Page 5 of An Unfinished Memory

Oreo was probably living his best life. Sutton was a veterinarian. There was no one better to care for him.

There’d been no one better to be married to. We’d been partners.

And now she was moving on.

Growling, I picked up my phone again. The ache in my chest from earlier returned, turning into a stabbing pain. I might need to call a doctor—or have another beer or five.

I squinted. Was her smile forced? Her hand wasn’t draped around Cowboy Asshole’s shoulders but flattened. I tipped my head. She wasn’t leaning back because they were twirling. She wasn’t comfortable being so close to the guy.

Maybe she wasn’t moving on.

The phantom pain grew, like Sutton was a missing limb. I could feel her in my arms. The way she molded to me when we danced. Complete trust.

I scanned what little I could see of the crowd. How many other cowboy assholes were waiting in line to dance with the pretty single veterinarian?

The street dance goes until 1.

I looked at the clock for the millionth time today. Crocus Valley, North Dakota, was in a different time zone. They were an hour ahead.

Despite the time difference, there were still hours left of the dance. Hours of men who’d be lined up to dance with the newly available woman in town who had legs strong enough to wrestle a calf and long enough to wrap around a man’s waist while he plunged into her. Hours for blue-collar guys with less demanding jobs to woo her and win her over. Hoursfor her to decide to go home with one of those jackasses.

Fuck.

I had shit to do in the morning.

I read the message again.The street dance goes until 1.

Sutton

I’ll take “Is This Night Over Yet” for two hundred.

Street dances used to be one of my favorite nights out. Especially when I attended with friends who were as close as family. Most of them were no longer here tonight, but I didn’t leave. My feet hurt in a way they hadn’t before, but the ache was better than going home to an empty house. Again.

My best friend and ex-sister-in-law, Aggie Barron, had gone home already with her husband. Her brother Eliot Knight, who was staying with them, had left at the same time, along with Aggie’s oldest brother, Cody, and his wife, Tova, who was also a friend. My other good friend, Vienne, was getting swung around to the live band. Her house was only a couple of blocks away, which let her check on her thirteen-year-old daughter often. With Vienne sticking around, I felt moderately less pathetic for being miserable instead of running a bath right now.

Jennings, one of my dance buddies for the night, spun me around. There wasn’t enough centrifugalforce to push us together, but he used the spin as an excuse to hold me closer.

He tripped over the toes of my boots. “Shit, sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I wasn’t the best dancer either. Jennings was admittedly the worst of the partners I’d danced with tonight.

And of course, none of the guys could compare tohim.

With him, I didn’t have to be a good dancer. He did all the work and made it feel effortless to be on the dance floor. Too bad that was the only time it’d been effortless between us.

Except for when it came to sex.

My body jolted. I was thinking of earth-shattering orgasms, but the hold was wrong. The smell of sweat and cheap cologne wasn’t right. And the way I was bent almost backward to keep from being flush from chin to toes with Jennings wasn’t it.

I sighed.

Jennings stroked his gaze over my face. He leaned close to my ear. I made myself hold still. “Doing okay?”

Survey says…no.

“Yeah.” I jutted my chin toward the dark blue clouds visible over the buildings of downtown. “Looks like rain.”

Please let it rain soon. The rain would force me to go take that bath.

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