Page 62 of Blame It On Midnight

She squealed and grabbed his hand and he followed several women and their daughters up the step. There was one boy, Landon, who skipped alongside Nora, and when Cameron and Ryan spotted them, the squeals were something else.

“You’d think these kids hadn’t seen each other in years.” Taz Pulman rubbed the back of his neck, a pained expression on his face.

“At their age, summer break feels like an entire year.”

Miss Nancy came over to them, a big smile on her face. In her seventies, the woman was active in town, and Benton had known her his entire life. Her niece was Angel Simms, the lady folks referred to as the horse whisperer. She worked with Taz to rescue not only horses but also any animal that needed saving.

“Hello, you two.” She beamed. “You can watch our little ladies and gents from the other room. In honor of our first class of the season, there are refreshments laid out. Cookies, coffee, or tea.”

“Miss Nancy, we need to stretch.”

She turned to the children. “That we do. Bags hung up, please, put on your dance shoes and let’s get to it.”

Benton and Taz headed to the other room and found a bunch of moms hanging out, eating the treats, and drinking coffee. Benton spied Daisy Mae at about the same time he noticed Michaela Dawson walking over. He hadn’t expected to see either of them.

“Michaela,” he said with a nod. “Your daughter dances?”

“And my son, Landon.”

Taz said a quick hello, then told Benton he was going to grab them a plate of cookies. Once he was gone, Michaela pointed to the window.

“I’m glad our girls will be in class together this year.”

“Yes. Pretty sure Nora has her dad’s rhythm, so I’m sure Miss Nancy has her work cut out for her, but Nora does love coming.”

“Good to know. In the city, our teacher was a lot younger. To say I was shocked to find Miss Nancy still teaching is an understatement.”

Benton hated polite chit chat, and though this wasn’t exactly the time or place, what with Daisy Mae watching him like a hawk, he needed to clear up a few things.

“Hey, I want you to know that night at the bar. I don’t want you to… I was…I mean, hell, I would never want to make you think?—”

“It’s okay, Benton.” She interrupted softly. “I heard about you and Collins Lafferty. You don’t need to explain anything to me.” Michaela let out a slow breath and shrugged. “I got to know her a bit the other night when I went to the Sundowner. She seems real nice. Grounded. Not gonna lie, I was more than a little surprised. I didn’t figure a superstar model who comes from a family like the Lafferty’s would be so sweet. Funny even.”

He didn’t quite know how to respond, so he said nothing.

“So don’t worry. No hard feelings on my end.” Her eyes fell away, and she turned toward the large viewing window again. “Life is funny, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” He moved closer, his gaze on his daughter as she jumped and twirled with the rest of the kids.

“I never thought I’d move back home with two kids at my age. Never thought my husband would find someone he loved more than me. A part of me hates him, you know? But the other part can’t because I wouldn’t have those two without him.” She looked at Benton. “I’m sure you can relate to your current situation.”

He wasn’t exactly sure where Michaela was headed with that.

“Situation?” Daisy Mae appeared with a cup of coffee and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She was tapping her toe a mile a minute. He noticed that her nails were bit down to the quick. The last time he saw her, there were long and manicured, though he supposed they could have been fake.

“We were just chatting,” Michaela said, moving away. “Nice to see you, Daisy Mae.”

His ex said nothing, though her eyes tracked Michaela’s progress until the woman moved behind a group of ladies and out of view.

“I think she always had a thing for you.” Daisy Mae’s voice was thin. Her lips twitched, and she drank the cup of coffee in one gulp. He noticed a spot near her elbow. The skin was raw like she’d been picking at it.

“Are you high?” he asked quietly, aware that the two of them huddled together was drawing some interest.

She yanked her head up, eyes wide, her pupils blown…and his heart sank.

Daisy Mae shook her head and lied to him. “Fuck you, Benton. Am I high. No. I’m just wired from too much coffee.”

“Did you drive here?”

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