“Incredible,” she said. Then she sighed and stepped away. “But it can’t happen again.”
His face clouded. “Why not?”
She took a few more steps away. She needed space. “Sammy, I’m leaving.”
“What, the dance?”
“No. I’m going back to Paris as soon as I can. I don’t want to live in Deep Haven. I don’t want to lead you on. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“Mr. Johnson?”
At the voice, Robin sprang farther away from Sammy, bumping the wall behind her. Her face heated.
Sammy spun around.
Ben stood there with Bella, both of them grinning wildly. “I thought that was you!” Ben shot them two thumbs up. “Way to go, Mr. Johnson.” And before Robin or Sammy could respond, the pair sauntered off down the hall.
Sammy turned back to Robin, his eyes wide.
She met his gaze, hoping he read the apology in her eyes.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “That was awkward. Ben and Bella will have quite the story to tell.”
She broke off their look and reached up and patted her hair. “We should get back.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze again. “We’re the ones who are supposed to be breaking up this sort of thing.” She ducked around him and started back down the hall.
“Wait, Robin. Stay a minute.” He reached for her, but she dodged his hand. Too much temptation to keep holding on to him, but that would just lead him on more.
She wrapped her arms around her elbows and led the way back to the gym. The DJ was playing Barry White.
And yeah, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” wasn’t exactly the song she would have chosen right now.
The kid spinning records was actually pretty good. He interspersed his song choices with a little patter, mentioning his classmates, calling out inside jokes, and generally keeping the mood light and fun.
Robin sensed Sammy trying to interact with her all night, but she avoided him as much as she could in the crowded gym. Sure, she would have to fully explain herself to him, but right now she was working.
“That’s a wrap, everybody,” the DJ said. “Like the oldie song says, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
“Actually—” Principal Chase grabbed the mic. “You do have to go home. Curfew is in forty-five minutes.” The gym filled with laughs and groans.
Robin began disassembling the plastic structure displaying the cupcakes. All that remained now were some dark crumbs dotting the once pristine white tablecloth.
“There you are,” Sammy said from behind her. “I thought maybe we’d have gotten another dance.”
The fluorescent lights in the gym came on, bright in their artificialness, a stark change from the soft twinkly lights of the evening. She blinked a little. “Sorry. I got caught up in other things.” She avoided looking directly at him and continued stacking trays.
“Let me help you.” He unscrewed the plastic tiered tray he held and added it to her stack.
“Thank you.”
He put a hand on her shoulder, and her arm heated in response. “Robin.” Picking up the courage to meet his eyes, she waited for his next words. “I feel like you’ve been avoiding me. Can we talk this through?”
He speared her with a look. She wilted, sighed, because he was right.
“Fine. I have been avoiding you.” She set the last tray on the stack. “I have to get this stuff back to the bakery. Maybe we can talk next week?” Coward.
His lips tightened. “I’d love it if we could talk now. I just want to understand what is going on.” He held a hand out to her. “Can I help you bring these to the bakery and we can hash things out?”
Running from Sammy wasn’t an option, and putting off a conversation wasn’t fair or mature. She nodded, and he lifted the stack of trays. She packed the rest of the supplies into a lidded tote. They walked together out of the gym, stopping by a rack in the hallway for their jackets.
