“I loved this waltz.”
“Me, too.” He twirled her around once more and ended with a dramatic dip that brought a round of applause from their audience. Then his lips brushed hers, just a whisper of a kiss.
The applause grew louder with a few whistles thrown in. Being open was the way to go.
Scared her, though. She had butterflies when Luis ushered her back to the table. Her cheeks warmed and she had to clear her throat. “Raquel, thank you for offering me one of your guest rooms, but?—”
“You’ll be staying with Luis.” She looked both amused and curious as hell. “We figured that out. Rio’s going home with us in the van and Adam’s taking Zay and Monty. You two can leave whenever you want.”
“Oh! Well, um…”
“Gracias, Mama.” Luis leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“Your backpack, Jordan.” Mila handed it over with a wink. “Don’t forget the book signing.”
She gasped. “I absolutely won’t! I?—”
“She’s teasing you,” Claudie said, laughing. “Get outta here, both of you, before you combust.”
“We’re off.” Luis grabbed his hat and took her hand.
“Wait.” She pulled him to a halt. “Monty, how was Fudge on your last check?”
“He looked fine. I’ll pay him a visit when we get back.”
“Thank you. So will I.” She turned toward Luis. “Now we can go.”
With a quick nod, he led the way through the mostly deserted dining area.
“That was some hot dancing, hermano,” Rio called after them. “You need to teach me that.”
Luis raised a hand in acknowledgement as he ushered her out the door. Weaving his fingers through hers, he let out a breath as they headed down the sidewalk lined with old-fashioned lamp posts.
“Where’d you learn to waltz?”
“Mom and Dad loved it. Where did you?”
“When I shared an apartment with Cole. We’d picked up whatever dancing skills we had at country bars, but then he got the urge to learn the classics so we took lessons.”
“Your voice changes when you talk about him.”
“Like how?”
“Softer, warmer. You really care about your brother.”
“Yeah, and I need to pay him a visit. Last time we talked on the phone he made me promise it would be soon.”
“Where is he?”
“Helena. I considered asking if he wanted to come here for the weekend. I’m sure he’s off work, but….”
”You didn’t want him to meet me.”
“Not just that. He likes the M.R. Morrison books but I don’t know if he’d be into a book signing. He’d probably be interested in H&H, but would he want a tour? I can’t say.””
“You haven’t told him about it?”
“No.” She glanced at him. “Okay, you’re right. I’ve avoided telling him about H&H because you’re involved. If he’d come this weekend… it’s already complicated enough without adding Cole to the mix.”
