I mouth, “Can we talk later tonight?”
He nods once, then turns back to his call.
I close the door quietly and head back to the bar.
???
As soon as the dinner rush hits, everything blurs into motion, orders mixing with drinks, food, and voices until the whole place hums with energy.
Dex moves behind the bar with me, and every time he steps close, something tightens inside me.
The bar fills fast, the energy rising with it as karaoke kicks off.
Penny, Cas, Summer, Ethan, Grace, Jace, and Cassie take over their usual table, loud and impossible to miss.
Every time I pass, they try to pull me in, calling out for me to take a break, sit down, have a drink, but I just laugh and keep moving.
“I’m gonna sing for you, Lexy!” Jace calls out.
A slice of lemon smacks him straight in the head.
He freezes, then slowly looks around while the table erupts in laughter.
I glance toward Dex, and of course he’s already watching me.
Yeah… I’m screwed.
The whole bar joins in when Grace and Cassie singWhere Is My Husbandby Raye, voices blending together as people clap along. Summer and Penny cheer them on as Jace yells, “Marry me, Cassandra!” making Cassie blush red.
The song ends, the crowd goes wild with applause, and the MC grabs the mic.
“All right, let’s switch it up a little and get some line dancing going!”
The crowd cheers instantly, people already moving toward the dance floor.
“And since I haven’t seen the Midnight Rodeo staff stop all night… how about we get them out here?”
I freeze.
Absolutely not.
I shake my head, already backing toward the bar. “Nope. Not happening.”
The crowd ignores me.
“Lexy! Lexy! Lexy!”
“Traitors,” I mutter, grabbing a towel like I suddenly have something urgent to do.
“Come on, Lexy,” Stephen says, already moving out from behind the bar. “You’ll survive one dance.”
“I have work…”
The words die in my throat when Dex steps in front of me.
“Work can wait,” he says.
“I don’t line dance,” I shoot back.
