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