Page 16 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

That’s when I notice the entire bar is still silent, and everyone is looking at us. I’m a bit of an introvert, so seeing everyone’s eyes on me is unsettling. I hold on to Lachlan’s hand like a lifeline and pull myself a little tighter into him, hoping to hide behind his large frame. I rise onto my tiptoes to get as close to his ear as possible and ask, “Why is everyone staring at us?”

For the first time, he takes a long look around the bar. He leans down again until his soft lips are pressed against the shell of my ear. “Because it has been a long time since a woman has caught my eye, and sweetheart, you’ve caught mine—hook, line, and sinker.”

Chapter 16

Lachlan

With her delicate hand still engulfed in mine, we make our way over to the tables. It seems our friends have already pushed the two tables together and are now in deep conversation.

We approach, and all six heads turn to look at us with various degrees of amusement and wariness. Once again, Callum tries to hide his shit-eating grin behind his beer glass, but her friend Leo’s face is priceless. He is looking at me like I hung the moon. Her friend Paisley and her brother look at me like I might rob a bank tonight. I will have to make them aware I have no intention of hurting Aislinn, as it would be akin to hurting myself.

We pull out seats across from each other and sit down. I took a card out of her playbook and got a bottle of water, too. One beer was plenty, and I have no desire to get drunk this evening.

The band kicks off their set, playing their rendition of Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar.” Sylvie’s fiddle lights up the bar with her sounds. I wonder if Ingrid has ever considered joining them for a night. The conversation at our table slows as we all stop to watch the band. Aislinn and Paisley gently bob theirheads to the beat, and their lips move as they sing along. I catch them making eye contact with one another, and then they break out into broad smiles.

The next song starts, and before I can tell what it is, Leo, Paisley, and Aislinn jump out of their chairs so fast it causes me to frantically look around to see if there is a fire or mandatory evacuation of the bar. I realize they are clapping and making their way to the center of the dance floor.

Then the song hits my ears, and it sounds familiar. Mark continues to strum his guitar as he announces, “Anyone who wants to show us how ‘The Git Up' is done, make your way out onto the dance floor like these three people.”

He points at Leo, Paisley, and Aislinn. They laugh as they talk to one another and begin to move their bodies to loosen up. They go for a three-way high five, then break apart. The three of them move until they are in a 'V' shape, with Aislinn in the front, Paisley on her back right, and Leo on her back left.

A few other people get the courage to join them, but my eyes stay trained on Aislinn. The teal leather in the design of her boots looks like wings wrapping around her calves. As she twists, they give the illusion that she is about ready to fly around the floor. Based on the liquid way in which she is moving, I might not be far off.

Chapter 17

Aislinn

Ah! “The Git Up” is our song! I slowly start rolling my shoulders and pivot on the balls of my feet to remove all the tension from lifting boxes and unpacking. I glance over my shoulder and smile at Paisley and Leo. We have practiced this dance so many times. It’s our favorite line dance to do at bars. I may not drink, but I love to dance.

A few more people join behind us, but they look a bit nervous. Once you get the basic footwork for the song, you realize it really isn’t too terrible. I remember we first saw a YouTube video of a guy dancing in his driveway, and as a joke, we decided we would try to dance along with him. After our fifth time through, we were hooked.

The guitarist announces the song again and points to our threesome one last time with a smile and a nod. I make the mistake of glancing over to our table and notice Lachlan’s gaze intently locked on me. I see his eyes move from my feet up to my face. My body heats, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I realize I have stopped moving, and with a small smile, turn my head back toward the band. He winks at me before I break eye contact, and I have to take slow breaths to regain my composure.

Before the music starts, the three of us spin so our backs are to the band. I rest my palms on my thighs and tap out the count with the band. The first bars of “The Git Up” begin to play. The violinist plucks her instruments as we are instructed by the lead singer to get comfortable. We all start to sway on the balls of our feet, then off we go. First off, we do the two-step, with the right front cross, then the left back cross. As I spin to the left, my hair whips across my face. I recover in time to do my hoedown, kicking out two times on each side. It’s time to move to the left, where we do a big dip. As I rise back up, my eyes connect with Lachlan’s.

I’m not sure he has blinked since the song started. He untwists his water bottle and takes a long gulp before setting it back on the table. My mouth goes dry as I watch his muscular throat contract. I realize I totally forgot to do the part where you pretend to take a sip and shimmy because I was too busy watching Lachlan take his sip.

As we turn back to the right, I almost catch my toe. I glance over at Paisley, who rolls her eyes, then to Leo, who huffs and mouths, “Get it together.”

I get my feet back under me just in time to take the two left steps. I find the beat and flow two steps to the right. All three of us reach our left hand to the sky, then snake it down along our thighs. We bend over and roll our shoulders in perfect sync, then follow up with the slip and slide.

When we perform this dance on open dance floors like this one, we always do a quarter turn after each verse, so for the second verse, we are now facing the left wall. This time, we are facing Lachlan straight on. It feels like he and I are the only ones in the bar, and I’m giving him a solo dance performance.

Leo and Paisley have left my field of vision. My sight has tunneled in on a pair of emerald eyes locked on me. I make itthrough the entire second verse without falling flat on my face or taking out Leo and Paisley doing the butterfly move. When we pivot for the third verse, we are facing the band. The last verse is danced with my back to Lachlan, but my skin burns from the heat of his gaze.

The song comes to an end, and the bar goes wild. Wolf whistles fill the air, and clapping drowns out Leo’s and Paisley’s voices. We give each other hugs, and through my lashes, I find Lachlan looking amused as he says something to the friend sitting next to him. His eyes are still locked on my body, and I feel a blush forming across my cheeks. I hope everyone will assume it’s just from exertion.

Before we can catch our breath, the band starts playing “Cotton Eyed Joe.” With a loud laugh, I wink at Leo, then hip-bump Paisley, and we take off in a toe-to-heel line dance.

The number of people out on the dance floor doubles by the end of the first verse. I haven’t had this much fun in ages. The group of people in the bar is full of energy, and it bounces off the walls and straight into me, fueling my dance steps. By the end of the song, it feels like half the bar is dancing.

The violinist’s voice comes through the speakers, filling the air before starting their next song. “Hey, everyone! It’s me, Sylvie! I love seeing all the dancers out here tonight. This next song is for all you couples out there. If you came alone, it’s time to pair up. Find someone that gives you shivers. We are going to try something new tonight. I have been working on this song with my violin. Mark is going to be plucking on the guitar, and Rick will be providing our beat on the drums. I hope you all know a little country swing, but the two-step will do just fine. Have fun, y’all! Rick, count us off.”

The melodic tones of Ed Sheeran’s “Shiver” begin to play through the bar, and Sylvie’s voice rings clear through thespeaker system. Before I have the chance to turn, I see Kieran and Leo two-stepping across the dance floor.

I slowly pivot toward our table and see Paisley trying to pull Lachlan’s auburn-haired friend out of his seat. He has a scowl on his face. Either he isn’t interested in Paisley, which seems hard to believe, or he doesn’t like to dance. Reluctantly, he rises with his gaze pinned to the ceiling and allows Paisley to pull him out onto the dance floor. The moment his boots hit the smooth wood, he breaks into fluid country swing as if he were born to dance, but the furrow between his brows is still prominent.

I look around to see if Lachlan chose another dance partner. If he hasn’t, I plan to do exactly what Paisley just did and gently encourage him to be mine.

---