Page 91 of Whisper of Surrender (Whisper Lake 2)

Jess was about to demand she spill it when Ethan’s voice once again came over the loud speaker. “So, I’m not sure how many of you know that at the beginning of the summer, Jess and I started dating. And, sadly, we broke up about a month ago.”

The nerves in Jess’s stomach were full on raving with glow sticks and house music. She had no idea where this was going and she hated it.

“What some of you might not know is that we weren’t actually dating.”

The crowd looked at her and then back at Ethan. People looked as confused as she was. She continued smiling.

Jess squeezed Ali’s arm. “What is he doing?”

“Just wait.” Ali whispered.

He continued, “I asked Jess if she would pretend to be my girlfriend because there were certain people that I won’t name to protect the guilty, who were actively trying to set me up and I didn’t want to spend my summer on a dating show that I didn’t sign up for.”

Waves of whispers spread through the crowd and Jess heard the name “Needlepoint Mafia,” “Mrs. D,” “Mrs. Chen,” “Mrs. Weathersby,” and “matchmaking dons,” all mentioned.

“I told Jess that the reason I was asking her specifically was because I didn’t want to lead anyone on. But, I have a confession to make. That’s not the reason I asked Jess Myers to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

“The truth is, I’ve been head-over-heels, madly, crazy in love with her for most of my adult life.”

A round of “awws” and “how sweets” rippled through the crowd.

Jess couldn’t believe what Ethan was saying, and that he was saying it in front of the entire town. Her adrenaline was pumping so hard that she felt herself starting to float away. It was the trick that she’d learned when she was younger to avoid pain and stress. Her consciousness would drift away. But now, she pulled that sucker back into herself. She wanted to be one hundred percent present for what was happening.

“I know what you’re thinking, why didn’t I just tell her how I felt? Well, there were a lot of reasons. One of them being, based on our interactions up until a couple of months ago, I wasn’t sure the feeling was mutual.”

Everyone laughed and people looked at her like they all knew some inside joke about how Jess had treated Ethan.

“I wasn’t that bad.” Jess murmured under her breath.

“Yes, you were,” Ali responded flatly.

“So, I waited. And waited. And waited. I was always looking for the right angle, the right moment to make my move, and then I found it. My plan was to tell her my dilemma and ask her to play along. And my hope was that once we were in a fake relationship, she might see that we really belonged together. And guess what? For the most part, my plan worked.”

There were more “awws” and a spattering of applause.

“But then, life happened, and I won’t get into it, but I messed everything up, starting with the terms of our agreement. She pretended to be my girlfriend but I wasn’t able to fulfill my end of the bargain. So tonight, I thought I would remedy that.”

A spotlight shone on the “dance floor” and everyone started clapping as Ethan set the mic down and took off his jacket, revealing a black, button-up shirt that looked identical to the one Patrick Swayze wore in the movie. Music started and Jess instantly recognized the song as “(I’ve Had) The Time of my Life.”

Beside her, Ali was vibrating with excitement. “This is why I told you to wear the dress.”

Ethan walked over to Jess, who already had tears in her eyes as he whispered a modified version of the famous line. “Nobody puts Jess in a corner.”

A nervous laugh bubbled up as she placed her hand in his and wrapped her other around his bicep at the exact moment the cue for the first move came. Ethan dipped her back and swooped her in a half circle and when she straightened again he guided her so that her back was to him. She lifted her hand and as he ran his fingers down the inside of her arm she said, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“A deal’s a deal.” He grinned right before spinning her out.

She hadn’t practiced the choreography in over a month but it came back to her.

As they got closer to the big finale, she breathlessly asked, “What about the lift?”

She knew that his shoulder was better, but better didn’t mean he could lift one hundred and thirty pounds over his head.

“Just follow my lead.” He winked at her.

It had been the same note that Miss Penelope was constantly telling her. And Jess relaxed and did just that.

When it came time, she turned and walked to the other end of the dance floor, like they’d rehearsed. When she turned back, she saw Ethan waiting for her. Their eyes locked and he nodded his head. She took a deep breath and started to run toward him but stopped midway when she saw him get down on one knee as he pulled a small box from his pocket.

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