Page 59 of To Belong Together
Erin stilled her hands, realizing too late she’d been drumming the rhythm—or something inspired by it, anyway—on her legs in front of a professional. At least she hadn’t slaughtered an Awestruck song.
“Don’t stop on my account.” Amusement warmed his tone.
Her fingertips dug into her legs. No way she would give it another shot. “I have no rhythm.”
John’s only response was his continued smile as he steered out of the lot.
“Seriously, the one time I tried dancing—with my dad, thankfully, since no one else should be subjected to that—I was so bad at moving to the beat that he had me stand on his feet.”
“When was this?”
“When I was eight, maybe?”
“And now you’re …”
“Twenty-six.”
The corners of his eyes gathered with another smile, and she thought of returning the question to verify what she’d seen online. He was a few years older. Thirty or thirty-one, if she remembered correctly.
He focused on traffic as he merged onto the northbound interstate. Once they’d settled into the flow of traffic, he spared her a glance. “You only tried dancing once?”
Still on that? Poor guy must be struggling for conversation. “Dad took me to a father-daughter thing. Probably Mom’s idea.”
“Okay, but your schools had dances.” He cut another brief look her direction.
She shouldn’t utter the truth. Let him think she’d been popular and had been asked to every dance in high school instead of none of them. “I was more into cars. They seemed to like me more.”
“Than dances?”
Than boys. She bit her lips to keep from saying it.
“Eighteen years is a long time.” He spoke thoughtfully. At ease. Almost as if he’d pursued the topic of dancing not out of desperation, but because … “Too bad you’re not attending the wedding.”
He wanted to dance with her?
If her face hadn’t turned pink earlier, the color had to be creeping onto her cheeks now.
For once she was speechless. What could she say back? That if he invited her, she’d be there in a heartbeat? He had the power there. He must know that. The situation with his sister might prevent him from extending an invite, though.
Whatever his reasons, John didn’t explain, and moments later, the first raindrops fell to the windshield. Twenty minutes later, he had to turn the wipers to high. He’d said they needed to start for Hartley by one so he could continue to the rehearsal on time. They’d set off a few minutes early, but in bad weather, he might have trouble sticking to his schedule.
“Where is the wedding?”
His jaw pulsed. “Fox Valley.”
“Oh. We’re practically there already. You’re going all the way back and forth again?”
He shrugged off the question.
When a raindrop left ice crystals on the blurry windshield, he huffed and shifted in his seat. The rain morphing to snow would make for dangerous driving conditions. He’d never reach Hartley and return in time.
“We should turn straight for Fox Valley. You can go to the rehearsal, and we’ll drive home after.”
“I’m staying over. I have to be there in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll get a hotel and find my own way home once the roads are cleared.” Hiring someone to drive her would cost a small fortune, and she doubted any buses traveled from Fox Valley to Hartley. She’d have to rent a car.
John didn’t turn off the interstate, and the expenses she’d incur if he did kept her from continuing to insist.
