I took a deep breath. “It’s called a chassé.”
“Can you show me how?”
Nora added, “Me too!”
Ten minutes later, our wobbly chassés had left long furrows in the gravel and the girls giggled uncontrollably. I felt embarrassed that I’d never connected with my daughters this way—that I’d let their dad steal so much light and joy from our lives.
One careless twirl with a sparkler, and look what had happened.
We were smiling and laughing, our shadows dancing beneath us.
Even as tears pricked my eyes, I pushed them back, determined not to let Garrett have any more power over my life—not when it came to dance, anyway. Finally, as the chaos died down and brunt sparklers littered the ground, the girls asked for ice cream sandwiches.
As I made my way back to the porch, sweaty and exhausted, I realized Tag and Bea were cuddling together on the porch swing. Bea’s legs were swung across Tag’s lap and his hand brushed from her ankle to the top of her knee and back. Her smile was the most contended I’d seen in days. Tag’s, too.
She said, “You guys are having fun out there.”
“Yeah, we are.”
“You want to know what Tag and I were just discussing?”
I laughed. “Sure.”
“We’ve never seen Jesse this happy. Have we, Tag?”
My entire body went still.
“Nope. Or Cade, for that matter.” Tag added, his voice as unhurried as the gentle pop of the swing chains. “I hardly recognize them.”
Bea and I had a long conversation after the rodeo about Jesse and everything that had transpired between us. To say she wholeheartedly approved was an understatement. But trying to make her understand why I couldn’t be anything more than his friend was more difficult than it should’ve been.
I swallowed. “Is that…a bad thing?”
Bea smiled, though it looked a little sad. “Not at all, Holls. We’ll just hate to see you go. Everyone will.”
She nudged Tag with her foot.
He looked back and whispered, “Right now?”
“Yeah.” Bea gave an imperceptible nod of her head toward me. “Go.”
I narrowed my eyes, wondering what they were up to.
“Alright.” Tag cleared his throat, shifting forward on the swing. “Any chance you might wanna stay?”
I sucked a breath. “What—what do you mean?”
“Well, we have to get long term help. Bea’s gonna be a momma soon, and I don’t want her frettin’ in the kitchen or runnin’ after guests when she should be gettin’ her rest. I’ll be honest and say I don’t know what the fate of the bed and breakfast will be in a few years. But, for right now, the position is open. Seems only fair to give you first right of refusal. Granted, the pay won’t be anything to write home about, but all meals and livin’ expenses are covered.”
Oh, how I wished I could say yes. “Guys, as kind as your offer is, I can’t live with you two forever. You’re newlyweds with a baby on the way.”
“About that…” Tag’s eyes darted to where Jesse and the kids were lighting smoke bombs. “Ifyou want to stay, we have a cabin for you.”
There were only three. Two were permanent residences, and the third cabin accounted for a quarter of the bed and breakfast’s revenue. My brow furrowed in confusion. “How is that possible?”
Bea fought a growing smile. Were they about to play some sort of joke on me?
Tag slowly answered. “Jesse and Cade can move into the bunkhouse with Harlan.”
