Page 46 of Goode Tidings

"Uh, no." He shakes his head. "I have a grinchy reputation to uphold."

"Right. Of course." I tip up my bottle. Finish my beer. It's a negligible amount of alcohol, not enough for me to blame what I'm about to do on imbibing. "I love to dance. And that's what I'm going to do."

I push up from the table. Walk away. I know Callum's watching. Learning he appreciates these jeans gives me back a little of the confidence I'd lost after the soccer coach catastrophe.

Do I impart a little extra switch to my hips?

It's the only proper choice.

CHAPTER 22

Callum

Their gazes sear me. The people of Snowflake, watching me watch Eden. I'm a spectacle, I know. Repeat glances since we sat down. Eden had a view of the street and the movie theater, but I was treated to the rest of the bar. Most people lost interest after the belt loop incident, but a handful kept an eye on us. Curiosity sometimes makes people forget social etiquette.

Their eyes are on me, but my eyes are on her. Eden smiles and laughs, bumping hips with an older woman on the makeshift dance floor. Of course she made a friend within thirty seconds of dancing.

She glances at me, checking to see if I'm looking at her. How could I look anywhere else?

The low light of the bar darkens her hair and her eyes. Her hand presses to the exposed skin of her chest as she sings along to the song.

She turns, shakes her backside. A hiney greeting. I chuckle to myself. She peeks over her shoulder, sees that I'm looking, and shakes her ass again. Her eyes twinkle. She knows I'm watching, and likes it.

"It's fun watching you pine and yearn."

I drag my gaze from Eden, only to have it land on someone far less pleasing to the eye. Tim, from the hardware store.

"Those are synonyms," I tell Tim, reaching for my bottle. It's empty. I grab my water and take a long drink.

"That they are," he says cheerfully. "Add lovelorn to the list. That's your new name."

"Hermie Lovelorn?"

Tim cackles. "You sonofabitch. You know your nickname?"

"Yeah, well, stop fucking yelling it when I walk past."

Tim laughs again. He smacks me on the back. "I came over here to tell you it's good to see you smile. At first I didn't know it was you, because you never do it. Caught me off guard, but then I recognized ya. Anyhow." He points at the entrance, where his wife, Mary, waits. "I better be on my way. Will I be seeing you at the hardware store soon?"

"I'm sure you will." I wave at Mary. She raises her hand warily, like she's not sure what to do with my friendliness. That makes two of us, Mary. "There's always something to fix around the cabin."

Tim leaves, holding the door for his wife. Across the street, I spot a group of kids exiting the movie theater, Oliver among them.

Pulling my wallet from my pocket, I peel off enough cash to pay the check the server dropped off while I was talking with Tim. The song has changed by now.

Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones. It's a personal favorite of mine, a song with lyrics burned into my memory. Eden too, apparently. She sings it with her chest, dancing with the older woman she is now probably best friends forever with.

She catches my eye as I approach, swaying her hips and singing along to the line about making love. Then she winks and smiles unabashedly.

Strike me dead. I mean, really. End me now.

As much as I would love to stand here and watch her enjoy herself, I point outside and mouth to her that Oliver has walked out.

The dancing and singing version of Eden disappears. She trades her relaxed, swaying posture for a more alert, upright stance. She gets the attention of the woman dancing beside her by touching her shoulder, leaning in to say something. The woman nods and smiles, waving back at Eden.

Eden strides off the dance floor. Moisture gathers at her hairline, the sweat making the subtlest sheen over her cheeks and her chest and her neck. She is lit from within. "I love to dance," she says, slightly out of breath.

"I can see that," I say. I am quietly dying inside, trying to ascertain if I really am attracted to Eden. It seems like I shouldn't be.