Page 22 of Quinn

Lifting his chin toward the stage, Quinn smiled. “That’s nothing. Here comes the real show stopper.”

As soon as Quinn recognized the song “Say a Little Prayer,” he knew his aunt wouldn’t be able to resist picking up the mic. Keeping an eye on her table, he recognized the head bobbing and shaking for what he’d seen so many times before. When his aunt and Dorothy and Sally May stood, he knew the real show was about to begin.

Eloise’s gaze followed the direction he’d pointed and then suddenly, her eyes sparkled and she turned to him. “Oh, I love this song. Did you ever see the movieMy Best Friend’s Wedding? The scene with this song was one of the best. That and the finale when her friend tells her, ‘by God, there’ll be dancing.’”

“You like to dance?”

Her head bobbed, but before she could say anything, his aunt tapped the microphone.

Hearing the mic was on, without skipping a beat, Aunt Eileen launched into the second verse of one of her favorite songs, her rich voice filling the pub. Dorothy and Sally May provided backup, reminding him of the Supremes, or any other girl band of the sixties.

The chattering of the patrons eased into silence as everyone inched closer to the stage, all ears on his aunt.

“She’s good,” Eloise said.

The song came to an end and immediately, Aunt Eileen launched into “Always Something There to Remind Me.”

Someone must have texted that Aunt Eileen was singing because the pub door kept opening and folks began to pour in, settling in empty tables around the makeshift stage. Even Finn stopped wiping glasses to watch.

“I take it back, she’s not good, she’s amazing,” Eloise whispered, her sandwich forgotten. “I had no idea.”

For spur of the moment, his aunt was putting on quite the show. She didn’t do it often, but when she could be talked into performing, everyone walked away happy. Aunt Eileen had done several songs, and then paused, stared at Quinn a moment before announcing, “This is my last song as I have a hot deck of cards waiting for me.”

The scattered patrons chuckled. The Tuckers Bluff Ladies Afternoon Social Club was well known in town.

“I certainly hope somebody gets up to dance. I hate it when a good slow dance song is wasted.”

Again, folks began chuckling softly. Several notes played. No one moved. His aunt sighed and began crooning—did women croon?—“The Way You Look Tonight.” Still no one moved, and then it hit him, that was another song from the movie Eloise had mentioned. Not the last song, but from the movie nonetheless. Pushing to his feet, he offered his hand. “We can’t disappoint Aunt Eileen.”

Her fingers slipped into his, warm and sure. As he led her to the makeshift dance floor, he couldn’t help noticing how perfectly she fit against him.

“I should warn you,” she said as they started moving to the music, “I learned to dance in Chicago clubs.”

“And I learned at barn raising parties.” He spun her gently. “We’ll make it work.”

Her smile could have powered the whole town. “Yes, we will.”

Slowly, another couple joined them, and then one more. The small space became crowded with dancing couples, though it didn’t matter, his attention stayed on Eloise. He spun her out, then curled her back into the hold of his arms. She moved with such natural grace. Her eyes sparkled with so much contentment, he wanted to keep twirling her in and out as long as it made her happy.

“You’re a very good dancer. I don’t believe for a minute that you learned to dance anywhere near a barn.”

“Don’t let the location fool you. Most everyone in these parts knows how to dance at least a little.” To make his point, he spun her out again, pulling her back in a move that had her laughing in surprise. They fell into an easy pattern, part swing, part two-step, creating their own style as they went. He wished the dance didn’t have to end.

The music slowed to a stop, and his aunt’s voice resounded through the room. “I know I said that would be my last song, but I’ve had a special request for just one more.”

Knowing another song was coming, no one left the floor. Like everyone else, he and Eloise kept their gazes on his aunt. The notes began to play and he immediately recognized her signature song—“At Last.” Aunt Eileen pulled the mic off the stand, waved her friends off the stage, winked at Quinn, and began singing.

Every single word seemed to reverberate through him. Holding Eloise close against him, feeling the warmth of her breath against his shoulder, wishing he could pull her even closer and keep dancing for the rest of their lives, he didn’t understand what was going on, but he did know one thing, Eloise Carey was the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time.

Chapter Eleven

All Eloise could hear in the back of her mind most of the last few days was the line from that movie:By God there’ll be dancing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out dancing, or had as much fun—especially in the middle of the day! As a result, for the last couple of days, she’d done nothing but hum “The Way You Look Tonight” and dance around while cooking and readying for the grand opening.

With the group of Red Hat ladies staying at the Parlor B&B, the timing of the grand opening would be the perfect opportunity for drawing in crowds. All of which would be filmed for airing on national television. That happening kept her torn between absolute delight and borderline panic. Closing the oven door, she shook away the negative thoughts, hummed a little more, and reminded herself today was going to be a very good day.

For what had to be the hundredth time today, she checked her phone. She’d been tracking Danny’s flight since long before it was ready to take off. Despite leaving thirty minutes late, it was scheduled to arrive any minute now, at least fifteen minutes early. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so excited; she had very high hopes for Danny here in Texas.

She’d already changed his bed sheets twice, rearranging the pillows, opening windows to let in fresh air, then closing them again when it felt too chilly. The room across from hers had similar vistas of the expansive lands around the ranch house—nothing blocking their views like a big city—perfect for someone who needed space to breathe.

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