When she stood he led her onto the dance floor as the soft strains of “Just the Way You Are” began. He placed his hands at her waist as she put hers on his shoulders, keeping a bit of space between them.
He’d only seen her from a distance today, and he’d missed her. Had been looking forward to getting his arms around her. “Sorry I haven’t been much company tonight.”
“It’s okay. Your toast was beautiful. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought you’d been working on it for weeks.” She watched the couples dancing around them.
“It’s not so hard when you have so much history together.”
Silence settled between them, stretching out through the song’s first verse.
Strange. She usually had plenty to say. “Did you have a good day?”
“Sure.” She smiled at his bow tie, then stared off toward the beach where a bonfire flickered.
“Maybe we can make s’mores later. Satisfy that sweet tooth of yours.”
“That would be fun.”
“Are you finding much inspiration for your romance novel?”
“Definitely.”
He waited for her to expound. When she didn’t, he frowned at her. Not that she noticed as she hadn’t so much as glanced at him once since he’d asked her to dance. “Sadie?”
“What?”
“You okay? You’re awfully quiet tonight.”
She let loose a shaky laugh. “I guess I’m just, uh, tired from the sun.” Her gaze bounced off his face.
It hadn’t been that long since he’d had a woman in his life—he’d done something wrong. The question was, what did he need to apologize for? “Are you upset with me for leaving you alone today?”
Her fingers tapped out a nervous cadence on his shoulder.“Of course not. I’m glad you helped out your cousin. Besides, I had a good day even if I did get a little sunburned as you can probably tell, but not enough to really hurt or blister or anything. I read almost the entire book I brought and it’s really good, and I took a short nap by the pool, and then Rio and I walked all the way down to the public beach, which was very cool. It was crowded and lively with beach volleyball and a beach bar, and I have to say the weather was absolutely perfect.”
She continued to fill him in on all the details of her day. She’d gone from practically mute to talking nonstop. And she was still moving stiffly in his arms. Plus there was practically a canyon between them, and while they’d never danced together, that didn’t seem like Sadie.
And she still wouldn’t look at him.
Was she freaked out over their almost-kiss the night before? Should he address the subject? Get it out there on the table? Or would that only make things more awkward? Anyway, what would he say? His only regret was that they’d been interrupted.
This weekend had been a big breakthrough for him. He’d realized almost immediately that he was over Amanda—a huge weight from his shoulders. Add to that the closure he’d gotten with Tag today, and he was practically giddy.
All he could think about while getting ready for the wedding was spending time with Sadie tonight. He’d even hoped to turn that almost-kiss into a real one. A summer fling wouldn’t hurt anything, right? Get back on that horse—as Sadie might say.
But she seemed uncomfortable with him now. Detached in a way she’d never been before. Her demeanor was definitely not inspiring romantic thoughts. Maybe she wasn’t interested in him that way. Maybe last night had made her realize she didn’t wantanything beyond friendship with him. His chest tightened at the thought.
Just when he’d connected with an amazing woman. Just when he was ready to try again. Judging by the size of the knot in his stomach, he’d already grown very fond of her.
Sadie was still talking about her day as the song’s final notes trickled out. The up-tempo lead-in to the “Cha-Cha Slide” began, and guests rushed the dance floor.
“Oh!” Sadie drew back. “I have to find Hayley for this one.” And then she was gone, dodging dancers on her way to his sister. Sadie fell in line beside Hayley at the front of the pack and picked up the dance.
Clearly he was out of practice. Sam tugged at his collar. What the heck was going on with Sadie?
Thirty
Romantic tension, mounting intimacy, and the warring of desires versus obstacles build anticipation for the couple’s first meaningful touch. In other words, a good first kiss begins on page1.
—Romance Writing 101
