Page 99 of Protecting What's Mine
There was a small scrape on his jawline. “What happened here?” she asked, tapping a finger next to the abrasion. “You didn’t have that last night.”Her inner thighs would have noticed it.
He captured her hand in his. “A manly injury incurred from being manly.”
“Uh-huh. You could have just said you fell off the toilet,” she teased.
“You’re beautiful when you’re hilarious.”
“So, where’s our girl?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Sunny is entertaining my sister Rebecca’s family tonight. She has a little crush on my brother-in-law.”
“She has a crush on everyone.”
“Love is love, Dreamy.”
The door to the bar opened, and a blue-collar crew flush with fresh paychecks ambled in, talking shit and ribbing each other.
They were followed by a thirsty group of dental hygienists.
The jukebox song clunked off and the next started.
Tuesday and Freida whooped and jumped off their stools at the first twangy bars of the song.
“Come on, Dr. Mack! Let’s dance,” Tuesday said, grabbing Mack’s wrists and pulling.
“What the hell is this?” she asked as they dragged her toward the space in front of the empty stage that apparently served as a dance floor.
“‘Down to the Honkytonk!’ Dare you to not love it,” Freida said.
“What’s a Honkytonk?”
“Just listen to the song and follow us,” Tuesday insisted firmly.
The song had caught the attention of a few of the other patrons.
More joined them, lining up on the wood floor facing the door.
“I only have one good foot,” Mack reminded them.
Linc set his beer down on the bar and joined her. “Just follow my lead, doc.”
“You dance?”
But her question and his answer were lost in a coordinated heel stomp. And all questions were gone as Mack tried to mimic the line’s shuffle forward.
Tuesday called out the steps—at least that’s what Mack assumed a step pivot cross and a turning jazz box were—and the small crowd followed.
It was a catchy song, Mack had to admit when everyone around started singing along.
Linc made whatever this line dance was look sexy as hell. Thumbs hooked into his front pockets, his scarred boots moving to the beat.
Sophie bopped out from behind the bar, joined by one of the cooks from the kitchen, and seamlessly jumped into the front line.
Mack considered it a victory when she managed to clap along with everyone else at the appropriate moment.
When the song came to the line about Sheila and the effects of tequila, the entire bar hooted, including the four firefighters who’d just walked in.
By the end of the song, there wasn’t an inch left on the dance floor, and there was a very patient three-deep line at the bar.
