Dance Like Nobody's Watching (Summer Lake 3) (19 page)

“Ta-dah!” she cried, flinging the
curtain back.

“Oh, my God!” squealed Holly. “Who
are you and what have you done with Missy?”

Emma clasped her hands together. “Oh, Miss!
You're so beautiful! There won't be any mistaking whose party it is.
You'll be the belle of the ball.”

Missy grinned. She was used to taking a backseat
to her friends when it came to dressing up. She didn’t have the
looks or the wardrobes they did. But boy! This costume did great
things for her and she knew it. “Isn't it wonderful?” she
asked. “For once I won't feel like the dowdy old aunt around
you two.”

“What?” cried Holly. “Sweetie,
you cannot be serious that you ever feel like that?”

Missy laughed. “No need to be kind about it,
hon. You're Miss Long and Lean, the hottie. Then we've got Blonde and
Bubbly Barbie here.” She nodded her head towards Emma. “I
know I'm just the tag-along usually. My point was that in this get-up
I do feel like the birthday girl and not the poor relation for once.”

Holly looked stunned. Emma less so. Emma had been
one of her best friends since they were kids. She knew how Missy
felt.

“But, sweetie,” said Holly. “You
are soooo beautiful! You have to know this? And your figure? Damn,
girl! In the right clothes you have more to show off than the rest of
us put together. As that costume is proving. Just look at you!”

Missy did glance at the mirror, and had to smile.
“It is wonderful, but it's a one-off birthday thing. The rest
of the time, while the two of you swan around in your designer
labels, the only names I do are Lee and Levi. Don't get me wrong, I'm
not complaining, just stating the obvious.”

“But....” Holly seemed determined to
continue with her argument, but Emma cut her off.

“There's no point arguing with her. I've
been telling her for over twenty years. If our Miss is anything,
she's stubborn. So just be grateful she's admitting how amazing she
looks in that costume.” She grinned at Missy. “And I
can't wait to see Dan's face when he sees you. The poor guy won't
know what to do with himself!”

Holly laughed. “The poor guy never knows
what to do with himself. He's so sweet and so quiet.”

“Oh, he knows what to do with himself
alright!” Missy spoke before she thought about it.

Emma laughed. “And by the looks of that
smile, he knows how to do it very well too, right?”

Missy nodded happily. She'd managed to avoid most
of their questions this morning, but Holly saying Dan didn’t
know what to do with himself had triggered a defensiveness in her. He
may come off as quiet and shy, but she knew better.

“So?” asked Holly. She and Emma looked
at her expectantly.

“What?” she asked, knowing that big,
silly grin was plastered on her face.

Emma laughed. “If I know you.... You're not
going to say much, but your face is giving it all away, Miss.”

She nodded. “Let's just say, I think he's
wonderful.”

“And seeing the two of you together this
morning, I'd say that feeling is mutual,” said Holly. “Which
is weird. You two are the least likely couple I can think of.”

“Why's that?” Missy felt defensive
again, this time about herself. “You mean cos he's so smart?”

Holly shook her head. “Come on, sweetie. You
know I don't mean that. I mean he's so quiet, while you're so
outgoing. You're the life of the party, while he rarely says much.
You're practical, while he's intellectual. If someone gets out of
line you tell it like it is, while he walks away and says nothing.
You're so cute together, though. You bring out the best in each
other. He talks more when you're around.” She grinned. “And
when he talks, you actually shut up and listen!”

Missy smiled. It was all true. “Yeah. It
doesn't make any sense, does it? But he's wonderful! You know what
I'm like. I always felt the need to compete with the guys. I have to
shout Pete down when he starts. Show them I'm just as strong and
capable as they are. But Dan feels so different. I just relax around
him. I feel like it's all okay, just because he's there.” She
smiled as she remembered the feel of his hand on the back of her
neck. She'd never wanted, or believed she needed, a man to take care
of her, never understood how her friends could turn into helpless
little women when a big, strong man entered the picture. Now she was
starting to understand it—and to like it.

Emma smiled at her knowingly. “I'd still lay
odds on you becoming my sister-in-law. I've never seen you like
this.”

“Em, honey. He's wonderful. I admit it. I'm
smitten with the man, okay? But that? No! Even if I wanted to.”
Which she wasn't going to admit she had considered. “It
wouldn't be fair to him. He needs to meet someone he can marry and
have kids with. You know how good he is with Scot. He needs to have
kids of his own. I'm past all that. I'm a couple of years older than
him, but it's not about the age, it's about where we are in life.
He's got it all ahead of him. I've got most of it behind me.”

Emma frowned at her. “Does he even want
kids?”

“I don't know. Why would he not? Look at the
rest of you. That's what you're all planning, plus it's the standard
thing to do at our age. I'm the non-standard one.”

“I'd hardly describe Dan as standard,”
said Holly. “Maybe you should talk to him about it?”

Missy rolled her eyes. “And say what? Dan,
honey, I know we've only been on one date, but what are your thoughts
on babies and a family? I don't think so. We're just going to date
for a while. You have to remember that he lives hundreds of miles
away and has a business there too. He'd never leave all that, and you
know I'd never leave the lake. It doesn't have to be about forever,
just about enjoying it for now.” She didn't want to think about
it ending, about it not being forever. “Now, can we get back to
admiring my ass in this costume? Cos I've gotta say, I'm looking
pretty damned hot!”

Emma nodded, the look she gave Missy said she
understood, but she went along with the change of subject. “You're
not just hot, Miss. You are sizzling! I am suitably jealous and I
still need help finding something that will make me look even half as
good as you do.”

***

“So, tell me about these angel costumes,”
said Pete. He had an arm around Holly's shoulders, grinning at her
lecherously. “Did we decide to go with slutty angels?”

Holly laughed. “You'll have to wait and see,
Bigshot, though I doubt you'll be disappointed. Now,
you....
”
she looked across the table at Dan, “
You
I can guarantee
will not be disappointed. Our little birthday angel over there....”
She waved her glass towards Missy who sat beside him. “Damn!
When you see her costume, you'll think you've died and gone to
heaven!”

Dan smiled at Missy and cocked his head to one
side.

She wrinkled her nose. “It is a pretty cool
outfit, if I do say so myself.”

“Cool?” asked Emma. “There's
nothing cool about it. It's hot, hot, hot!”

Dan was liking the sound of this.

“Is yours hot?” Pete asked Holly.

“Never mind me, how about you, Bigshot? Have
you found anything that's going to make you look enough of a cowboy
to distract me from Missy's brother?”

Dan laughed as Pete spluttered his drink. While
the others teased Pete about not being cowboy enough, Dan edged a
little closer to Missy. She leaned against him to look up at him.

“Any chance of a sneak preview of my hot
little angel?” he murmured. He loved the way the gray of her
eyes lightened when she was happy.

“I don't think so, hero. I want to save it
for my birthday.”

“By the sounds of it, it'll feel more like
my birthday!”

“I hope so.”

Ben returned to the table. They'd finished eating
a while ago and Ben had been taking care of some problem behind the
bar. “So, Dan,” he said. “They just got back to me
and you can go over any time you like tomorrow.” Dan nodded,
but said nothing. He'd wanted to talk to Missy in private about this
first, not let her hear about it along with everyone else. As
happened so often, Jack sensed his discomfort and stepped in to
rescue him.

“Speaking of tomorrow, is everyone up for
breakfast? I'm ready to take my bride home now, but we'll be in town
in the morning if anyone, or everyone, wants to meet up?”

Holly looked at Pete. “We were planning on
it, weren't we?”

“We were,” he agreed.

“How about you, Miss?”

Dan had been hoping that they might get to the
papers and breakfast at her place. He liked hanging out with the
gang, but he wanted her all to himself sometimes too.

She looked up at him. “Yeah, we'll come,
won't we?”

He nodded. The way she'd included them as a
we
almost made up for not being able to keep her to himself.

“Well, you know I'm going to be here,”
said Ben. “And I'll give you the key then, Dan.”

Dan nodded as Missy looked up at him enquiringly.

“Okay.” Pete rose from the table.
“We're outta here.”

Holly joined him. “G'night guys. See you
tomorrow.”

Once everyone had left, Dan walked with Missy
across the square to where they'd left her minivan. “How tired
are you?” he asked.

“I'm okay, why?”

“I wondered if you'd like to walk home? It's
a beautiful evening, and we could get the van in the morning. But
only if you're not too tired.”

She smiled happily. “I'd love that. I love
walking this town. It's even nicer when I get to walk with you.”

He put an arm around her shoulders, pleased that
she wanted to walk. Even more pleased that she was so straightforward
with him. She told him what she liked and what she didn't, he never
needed to puzzle her out. Being with her felt so easy. So right.

As they walked down Main Street, the moon shone on
the lake. It was so beautiful here. So peaceful. “Have you ever
thought about living anywhere else?” he asked.

“No. This is my home,” she said. “I
love this place. I've thought about moving house, but I wouldn't go
far.”

“Would you go this far?” He swept his
arm out to indicate the large waterfront homes they were passing.

She laughed. “Only in my dreams. When I was
a little girl I used to dream about living in one of these places.
But you have no idea how much they cost. They're ridiculous. I love
to walk down here, but that's as close as I'll ever get.” She
grinned. “How tired are you?”

“Not at all. Why?”

“There's a little waterfront park at the end
of Main. Most folk don't even know it's there. I used to take Scotty
to the swings when he was small. Do you want to see?”

Dan nodded. He did want to see, but there was
something else at the end of Main he wanted her to see. And to talk
to her about. He felt a little uncomfortable about her comment
though, that the house prices here were ridiculous. He thought so
too, but to him they were ridiculously low. As they neared the end of
the street he could see the For Sale sign looming. His mind was
spinning, wondering how he could bring it up. She did it for him.

“This house is my absolute favorite in all
of Summer Lake,” she said.

“You know it?”

“Yeah. I spent a lot of time here as a kid.
The DeWinters were lovely people. They had a niece who used to come
from England every summer. You know what I'm like, when I heard there
was a little girl here with no one to play with, I came and
introduced myself. We became great friends. We still write. I hoped
she might buy the place when the family sold, but some city people
bought it as a moneymaker. It's such a shame. It's a family house. It
should be a home, not an investment.”

Dan took a deep breath. She was giving him the
perfect lead in, but still he hedged. “What do you think will
happen to it now?”

“No doubt more money people will buy it.
They're the only ones that can afford it, and they won't be
interested in making it a home.”

Here it came. “I can afford it, and I'm
interested in making it a home...especially if you'll help me?”

Her eyes widened. “You? But you live in San
Jose! Your home is there!”

“As you pointed out last night, it's not
really a home. It's just where I live, and I don't want to live there
anymore. I want to live here.”

“But what about your work?”

“I know we haven't talked about it, but I'm
selling out. I'm done. I'm starting a new chapter. I want to start a
new life. Here, in this place. A life that has Jack in it, that has
real friends in it. Most of all, a life that has you and Scotty in
it.”

Her mouth was open, but no words came out. It
seemed that, for the first time since he'd met her, she was
speechless. He felt his stomach drop. Perhaps she hated the idea?
Didn't want him here? He stared at her, hoping she'd put him out of
his misery. She didn't. This wasn't going like he'd hoped. “Sorry,”
he mumbled. “I didn't mean any pressure or anything. I...I
just...well....” He had to pull it together! “Sorry.”
It was the only thing he trusted himself to say.

She reached her arms up around his neck and
planted a kiss on his lips. “No.
I'm sorry,
Dan. You
surprised me. I had no idea. I thought this was a strictly weekends
place for you. I didn't imagine you'd ever move up here.”

Dan frowned. He felt like he'd been kicked in the
gut—and it hurt! “And you don't want me to? Am I a
strictly weekends guy for you?” He closed his arms around her
and held her tight, maybe a little too tight, against him. He didn't
want to let her go, in any way.

She looked directly into his eyes. “Well,
yeah, I suppose. I thought that's all you were offering.”

“It's not. It's not all I'm offering and
it's not all I'm asking either.”

Her eyes searched his face. She looked confused;
confused and perhaps a little afraid? She felt tense, rigid in his
arms. He could feel her heart battering against her ribcage. He
brushed his lips over hers and felt her relax a little. Keeping one
arm tight around her waist, he brought his hand up to the back of her
neck. He gripped, gently but firmly, holding her still for his kiss.
He didn't know what to say to make her understand, but he knew he
could tell her so much more with a kiss. She sagged against him and
kissed him back. What started out soft and sweet, soon became heated.
He couldn't express how he felt about her, what she meant, without
including the physical need. The feel of her soft body made his own
body hard. The kiss stoked a desire that had to be fulfilled before
they'd be able to address anything else. All he wanted now was to get
her home.