Page 49 of Hello Trouble

I practically jolted up at the interruption—I’d been so lost in my fantasy.

“Oh great,” he muttered. He gave me an apologetic look and a quick, “Be right back,” while his preteen niece dragged him toward the group of people lining up in the open space between the tables and the band.

An amused smile formed on my lips as I watched them go. Looking around at the festivities, I saw Liv standing off to the side of a forming crowd with her two younger girls in a stroller. There was an open space where children dressed like Maya were gathering with their family members.

When Liv caught my gaze, I gave her a wave and walked her way, dropping the funnel cake in the trash but hanging on to mine and Hayes’s coffees.

When I reached my friend, she scoped out my outfit. “You look adorable. How’s the date?”

“Really good, actually,” I said. I’d told her about the date over text message, and I couldn’t get a read on what she thought of it all.

She chuckled. “You sound surprised.”

“Because I am,” I admitted.

Liv leaned a little closer as the live band counted off a new song. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Are you finally admitting to your crush on Aaron Carter?”

She snorted out a laugh and then whispered, “Hayes came over to my place earlier freaking out about the date because he wanted to get it right.”

My heart melted a little. That was really sweet. But then disappointment washed over me. “So the flowers were your idea? I knew the vase was too perfect.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

I explained how Hayes had picked out the perfect arrangement and vase for me, Liv’s smile growing wider all the while. “Why are you smiling like that?” I asked.

“Because that was all Hayes Madigan.” She gazed over at him and his brothers lining up for the dance. “Who would have thought?”

The musician up front said, “Please welcome the Cottonwood Falls eighth grade class and their loved ones performing the ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie’!”

Clapping for them, I looked out at the group of dancers. Hayes was easy to spot, standing between Maya and Knox, an easy smile on his lips as the music started. He hopped and skipped and scooted along to the beat, matching everyone else’s choreography. And I didn’t know what he was so reluctant about before because the man could dance.

He caught me looking, and a flirty smile graced his lips and lit his eyes. He swung his hips, putting on a show for me. Laughing, I clapped my hands together, cheering him on. “Go, Hayes!”

I could feel Liv watching me, but when I glanced her way, she quickly looked back at the dancers.

At the end of the song, Hayes gave Maya a high five and then walked over to me. The lead singer of the band said, “Thanks for kicking us off! Now this song is a slow one. Grab your partner and pull up some asphalt!”

I shook my head at the cheesy line, but Hayes extended his hand. “Dance with me?”

He was full of surprises today.

I slipped my hand into his, loving his firm grip, and he led me back to the area where everyone was dancing. We stopped somewhere around the double yellow line, and he drew me in close.

One hand holding mine, another settled at the small of my back, he left no room for anyone to doubt his intentions as our bodies pressed close together. This close, I could smell his cologne, feel the heat radiating from his chest, the rough brush of his callouses against my hand.

He guided us in a simple two-step, making it easy for me to follow along, which I was grateful for because this close to him, my brain was quickly turning to mush.

I blinked up at him, nearly breathless as I said, “Who knew you had such good moves.”

He gave me a salacious wink and then whispered, “Those weren’t even my best ones.”

“Is that so?”

He leaned in close so only I could hear. “I can’t show you those here.”

A small shiver ran down my spine at the thought. I was looking forward to finding out what else Hayes Madigan had in store.

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