Marcy hugged her goodbye hard. “I am not leaving town before stopping in your bookshop, I promise. Such fun with you tonight!”
When Leah wandered back inside Luke was on the dance floor. And right there with him was Holly Houston. Holly’s tight red dress hugged every bit of her physique as she swayed. Every now and then she leaned in to say something to Luke, and Leah couldn’t help but notice the way she touched him each time: her hand on his arm, her palm against his chest. The whole picture sucked the joy she’d felt all night right out of her. She steered past the dance floor for the terrace.
Outside, the bay was steeped in shadow. Lights from distant boats blinked lazily against the night sky.
“Having fun?” Luke swept up alongside her on the railing. His hair was tousled from dancing, his cheeks flushed.
“Youseem to be,” she said.
“Yeah. It’s a good turnout tonight. Nice to see so many familiar faces.”
Leah kept her eyes trained on the water. “Like Holly’s?” She heard how it sounded, and she hated herself for saying it aloud. “I don’t remember her,” she added quickly.
Luke laughed softly, as if reminiscing. “We went to the prom together. She was a year below my class. I haven’t seen Holly Houston in ages.”
Leah smirked.
“What?” he asked. She could feel his eyes on her.
“Nothing. Kind of a stripper name, isn’t it?”
Luke didn’t say anything at first. Then, “Mean doesn’t look good on you, Leah.”
“Relax. I’m just kidding,” she protested. But the truth in Luke’s comment stung. More than the fact she didn’t like his scolding, Leah disliked how petty it sounded. Still, she couldn’t shake it.
“Holly just moved back to town,” Luke went on. “Sounds like she’s going through a tough time.”
“Sounds like she’s really brought you up to speed.” So, Holly was here to stay. And apparently so was mean Leah.
Luke let out a long, conflicted breath. “I wanted to say hi since I haven’t crossed paths with you much tonight, but it sounds like you’d rather be alone.”
She wanted to ask him why they hadn’t crossed paths, but this time kept her mouth shut.
“It looked like you were having fun on the dance floor earlier. Good night, Leah.”
“Good night,” she managed. Feeling childish and small, she waited until the sound of his footsteps disappeared.
It was time to go home. Back inside the crowd had thinned. Leah skipped the lingering good nights and headed for the exit. Outside the sky was dotted with stars, the air brisk. She rubbedher bare shoulders. It had all seemed so perfect a few hours earlier.
As she headed toward her car, she heard laughter close behind. The clatter of heels on pavement. Leah turned as Holly stepped out of the shadows and into the light of a streetlamp. Holly stopped and looked over her shoulder. A second later, Luke followed. Leah stepped back between two cars, out of sight, as the two walked across the lot together. As Luke opened the door to his truck, and as Holly climbed inside. The truck rumbled to a start and reversed out. They drove right past her, down the resort driveway, two silhouettes in the cab of the truck. Heart in her throat, Leah stood there until the taillights disappeared.
