Page 21 of Unbroken

“Oh, wow. Well, I get it, though. The stuff is bright yellow.”

I shut my eyes. “I know, and so do they. They’re sensitive about it.”

“But that’s not your fault. Why would they fire you for his mistake?”

I sighed. “If we’d gone through the proper pre-hire protocols, they would’ve found it in a deep dive background check. But I jumped the gun and made him an offer without it. And when the world started laughing at Lemon-Lime and they needed someone to take the blame for hiring a spokesperson who’d made fun of them, that was me.”

We danced in silence for a few minutes while Eli seemed to process everything I’d told him. I was surprised to realize that talking to Eli had been weirdly cathartic. He wasn’t the kind of person who was quick to judge. And he knew me well enough to understand that I’d had the best of intentions when I’d tried to set up the deal, even if it had all gone wrong.

“Well, I’m really sorry how it all went down,” he said, rubbing my shoulder in a way that instantly comforted me.

“Me too,” I said with a hollow laugh. “I worked so hard to move on and build a name for myself in Denver after … after Mom and Dad died.” I sniffled at the unexpected prickle of tears. “And now it’s all shot to hell, and I’m pretty much blacklisted from ever getting another job in the industry.”

“That seems extreme. It’s not like you intended to cause problems.”

“No, but now I’ve got a reputation for going all John Wayne on stuff and not following protocols.”

Eli snorted. “John Wayne?”

I could feel his smirk and I suddenly wanted to make him laugh more than anything. “You know, being aggressive and taking the bull by the horns?”

“Sounds dangerous,” he murmured against my ear, making me shiver.

“Oh, it is. But it’s the way. The cowboy way.” I giggled at my own joke.

The song was ending and I looked up at Eli expectantly. We both paused and waited for the next song, and sure enough, it was another slow one. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, and my heart galloped as I nodded. I didn’t want to stop dancing with him. And more surprisingly, I didn’t want to stop talking with him.

The song was slower than the last, and Eli moved me from a formal dance-frame position to circle his arm tighter around my waist and bring me in closer. We danced together, neither of us talking, and it felt right. At least for now.

“Do you want to go back to Denver?” he asked, his voice neutral.

“I’m not sure. It’s something I’d been asking myself ever since I came home.”

Part of me was one hundred percent sure that the city was where I belonged. My life there had been busy enough to keep my mind occupied and not focused on the past, which was what I’d wanted. But being back in Poplar Springs made me realize how homesick I’d been. Keeping busy was my way of not thinking about everything I’d left behind.

Everything I’d run away from.

“Charlotte looks like she’s a lion getting ready for the takedown,” Eli said in a low voice. “Man, she willnotstop staring at us.”

“Well then, boyfriend, let’s give her something to watch. Twirl me or something, cowboy.”

“Oh, you wanna twirl?” he said with an evil look. “Let’s go, then, little lady.”

Even though the song was slow, Eli managed to keep the tempo up as he spun me around again and again. His hand grazed my waist and stomach every time I turned, and I couldn’t tell if I was getting dizzy or if Eli’s touch was doing something to me. When he finally stopped, I fell against him, unsteady on my feet.

“Damn. We made that look really good,” Eli said as he steadied me.

The way he said it made it seem like a team effort, but the reality wasthat Eli had done all the work, all I’d done was clutch his hand and pray I wouldn’t fall.

“Did she see?”

“Oh yeah, she did. So did everyone else.”

I looked around the room again and realized that we were the only two people on the dance floor. I spotted Charlotte right as she reached out her spoon to tap her wineglass. The sound spread throughout the room like a tidal wave.

“Hold on,” I said, looking around in a panic. “That’s not for us … right?”

Eli looked equally stricken. “No. No way, it can’t be. But where are Nick and Cassie? I don’t see them anywhere.”

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