Page 9 of Moonlit Colorado

“Stop. You used to get like this every Friday night before we went out in college, and guess who’d be dancing on the tables by the end of the night?”

“I have no memory of that.”

She winked. “Exactly.”

Handy-dandy, aka Hanson, texted when his truck pulled up outside. We dashed out to meet him and jumped into the warm cabin, Piper in the front and me in the back. It was cold tonight, but neither of us had wanted to bother with coat checks.

“You two look hot.” Hanson propped his arm on the back of the seat and turned to look at me, then whistled. “Damn, O’Neal. Who knew your usual clothes were hiding all of…that. Nice work.”

“Um, thanks?”

Piper smirked at me. “Relax,” she whispered.

I squirmed the whole drive up to the resort. The place was lit up like daytime, with a long stream of cars at the valet line.

In the lobby, we joined a crowd of elegantly dressed people waiting to show their tickets. Rustic iron chandeliers glowed overhead with a warm, flattering light. A fire roared in a massive, double-sided fireplace, and a string quartet played instrumental arrangements of popular songs.

It was like I’d been thrust into a scene from a movie or transported into a parallel reality. Like I wasn’t in Silver Ridge anymore.

I thought I recognized a few locals, but most everyone here seemed unfamiliar. Which made me think of that guy at the coffee shop yesterday morning. His gray eyes and megawatt smile. Or rather, think of him yet again, as I’d been doing off and on since we crashed into each other at Silver Linings.

I found myself scanning the people around me for his broad shoulders and dark hair. My chest tightened with anticipation, wondering if he’d be here. Maybe he’d arrived in town especially for this party.

But he was exactly the type of man I should stay away from. Smooth and charming and inevitably untrustworthy.Dangerous. Maybe not physically, since I’d been taking self-defense classes with Ashford at his martial arts school. I had moves. But I couldn’t take the chance of believing some guy’s pretty words and thinking they meant more than they did.

“Piper,” I said, turning to face her. “Do you?—”

I glanced back and forth, but I didn’t see her or Hanson anywhere in the sea of people. Too many women had purple dresses. Had she gone into the party without me? I didn’t want to go in and turn over my ticket until I found her.

The colors of the masks started to blur. Someone bumped into me. The energy of the room was suddenly too much. Overwhelming.

Then I saw a sign, like a beacon leading me out of the fog.

Restrooms.

The door of the ladies’ room swung closed, cutting off the noise in the lobby. Maybe this was a cowardly exit to take, but I just needed a few minutes to get my head together. And text Piper so I could figure out where she was.

I took my phone from my clutch—something else I’d borrowed from Piper—and jotted out a text, receiving a quick response.

Me

Where are you? Lost you

Piper

I lost you too! We’re inside. At the bar, then going to dance in the next room over. Come find us?

Will soon. Bathroom

Should I come get you? I will

No, I’m okay. Promise.

I set the purse on the counter and rested my hands on either side of one of the sinks, staring into the mirror. I didn’t look like myself with the mask on, so I pulled at the tie and took it off. With each moment that passed, I felt less sure of myself.

What am I even doing here?

This wasn’t college. I wasn’t twenty anymore. Twenty-eight felt like a different lifetime compared to our college days.

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