Page 103 of Legal

In the next moment, she was gone. I was torn between chasing after her and crumbling into tiny pieces. No, he might not be interested any longer, but she didn’t need to be such a fucking cunt about it. I was trembling inside, anger and heartache swirling together and creating a chaotic mess.

Hazel returned to the table, and I released it the best I could. Time and place, I reminded myself. I could be mature and gracious. She set down a brownie the size of a small paperback. “That looks good,” I said.

“Want some?”

“No, thank you.” I pointed at the stage. “When do you go up there?”

“I think soon.”

Linda had returned with a cup of coffee right before the room went dark again. I was looking forward to leaving. I’d had enough for the evening. I’d give Chase a little more time after tonight, then maybe try calling and inviting him over like I’d originally planned. I did not want to hang my head and scurry away like a frightened bunny, but honestly, how much did I want to take?

After two acts in, Hazel was finally called up. She grabbed her pink guitar and went to the stage. I couldn’t stop smiling. She put the strap over her shoulder and sat down on a little stool, practicing a bit of fingerpicking first. She moved in close to the microphone. “This is something my teacher taught me.”

Chase darted up there and whispered something into her ear, causing her to giggle. Just seeing him for those few seconds made my chest crush. I didn’t want to see his face anymore tonight.

When he stepped down, she began strumming a few chords of what I guessed to be “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” I clapped and smiled even wider. It was awesome.

Hazel set down her guitar. “And now my friend Jillian is going to Irish dance with me.”

Wait, what? My breath caught in my throat.Doesn’t she mean Grandma?Hazel was waving at me, and I leaned over to Linda. “Aren’t you supposed to go up there?”

“My knees won’t make it,” she whispered back.

“Jillian? Come on.” Hazel called from the stage.

Oh, shit. I shook my head. It would have been nice to have a heads-up. “I don’t remember anything, Linda.” Everyone was looking in my direction, waiting for me to move. What in the world was going through Chase’s head?

“It’s fine. She’ll show you.”

God, did I feel like an idiot. If Hazel weren’t using those big brown eyes as a weapon, I would have held my ground. I went up there wondering how I was going to do this. It’s not like I was auditioning forDancing with the Stars, but I still didn’t want to fall flat on my face and make a fool of myself.

When I stepped up on the platform and peered toward the audience, some of my tension melted away. The lights were too blinding for me to see anyone beyond the nearest tables. That left only a small handful of people in my line of vision, and neither Chase nor Cassie was one of them.

I bent down and said, “I don’t remember any of my lessons, Hazel. You’ll have to teach me.”

“Okay,” she yelled loudly into the microphone. “I have to teach her first.”

The crowd laughed, and I couldn’t help relaxing more. This might even be fun. I watched her steps, keeping my arms straight at my sides. One-two-three. Two-two-three. She did the most basic of jigs, and it was easy enough for my brain to make the recollection. As soon as we were in sync, someone began playing fiddle tunes in the background.

We couldn’t have been up there more than ten minutes, but by the time we finished, I was in a completely different mindset. I took Hazel’s hand, and we went back to our table. Because of her, I felt really, really good.

“That looked fun,” Linda said, and we both burst out laughing.

I stayed for the remaining acts, and when the final one completed, I waited for the lights to flick on. I picked up my purse and fished out my keys, ready to leave. “We’ll now be taking walk-ups and doing a little dancing.” I raised my head to see the same woman from earlier speaking into the microphone and shaking her hips.

I figured I didn’t need to stick around for this part. I slid my chair back, nearly colliding with a couple of girls running full speed past. Hazel begged me to stay while her friends were on stage, so I scooted back in and listened to them sing some nonsensical song I’d never heard of. “Did they make this up?” I asked.

“Yep.” She gave me a silly grin, and I gave her one right back.

As soon as the girls jumped down, a middle-aged man took their place and attempted to do some form of rapping. The night had just taken a strange turn. Tables were pushed aside, clearing out space in the back for a dance floor, and before long, adults and children alike were singing everything from country duets to hard rock. “I need to get going, Hazel.” I wasn’t sure where Linda had disappeared to. Maybe she was in line to belt one out like everyone else.

“Aw, already?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cassie. She was leaning over and speaking to a guy at the table next to mine while staring daggers at me. I turned to meet her glare, and the message was clear:Chase wants nothing to do with you, so what the fuck are you still doing here?

Something snapped in me. I was not going down without a fight. I might have ruined my chances with Chase, but I was not backing away without him knowing exactly how I felt about him. And if I waited for another time and place to make my love known, it might never happen.

“Do you really have to go, Jillian?”

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