Page 29 of The Hearts We've Broken
“Man, I didn’t even get to open mine.” Mikey sighed when Isa shook her head at him.
That evening, we strode through the doors of the Ace in the Hole Bar. Apparently, it was sentimental to the group. I couldn’t tell if the bar had a nostalgic vibe to it or not because of how crowded it was. I imagined when it wasn’t overflowing with people, it had an old-timey western feel. The music definitely gave that impression. Most of the songs being played were from the eighties and nineties instead of the top twenty radio hits.
“Do you know how to dance?” Isa yelled into my ear over the music.
“No.”
“You’re going to learn!”
“Wait, what?” My stomach dropped as she yanked me out on the dance floor, pulling Ellison with her other hand.
“You’ll get used to it.” Ellison chuckled. “Dancing is also a bit of a requirement to be friends with Isa.”
The corners of my lips drooped as I gave her a downturned smile. “Noted.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mikey leaning against the bar with a beer in hand, an amused look on his face.
More people joined us on the dance floor, lining up in rows.
“What’s going on?” I admittedly hadn’t been to a lot of country bars, surprising considering I went to school in a town where cowboying was popular.
“A line dance.” Ellison sighed. “Don’t be afraid to bail out if you have to. She won’t expect you to stay on the floor the whole time.”
My chest thrummed with nerves as the song started.Isabelle stood on my right and Ellison on my left. Immediately, I knew I wasn’t going to last very long. Everyone else made it look easy, but I felt like my left foot was on my right side and my right foot was on my left. Eventually, I stumbled backward into someone, embarrassment flaming red-hot into my cheeks.
“Sorry,” I muttered. She gave me a sympathetic smile, and I decided that was enough. I maneuvered my way out of the formation of people, finding the guys sitting at a table near the dance floor.
“What happened out there, Peach?” Mikey teased, and I shot him a glare.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Don’t worry, here comes Ellison.” Colter grinned as Ellison approached the table, sweat slicked across her forehead.
“I tell her every single time that she’s going to end up out there by herself, but does she ever listen?” Her words came out shaky as she caught her breath.
“No, never.” Reid laughed softly, although his eyes still sparkled with adoration.
The song ended, and Isa came strutting back to the table. “You guys left me out there all by myself!” She pouted in mock disappointment.
“It’s on you at this point, Is.” Ellison shrugged.
“Come on, Short Stack, let’s go dance.” Reid grabbed her hand and tugged her back onto the dance floor as a slower song came on.
“Want to?” Mikey offered his hand.
“I clearly don’t know how to dance, so as long as that doesn’t bother you.” I snorted.
“We can struggle together.” He winked as he led me out, placing his hand on my waist and positioning my freehand on his shoulder. My skin tingled at the contact, and butterflies attacked my stomach when he murmured, “That’s it, slow and steady.”
“How did you learn how to dance?” I asked as we swayed to “She’s Everything” by Brad Paisley.
“Started going to street dances and bars after rodeos. There’s always people looking to dance, so it wasn’t hard to pick up on it. Besides, it’s good to have rhythm. Helps with riding bulls, you know?”
“Makes sense. I never would have pegged you as a dancer.”
“No?” The corners of his eyes wrinkled as he cracked a small smile, his lips curling up slightly underneath his mustache.
I shook my head, but then light flashed on our left side. I turned my head just in time to see someone holding up their phone then quickly putting it back in their pocket.
“What was that?”
