Page 115 of Summer Weddings
Mitch ended up cooling his heels again while Bethany frolicked across the dance floor in the arms of yet another man. While he waited, he ordered a soda and checked his watch.
He’d told Diane Hestead, the high school girl staying with Chrissie, that he wouldn’t be more than an hour. He’d already been gone that long, and it didn’t look like he’d be getting home any time soon.
With the music blaring, he used Ben’s phone and made a quick call to tell Diane he’d be longer than expected.
“Bethany certainly seems to have captured a few hearts, hasn’t she?” Ben commented, slapping Mitch good-naturedly on the back.
“I don’t know why she needs to do that,” he grumbled. “She’s had mine for weeks.”
“Does she know that?” Ben asked.
“No,” Mitch blurted.
“What do you expect her to do, then?”
Ben was right, of course. Mitch returned to the table to wait for her. When the dance finished, he made sure he was there. “My turn,” he announced flatly the minute the two of them were alone.
Bethany’s eyes narrowed; she promptly ignored him and sat down. She finished her soda and set the glass aside.
“Let’s dance,” he said and held out his hand to her.
“Is that a request or a command?” she asked, staring up at him.
Mitch swallowed. This was going from bad to worse. “Do you want me to put on a little performance for you the way Keith did?”
“No,” she answered simply.
It was now or never. “Bethany,” he said, dragging air into his lungs,“I love you. I have for weeks. I should’ve told you before.”
She stared at him, her eyes huge. Then, as though she doubted his words, she hastily looked away. “Why now, Mitch?”
He could hardly hear her over the music. “Why now what?”
“Why are you telling me now?” she asked, clarifying her question. “Is it because you’re overwhelmed by the depth of your feelings?” She sounded just a little sarcastic, he thought. “Or could the truth be that you can’t bear to see me with another man?”
He frowned, not because he didn’t understand her question, but because he wasn’t sure how to answer. She had a point. He might well have been content to leave things as they were if he hadn’t found her dancing with Landgrin.
“Your hesitation tells me everything I need to know,” she whispered brokenly. She stood then, in such a rush that she nearly toppled the chair. “Duke,” she called, hurrying toward the pilot. “Didn’t I promise you another dance?”
Mitch ground his teeth in frustration.
He’d started toward the door when Bill Landgrin stopped him. “Looks like you’re batting zero, my friend. Seems to me the lady knows what she wants, and it isn’t you.”
* * *
“I blew it,” Bethany muttered miserably. She’d stayed behind and was helping Ben clear the remaining tables. Mariah had disappeared hours earlier after a confrontation with Christian, and she hadn’t seen her since.
“What do you mean?”
“Mitch and me.”
“What’s with you two, anyway?” Ben asked as he set a tray of dirty glasses on the counter.
“I don’t know anymore. I thought… I’d hoped…” She felt tongue-tied, unable to explain. Slipping onto the stool opposite Ben, she let her shoulders sag in abject misery. She was still feeling a little drunk—and a lot discouraged—not to mention suffering from a near-fatal bout of cabin fever.
“Here,” Ben said, reaching behind the counter and bringing out a bottle of brandy. “I save this for special occasions.”
“What’s so special about this evening?” she asked.
