“You’re kidding me. Seriously?” he asked. This was pretty rare in his opinion. He’d never met anyone who enjoyed bird-watching, let alone a woman like Bailey.
“I’m totally serious. From the time I first spotted a gray-headed chickadee, I was all in.”
Landon let out a low whistle. He knew his birds, and those were not your average birds. “Impressive,” he said with a nod. “I was hooked during college when I saw a brown booby in Boston.”
“Stop! You didn’t!” Bailey said in a raised voice. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“It’s the truth,” Landon told her. He could feel a huge smile tugging at his lips. Bailey seemed totally geeked out by his admission. “I’ve got pictures and everything.”
“Those birds are indigenous to the Caribbean. How did it end up in Boston?” she asked.
“Well, if I had a guess, I’d say it probably flew,” Landon said in a dry voice. At the same time, they both began to chuckle.
“Touché,” Bailey said once she’d stopped laughing.
After dinner, Landon noticed a few couples making theirway to the dance floor. Live music was being played by a jazz band that they were both enjoying.
Bailey leaned toward him. “Now would be a good time to ask me to dance.”
Landon froze. Dancing wasnothis thing. His brothers had forced him to line dance a few months ago, and he’d barely recovered from that. Dancing with Bailey would be even worse. She was probably the best dancer in the world. He couldn’t even hope to keep up with her.
“I don’t dance,” he said, squirming a little in his seat.
“What do you mean, you don’t dance?” she asked, frowning. “Everybody dances.”
“Not me,” he said with a shake of the head. “I’m not a big fan of making a fool of myself in public. I guess I’m an outlier.”
Bailey let out a sigh. “You’re just being self-conscious. I’m a pretty good dancer, and I’ll lead you through it. Okay?”
“Not really,” Landon said through clenched teeth. “Ihatedancing.” He would rather have a root canal than go out on the dance floor with people watching him stumble around like an uncoordinated giraffe.
Bailey smirked. “I heard you the first time, but if you get out there and dance with me, True will think that you must really like me if you’re willing to stick your neck out there like that. That’s what someone would do if they were into a person.”
Landon couldn’t argue the point she’d just made. His entire family knew that he wasn’t a dancer, didn’t like dancing, and generally refused to dance. With a groan, he stood up and held out his hand, helping her up from her chair and pulling her toward him.
“I tried to warn you. Don’t blame me when your toes get stepped on. You might be hobbling into work tomorrow. I can always loan you Hattie’s cane.”
“Have a little faith,” Bailey said. “Just try to sway to the music and hold on to me.”
“Famous last words,” Landon muttered.
The next thing he knew, they were on the dance floor, and she had placed her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her.
“Place your hands on my waist,” she instructed. “And don’t act like such a stranger—get close.”
He moved closer until there was not an inch between them. Their bodies were practically melded together. “Just feel the music. Don’t think about the steps. Just follow me. Think of it like a nice, warm hug.”
And suddenly he was doing what he said he would never do. Slow dance with a beautiful woman. Although his movements were a bit clunky, he didn’t step on Bailey’s toes, nor did he stumble around the dance floor. She was graceful and commanding, leading him in all the steps. Her head rested on his chest, and his hands encircled her waist. This type of closeness felt good. She smelled nice, and her body was all softness and curves.
Before he knew it, the song ended and Bailey broke contact with him, turning away to head back to their table.
“Hey,” he said, lightly grabbing her arm. “Do you want to go for another spin? I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
“Thanks for a great evening,” Bailey told Landon as they headed out to the lot. They had pretty much shut down the tavern, being some of the last customers to leave. “I think we laid a good foundation tonight. True and Bonnie couldn’t keep their eyes off of us.”
“As well as all the other customers. Some folks were straining their necks to get a look at us out on the dance floor.” Landon had a pleased expression etched on his face. “Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone.”
“See how that works? You were great. Look what happens when you take a leap of faith.” It was a bit of a metaphor for their fake relationship. They had taken a great leap into the unknown, all for Hattie’s benefit.
