Page 140 of Before You Can Blink
Rose nudged her shoulder. “Go. I’ve got it covered.”
Daisy fixed me with a stare, looking between me and her friend. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two planned this.”
I chuckled. “You’re giving me far too much credit, darlin’. Truth of the matter is, I couldn’t stop staring at the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and it felt like I might die if I didn’t get a chance to hold her in my arms.”
A corner of her lips twitched as she hummed. “Haven’t heard a line that smooth in ages.”
“That’s a darn shame. Remind me to give your husband a stern talking to,” I teased.
She rounded the edge of the table, coming to stand directly before me. “Little hard to do that when he never finds himself in front of a mirror.”
Unfiltered laughter burst free from my chest. “Well, can you blame him? Every time he does, there’s some old man staring back at him.” I made a show of shuddering. “Scariest fucking thing.”
Her hand landed on my chest, her eyes softening. “Oh, I don’t know. That old man has a certain appeal. He’s distinguished.”
I grunted. “If by distinguished you mean he’s got a head full of gray hair and has gone soft around the middle, sure.”
Lips folding inward, she tried to hide a smile. “The silver fox look works for you, but boy, do I miss that six-pack.”
For that, I tickled her side, and she let out a loud squeal, causing several heads to turn in our direction.
Bringing her close, I dropped my forehead to hers. “Dance with me, Daze.”
Shyly, she confessed, “It’s been a long time. What if I’ve forgotten how?”
“Want the good news or the bad news first?”
Daisy reared back, cocking her head to the side. “What?”
“The bad news is you were never the greatest dancer to begin with.” Her mouth dropped open, and it took a full minute before she recovered enough to smack my arm. “But the good news is that I’m not spry enough to two-step anymore. So, we’re gonna take it nice and slow, no matter the song. Just me and my sweetheart.”
She practically melted into a puddle before my eyes when I tacked on that last part. “Okay, I’ll let you push me—slowly—around the dance floor, Mr. Sullivan.”
Taking her hand in mine, I guided her to where the makeshift dance floor was set up in the middle of the street. A band on stage provided live music, and a lively group of young people were dancing faster than I ever remembered doing it myself. Electing to stay toward the outside sowe didn’t get trampled, I looped my arms around my wife’s waist, and we began to sway.
Her head came to rest against my chest, and she let out a contented sigh. “This is nice.”
“Sure is,” I agreed.
While we moved to the music, my eyes began to wander. A familiar shock of blonde hair caught the corner of my vision, and I remarked, “Paisley sure seems to be popular with the boys. I saw her out here earlier with a different one than she’s dancing with now.”
Daisy craned her neck to get a better view of our granddaughter. “Not sure why you’re surprised. She’s a pretty one, that girl. Takes after her mama.”
“I don’t remember all the young men sniffing around Penny at this age,” I muttered. Paisley wasn’t set to turn fourteen for another two months.
“That’s because Penny only had eyes for Tripp. The other boys knew they didn’t stand a chance, so they didn’t bother trying.”
She had a point, but that didn’t mean I had to like the way young Jason Dillon’s touch ventured south toward Paisley’s backside.
I gripped Daisy tighter, nearly growling, “He’s gettin’ too handsy with her.” Then I released my wife, dead set on charging that boy and teaching him a lesson or two on how to respect a lady, when my wife’s hand landed on my arm.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
My head whipped back around, eyes bulging. “Excuse me?”
Using a finger, she pointed at Paisley. “You see that girl over there?” Obviously, I did, or I wouldn’t be so worked up over some little shit putting his hands where they didn’t belong. “That’sTripp’sdaughter. It’s his job to handle that situation.”
Almost as if on cue, our son magically appeared, cutting into the dance the two kids shared and dismissing Jason as steam practically poured out from Paisley’s ears.
