Page 78 of New River Gorge(ous)
“Yes,” I say, keeping my voice measured. I happen to know that the owner of Billy’s isn’t going to like me bringing alonganytourists, but there’s no way I can say no to Brooke’s twin’s girlfriend. “But you should know that there are some expectations for everyone who attends.”
“Oh, like what?”
“No filming for social media,” Logan butts in. “You’re an influencer, right?”
Indignation flashes across her face before she sits a little taller. “Content creator. How did you know that?”
“I can always tell,” Logan mutters under his breath.
“And if you show up with a non-local, as a non-local, the local guys are going to try stuff,” Ben interjects.
“Well, that sounds interesting!” Melanie chimes in. She squeezes Matt’s bicep. “Matt can take them, right?”
Matt has muscles. Matt owns a gym. Matt is a personal trainer. And yet, Matt isnotgoing to be able to take some of the guys if they all decide to gang up on him.
“Oh, c’mon, guys,” Lynette calls from the wheel. “You know you’re all going, so it will be fine.”
Lynette is seven years younger than me, Ben, and Logan. She’s got a year left of college. She wasn’t old enough to go to the dance six years ago, but I was, and I saw the way some of the local troublemakers got into it with the tourist couple who happened to wander in. Addie was involved in riling everyone up, and eventually fists flew.
I don’t think Melanie will do what Addie did, and I know Brooke won’t. I promised her I would remember that she isn’t Addie. Even though I haven’t had any interest in dancing with anyone in years, a night with Brooke in my arms sounds heavenly.
I blow out a breath. “Ok,” I say. “Logan, Ben, will you guys be coming too?”
“Yes!” Lynette pipes up. “Girls, this is going to be so much fun! Let’s go shopping!”
“You’re coming?” Logan sputters.
“Uhh, yeah. I’m twenty-one now.”
Matt, Melanie, and Brooke watch the exchange with their heads on a swivel.
“Great, now I have to go,” Logan moans. “Ben, you better come with me.”
“Don’t you have a date?” I quip.
“Not when my sister’s going to Billy’s, I don’t.”
“This is going to be so much fun!” Lynette squeals before taking a hairpin turn too fast and grazing the side of the bus against the mountain wall. Brooke’s hand shoots out and latches onto my forearm, and she squeezes tightly. The bus rights itself, but she doesn’t release her hold.
“Is this safe?” Brooke whispers, her voice riddled with anxiety.
“Probably,” I whisper back, trying to lighten the mood a little as I tighten my arm around her shoulder. Brooke closes her eyes in response and exhales shakily before she leans her head on my shoulder. It’s perfect.
“This might have been too much excitement for one day for me,” she murmurs.
“Yeah,” I say in return, before I press a kiss to her forehead, “but you get to go to a dance, and I think you get to go shopping with Lynette and Melanie if you want to.”
Lynette turns the bus into the gravel lot where we left our cars and parks.
“Girls?” she says as she stands up from the driver’s seat. “Want to go shopping tomorrow?”
Melanie shouts, “Yes!” as Brooke shakes her head ‘no’.
Matt fixes Brooke with a look, and some non-verbal telepathic twin communication passes between them.
Brooke rolls her eyes at Matt before pasting on a smile and responding, “Sure. Let’s go shopping.”
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