“No thanks needed,” Shannon murmured and pulled back. A new song started and she swayed with the beat. “You must be quite the party goer. Didn’t think I’d see you again.”
I shook my head and pushed up my glasses. “Not exactly. This is more of an occupation.”
“Occupation?” she asked.
Quinn rested his arm on Shannon’s shoulder, leaning on her, his head cocked in my direction. “He writes forScribe.”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “The party page.”
Something behind me caught Shannon’s attention and a shadow passed over her face as she stopped dancing and frowned.
“Righty,” Quinn said, pushing off Shannon, his hand dragging down her arm to tug her hand. “I have it in me for one more dance before I call it quits.” He raised his chin at me in aSee ya, mateway. Or maybe just aSee ya. “Later, Liam.” The green in his eyes flattened. “All the best for finding an angle.”
I should’ve just walked away and left it at that. Except... I didn’t want things to end there. There was such energy around Shannon, and I was attracted to it.Curious.I shifted my gaze from her to Quinn to her again, my fingers clicking the pen in my pocket. “May I cut in for a dance?”
Shannon snapped her attention back to us, and her lips quirked at the edges. “Sorry, thought I saw my brother but I must have imagined it... cut in? Yeah, sure, I don’t mind.”
She untangled herself from Quinn and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Just a word of warning though, the guy likes to lead.”
And with that, she stepped to the side and pushed her way out of the dancing crowd. Quinn’s eyes darkened, and he rested his hands on his hips.
“Uh, what?” I jerked my gaze to follow Shannon’s exit route. Had... had Shannon misunderstood me? I wanted to cut in for a dance, yes. But withher.
I blinked and met Quinn’s gaze. “Well this is awkward.”
His shrug was almost imperceptible, as if it were for him, not me. “I’m guessing that’s a no to dancing?”
“It’s not a yes. I’ve never danced with a guy before.” Never much danced with a girl, either. Though there was that one time at my cousin’s wedding....
“It could be something else to write about.” Quinn searched my face for a reply that I didn’t have, and then he focused on the crowd around me. “Or maybe there’s another more interestinglecture in lifehere. I’ll leave you to find it.”
He stepped to maneuver around me, and I sidestepped, cutting him off. His surprised breath brushed over my cheek. Minty, fresh, not reeking with alcohol like I expected. “I just meant to come over here to say thanks. That’s all. Why didn’t you take up the offer of a room?”
He looked toward his shoes and then up again. “It didn’t seem like you’d care either way.”
“I don’t. It just doesn’t make sense. You need a room, I have one.”
“It might not make logical sense, but... you and me, I don’t know if we’d get along so well.”
I frowned. “It’s a room.”
“Yeah, but no. Thanks.” He pushed past me, his arm knocking lightly against mine. “Hey, Shan, wait up!”
And that’s the last you’ll see of them.
I moved back to a quiet spot against the wall and sank against it for a moment. Slowly, I took out my notebook. Maybe Jill had a bigger point than I thought. I shrugged the creepingsomethingoff me, and jotted more notes, including one in the very back of the book. For me, for tomorrow.
Get a cat.
“Oy, Dreamy.”
Something pinched my thigh, startling me. My notebook fell from my hand, tumbling into the lap of the guy sitting in a wheelchair. “Gah!”
“Well, that’s not the usual response I get from people. But I like it better.” He lifted my notebook to me. The hummingbirds on his arms seemed to move as his muscles bunched. He waved the notebook.
I shook my head and took it. I prided myself on being observant, yet this was the second time this guy surprised me. “You’re a stealthy one, aren’t you?”
He grinned. “Have to be. Look, do me a favor and stand on my other side, would you?”
