Page 21 of Save the Last Dance
No drumroll needed. The winner was the perennial frontrunner. Nina hurried off the dance floor toward the table she’d shared with Gram, wishing she’d phrased her words more carefully with Mack. They used to understand each other so well. Used to anticipate each other’s thoughts. Now, she felt as if every conversation was potentially explosive. If they were going to work together—let alone resurrect a friendship—they’d have to get past that.
She’d almost made it back to the table when she noticed an older gentleman sitting in her place. She didn’t recognize him, although his suspenders and John Deere ball cap suggested he was a local farmer. A farmer Gram quite liked, if her laughter was anything to go on.
“Gram?” Flustered and frustrated about her conversation with Mack, Nina was ready to call it a night. “Do you mind if we head home now?”
“So soon?” She tugged aside the cuff on her blouse and peered down at her watch, an old thrift-store piece that she’d owned for as long as Nina could remember. “It’s only nine.”
“I can run you home, Daisy, if you want to stay a bit longer,” the man in suspenders offered, tugging on the brim of his cap like he was straightening it. “Your place is on my way home, anyhow.”
Who was this guy? And was it wrong to want to interview her grandmother’s potential suitors? Nina held out her hand to introduce herself.
“I’m Nina, her granddaughter.”
“Er. Sorry about that, Nina. Harlan Brady.” He got to his feet to shake her hand. Behind him, Gram gave Nina a warning glare, clearly wanting her to be on her best behavior. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You must be Ethan’s grandfather.” Nina had never known her grandmother to flirt casually, so this was…interesting. As much as she didn’t want to leave Gram in a stranger’s care, Gram didn’t look like she wanted to go home with Nina. “He does a great job on Gram’s lawn.”
“I’m pleased to hear it.” Harlan tugged on his cap again and then smoothed a suspender, smiling. “Very pleased. The boy doesn’t always apply himself, but he’s a good kid. Just need to keep them busy at that age.”
He winked at Gram and she laughed. “Busy and out of trouble.”
“Well…” Nina felt like a third wheel as Gram nodded in time to the music and her friend took a seat again. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, Mr. Brady, I’ll get going.”
“It’s Harlan. And no trouble at all.” He turned to Gram suddenly. “Now there’s an old tune.” He pointed toward the band as they launched into the next song. “You remember this one, Daisy?”
Nina straightened Gram’s walker so it would be close by and then she waved good-night. She walked across the grassy park around the gazebo, hoping she didn’t ruin her shoes since the grass was already damp with dew. The town square was quiet except for the noise from the street. A bunch of teens gathered around an open tailgate near the tennis courts. A couple of kids slow danced while a fewothers tossed around a glow-in-the-dark football. She recognized Ethan Brady sitting in the back of the truck next to a girl that wasn’t Ally.
Was that the reason for Ally’s quick departure when she’d seen her earlier? After hearing Mack say how rough things were in his brother’s house, Nina promised herself to make a better effort to talk to Scott’s daughter. It might not help, but having weathered a particularly bitter family split as a teen, she knew Ally must be hurting.
Nina neared the playground on her way to her old pickup. The young families must have left for the night since there were no more kids playing tag or running around the equipment. Just a man sitting on a swing…
“Mack?” She stopped, certain she recognized the shape of those shoulders.
His back was to her, but as he turned around, she was certain. The dark shadows from an overhanging live oak couldn’t hide the way he moved. Or the electric current that reached out through the night, a predictable tug in her chest that told her it was Mack.
“Calling it a night?” he asked, his swing drifting gently from side to side, his feet on the ground. The chains overhead clanked together as he pivoted around to see her.
Her heart rate kicked up. Another predictable side effect of Mack. How had she ever thought she was over him?
“I’m glad you’re here.” She started toward him, knowing she needed to do something about this strained awkwardness between them. “I wanted to apologize for sounding like Miss Marriage Know-It-All back there. I was shooting off at the mouth and not thinking about how it sounded. I was speaking from my own shadows—with my parents, I mean.Sounds stupid, doesn’t it, me offering marriage advice when I’ve never come close to tying the knot.”
“No?”
Something about the cool reserve in his tone told her that her earlier words still stung. She’d have to dig deeper if they were really going to have a chance at some kind of peace between them. Closure.
“Actually…” She fidgeted with the leather strap of her purse. “That’s not entirely true, I guess. There was one guy.”
She leaned against the cold metal pole of the swing support while Mack waited. “I thought we were close—that he might propose. But while he was shopping for engagement rings and asking about big, splashy vacations for our honeymoon, I was already decorating a baby nursery in my head.”
Some girls dreamed of huge weddings and fancy dresses, but she cared more about the happily-ever-after part. The picket fence. The kids.
“You rushed him,” Mack observed quietly. Accurately.
Just like she had rushed Mack.
“It’s hard to wait for a dream you want so much.”
Mack grabbed one of the chains on the swing beside him and hauled it closer, holding it out to her.
