“Speaking of ladies looking lovely,” Judge Thurgood said, pointing to the door, “who’s that beauty that just walked in?”
I glanced over to see who he was pointing to…and my breath caught in my lungs. For a full three seconds I couldn’t breathe, my heart dropped to my stomach, and all coherent thought fled my mind.
Standing in the doorway, holding onto Jacob’s arm, was a woman that made Francesca look like an Old Maid. She had on an ice blue gauzy babydoll-like dress that hit two inches above her knee, silver high heels, and perfectly styled blonde hair that hung in long curls down her back. Her eyes were the same ice blue color as her dress, and her lips were painted a youthful pink.
But it was her body that had me green with envy. Not a single ounce of fat anywhere. In her high heels, she stood eye level with Jacob. The muscle definition in her arms alone could put any female bodybuilder to shame! As they walked farther into the room, I couldn’t help but notice her legs…tall and tan. And when she walked, the muscles in her upper thighs and calves twitched.
“Oh,” Mimi said, “that’s the date we picked out for Jacob. Isn’t she a humdinger?”
Frank Carson whistled. “I’ll say.”
“Hubba hubba,” Judge Thurgood added.
Chapter 16
“Whaddya say we show these old people how it’s done?” Robert asked.
“What?” I turned from where I’d been surreptitiously spying on Jacob and Bodybuilder Barbie.
They were talking to Mom and the girls, laughing and having a good time. Every now and then she’d lay her hand on Jacob’s arm, and I barely suppressed the urge to rip said arm off her body and beat her with it.
But who was I kidding…she probably had more strength in her pinky finger than I did in my whole body. Life was so not fair sometimes.
Robert held out his hand. “Let’s cut a rug.”
I stifled a groan and couldn’t help but look at his toupee.
You’d know all about rugs.
Luckily the song was a lively two-step, so we didn’t have to have our bodies pressed together. I let him lead me around the dance floor, my eyes continually roaming so they wouldn’t rest on Jacob.
I was relieved when the song finally ended. I’d just turned to go back to our table when Robert let out a little cry of surprise.
“It’s a swing!” he shouted as he grabbed my arms and hauled me back onto the wooden floor.
“I don’t know how to swing dance,” I protested.
“It’s easy,” he said. “Just follow me.”
I was about to walk away again when I saw Jacob lead Bodybuilder Barbie out onto the dance floor. I had no idea Jacob knew how to dance. Not that I should have been surprised. I was especially disgusted to see Bodybuilder Barbie squeal in excitement when Jacob threw her out and then twirled her back in.
What? Was the Army giving lessons now?
My only excuse for being such a witch was that I was jealous. I was jealous and I knew it. The more I was around these men my mom and her friends thought I needed to date, the more I realized I had the man I wanted right in front of me.
Literally.
Jacob sent me a wink as he zipped by us. I tried to give a weak smile, but my heart wasn’t in it. He looked like he was having the time of his life. And Bodybuilder Barbie looked just as smitten.
You need to keep your heart protected, Monica!
Robert spun us around three more times, and I giggled when I saw his silver toupee had slipped sideways down his skull.
“I’m going to swing you under my legs,” Robert said.
“Um…no.”
“Yeah. It’s easy. You squat down, I’ll swing my leg above your head and turn around, and then I’ll just pull you through my legs. Easy peasy!”
