Page 62 of Embraced at Seaside
She searched for the waitress, but the perky little brunette was busy eyeingherman.Wench.Hunter, however, was solely focused on the pool table. Leaning over to take his turn, his long, strong arms held the pool cue as he lined up his shot. Her fingers curled with the desire to stand behind him, grab his hips, and press her body to his.Tonight you’re all mine.
Aren’t you?
Panic trickled back in. Now that she was thinking about it, he’d hurried off with the guys awfully quickly when they’d entered the bar. That was unusual for him. He didn’t seem angry on the outside, but he was definitely put out.
Well, darn it. So was she. Why was he making assumptions instead of talking with her about what she wanted?
Maybe I do want the main event…
Sheesh. She was driving herself crazy. If this was what relationships did to a person, no wonder she was never any good at them.
No, she wasn’t going down that road. She and Hunter were good together.
Great.They weregreattogether.
Then why was she panicking?
That’s it. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She wasdonewith this circular thought process. She scanned the floor for the other waitress. It wasn’t until Amy’s voice cracked through her confusion that she realized she was completely ignoring her friends.
“How is Marco treating you?” Amy asked. “You’re almost done right? Just another few weeks and then you’re on your own?”
Jana pushed the thoughts of their argument aside and tried to focus on Amy and her friends. They were supposed to be celebrating. She was not going to allow herself to get tied in knots over a stupid key.
Over her life.
She’d just begun to love her life.
Where’s that darn waitress?
“Marco’s not happy that he has to come back to town, so he’s hardly talking to me.”Like Hunter, tonight.“It’s probably better that way.” Her heart ached.
“Probably so,” Sky said. “I saw the website Jamie made. It’s incredible.”
“I tried out the online registration process,” Jenna added. She wiggled her shoulders and eyebrows and said, “I signed up for the Foxy Mamas class. Petey’s so excited.”
“Pete’s excited anytime you’re excited,” Amy said with a laugh. “Speaking of which, how about that blue dye? Bella is dying to get Theresa back with another prank, so I guess the games are on again.”
“We didn’t have too much trouble getting it off,” Jana said distractedly.
“It made Pete’s teeth blue,” Jenna said with an eyebrow waggle. “And not from kissing.”
“Ohmygosh.” Amy laughed. “I’m calling TMI on that one. Let’s talk about something else.” She turned to Jana, stifling a giggle. “On a more important note, Jana, I was in Stop & Shop the other day and saw the flyers you hung up. There were three women talking about joining, and I told them how wonderful you are.”
“Thank you, Amy.” Jana reached across the table and squeezed her hand, catching sight of the sexy waitress who was still eyeing Hunter. She tried to ignore the claws of jealousy tearing at her gut, but how could she when it felt like a wild animal digging its way out from beneath her skin?
She shifted her eyes to the dance floor, where Jamie and Jessica were dancing cheek to cheek to a way-too-fast beat. Bella and Leanna were dancing near the pool tables, calling her attention back to that big, sexy key maker.
Ugh.She pushed from the table. “Excuse me, ladies. I’m grabbing a drink.” She strutted over to the bar. Who cared about the skanky, flirty, gorgeous waitress who was eyeing her man? She could get her own darn drink.
After downing two fireballs, she ordered a round of shots for the table and, feeling warm and light from the alcohol, joined Bella and Leanna on the dance floor.
“I ordered a round of shots to celebrate!” Jana yelled over the music.
“Awesome. Caden’s the designated driver, so Mama gets to drink tonight.” Bella bumped hips with Jana.
Jana closed her eyes and raised her arms above her head, allowing the music to seep past her irritation over what that tiny key signified, past thoughts of the flirty waitress, past the heartache she was trying to ignore. When the edginess subsided and she felt suspended by the beat, she opened her eyes and let her body take over. Her hips swayed, and her shoulders flowed from side to side as she moved around Bella. When she came full circle, her shoulders drew right, pairing her up with Leanna in a slow, sultry dance. She was mildly aware of Leanna’s movements stopping and a crowd forming around them. She closed her eyes again, unwilling to let anything break her from the comfortable zone she’d fallen into.
The music calmed her, the alcohol eased her worries, and when she opened her eyes, she danced without thought. Her body knew how to move, what to feel. And in that moment, she decided she was done drinking. Just like that. Done. She didn’t need alcohol to deal with her problems, and Hunter didn’t need to worry about her falling into the bottle like his father had. She was opening a business. She could make clearheaded decisions, and right now she needed to dance.
