“I. Am.” I step on his toes.
“You are not,” he argues. “Watch.”
He stops but I keep moving, tugging at his hand to get him to follow and stepping on his toes when he doesn’t.Again.
“Pretty sure that’s called leading.”
Inside: I scream.
“I didn’t want to dance to begin with.”
Sunny appears next to us, hands on her hips, smile too big for my liking. “What seems to be the problem with the happy couple?”
“She won’t let me lead,” Nash says, smug.
Sunny looks at me, eyebrows so high it’s a wonder they don’t disappear into her scalp. “Ohh, honey child, that ain’t gonna work. Step aside, bossman.”
Nash—grinning—fully complies.
Sunny takes his place, eyes narrow, aggressively silent as she starts to dance. She steps, works her hips, and jerks my hand like I’m a disobedient dog on a leash every time I do something she doesn’t like.
Under the surface of my skin, I’m a volcano ready to erupt.
Sunny smiles, but it’s an angry rectangular shape with her teeth gritted together. When she speaks, only her lips move,making the whole experience more terrifying. “What are you doing to that man?”
I stop dancing, stunned, and she jerks my arm.
“What am I doingto him?” I repeat, glancing at Nash and my dad who are dancing like fools with two giggling old ladies. “He forced me to come here.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Sunny says like an angry ventriloquist. “You a special kind of stupid needin’ to be forced. Showin’ up and making him climb trees like a damn monkey in the middle of the night.” She twitches. “Who the hell you think you are? That man’s a damn unicorn.”
“I’m engaged,” I whisper-shout. “And you’re the one sleeping with him.”
She cocks her head then jerks my hand so hard my shoulder might be dislocated. “I wish I had rabies just so I could bite you.” Her eyes bug out of her head. “And I need this job too much to slap you upside your stupid-ass head like I want.”
“Maybe we should take it outside.” I am now challenging a woman to a fight. Over Nash.What the hell is wrong with me?
Her eyes narrow, nostrils flare, then she drops her head back and says to the ceiling, “Lord Jesus God, forgive me for wanting to kill this damn woman.”
She looks back at me. “You more stupid than he is. I ain’t sleepin’ with his white ass.” She gets more in my face. “But even if I was, you’re the one acting like you don’t want him but yelling at me like you do. And where’s your fiancé at?”
She pauses; I hate that question.
“You’re shovin’ divorce papers down Nash’s throat and he’s looking for some damn treasure with you. I’ve heard about you for the same three damn years I’ve known him, and you finally show up too thick to know what’s what.” She makes another angry sound. “You let that man lead, you hear me?” Before I can answer: “And shake your hips and move your ass a little bit. Weain’t hags yet—dance like you got some sex left in ya. That big dummy gonna be married to someone, might as well make it good.”
She starts to step away and I grab her arm, zero fight in my voice. “Is he with anyone else?”
She looks at me. “You’re a grown-ass woman. And married to him. Ask him your damn self. But—” She looks around the room. “I don’t see him bringin’ nobody else here, do you?”
Before I can respond, she turns to the room, claps her hands, and hollers with a wide smile, “Now who’s ready to add the spin?”
“Father-daughter dance, kiddo,” Cap says, taking my hand in his. “Never thought I’d have one of these.”
I laugh under my breath, taking my position in front of him.
After Sunny’s verbal smackdown, I felt two inches tall. I couldn’t dance with Nash. I couldn’t even look at him. Instead, I insisted on dancing with Cap. My excuse being“Cap moves slower, and I’ll learn faster.”It was complete bullshit, and judging by Sunny’s angry face, she knew it, but nobody argued.
“I learned this dance with Iris,” Cap says fondly, settling my nerves a bit. “Out at some bar on Isle of Palms one night. There was a band. A lady gave a lesson. We Shagged all night.”
