Caleb let out a low chuckle. “Well, who is?” he asked.
“How are the bites?” she asked. “They were pretty bad the other night. They sure made a meal out of you.”
“They’re much better. My mother gave me some salve for them. Apple cider vinegar and baking soda, along with a few other things. She’s a bit of a natural healer. She’s been patching us up since we were kids.”
“I love that,” Sophia said, her eyes lighting up. “She seems like a really cool lady.”
“She is, although when we were growing up she was no joke. Whether it was trying to sneak in after curfew or not keeping up with our grades, she didn’t hesitate to put Xavier and me in our places. Of course Landon was never in any trouble,” he said with a shake of his head. “The only crime he ever committed was reading under the covers with a flashlight after bedtime or turning in library books late and incurring steep fines.”
“I love how the three of you were so different, even as children.” Sophia let out a hearty laugh. He loved thecrinkles that formed around her eyes when she laughed, as well as her carefree expression. This was the side of Sophia that her daughter saw each and every day, he imagined. Joyful and lighthearted.
“So how’s Lily?” he asked. He knew that going out on the town was a big deal for Sophia based on her comments from the other night.
“She’s great,” Sophia said, smiling. “I can’t believe you remembered her name.”
“It’s a beautiful name,” he said. “So is she with a sitter?”
A ragged sigh slipped past her lips. “No, she’s actually with her dad tonight.” Something about the way she said it let him know that it wasn’t an easy situation.
“And are you okay with that?” He wasn’t trying to pry, but at the same time he wanted to know how she was feeling. Maybe it was frustration, but she was giving off an unsettled vibe.
“I am. Sort of. Ish,” she said, scrunching up her nose. “I figured coming here tonight would be a great distraction from my reality.”
He leaned in close, immediately getting a whiff of her sweet floral perfume. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was jasmine. “I can be your distraction.” Turnabout was fair play. She had been distracting him ever since the night of Xavier and True’s engagement party.
Her eyes widened in response to his comment. He had her full attention now.
Before Sophia had a chance to respond, the DJ announced the start of the line dancing, as well as asking for any musical requests.
“Let’s go dance,” Sophia said, jumping up and grabbing his hand before pulling him toward the dance floor. Caleb followed along after her as a throng of people headed in thesame direction. He ended up standing with Sophia on one side and True on the other. A quick glance around the area showed no sign of Landon. As usual, he was probably hiding out somewhere away from the crowd. Sooner or later, his little brother was going to have to stop avoiding social situations so he could get started on living life to the fullest.
An instructor stood at the front of the formation, demonstrating the specific steps for the first line dance, the Cupid Shuffle. Caleb already knew this one by heart, since he’d had to learn it for a dance sequence in a commercial he had been featured in. As the music filled the tavern, everyone began moving to the beat.
Instead of going left, Sophia went right, banging into him. She covered her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“Keep going,” Caleb said. “No worries. You’ll get in the groove. Just keep moving.”
In the next instant, he felt another crash against him. Sophia was looking at him and mouthing another apology. He had placed his hands on her arms as she fell onto him. Man, this was pretty nice having Sophia in such close proximity. She didn’t need to apologize for a single thing. Line dancing wasn’t as easy as people assumed.
A quick look at Sophia showed him she was still struggling a bit to get it right. She darted a glance around at the other folks dancing, a confused expression etched on her face.
“Let me help,” Caleb said. “Just stand behind me and follow my moves.”
“Okay,” Sophia said as he got in front of her and began dancing along with everyone else.
Her movements were a bit hesitant, but she was moving in the right direction and going with the flow. By the time the song ended, she was crushing it.
As the song concluded, Caleb noticed Hattie and Landon sitting at one of the nearby tables.
“I’m going to check on Hattie,” he told Sophia, raising his voice over the din.
“Let me come say hello,” Sophia said, walking alongside him. “I don’t get to see her nearly enough.”
As soon as they reached Hattie’s table, she gave them the thumbs-up sign. “You two look good out there,” she said.
“Caleb does for sure,” Sophia said. “I got confused with my left and right feet.”
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. And you turned things around. I had my eye on you,” Hattie said with a wink.
