Page 10

The women hooted and hollered their support, and... Della’s eyes were still on me.
If she was watching...I might as well put on a show.
I ran through each step, easily following the beat. Between spins, I sent her a wink that had her pale cheeks flushing with color, her eyes darting away. Some part of me was satisfied that I could fluster her like she distracted me. Even if nothing could come of it, at least I wasn’t on an island of my own destruction.
When the song ended, everyone was cheering. Hell, maybe I was even smiling a little bit, despite being voluntold into dancing.
Maya walked up to me, holding out her hand for me to shake. “Good job, Uncle Hayes.”
I shook her hand. “Good job, squirt. I better vote for you for governor one day.”
She grinned easily. “I’d prefer a vote for president.”
“Done,” I said. “Lord help the other countries with you at the helm.”
Giggling, she went off to her dad and stepmom, who praised her teaching skills. As I watched after her, Knox patted my back and said, “Pull those moves at the bar and you’ll have the ladies all over you.”
I scoffed at him. “I don’t need moves for that to happen.”
Someone snort-laughed nearby, and I found Della flushing bright red under all her freckles.
“Yes?” I asked.
Knox’s eyes darted between us.
“Nothing,” Della said, humor crinkling the corners of her eyes. “Nothing at all.”
“Enlighten us,” I drawled.
She shrugged, despite the teasing smile playing on her lips. “I’m just thinking you may need those moves when you lose your hair.”
Instinctively, my fingers went to my scalp, and Knox cracked up laughing. A sly smile formed on Della’s lips, and I flipped off both of them before going to get some grub.
Why was she so good at getting under my skin?
For the rest of the evening, we sat around the firepit outside—eating, drinking, and shooting the shit—while little kids ran around like seagulls, picking food off peoples’ plates and playing games with each other.
But eventually the kids got tired and people started heading home. Liv, Fletcher, Della and I were the last ones around the fire when Liv glanced through the glass back door to the house and let out a sigh. “Looks like the movie’s over. Better tell Maya to get some sleep.”
Della stood up and gave Liv a hug. “I’m going to head home. It was great seeing you.”
That was my cue to leave, too.
While Liv and Fletcher went inside, Della and I walked around the side of the house to the driveway where our vehicles were waiting for us.
We were almost to our cars when she said, “Hayes?”
It was a tentative question, the way she said my name. Color me intrigued, because I leaned up against my truck. “What’s up?”
Her eyes darted in every direction but never landed on mine. “Never mind... It’s embarrassing.”
“More embarrassing than the Boot Scootin’ Boogie?” I cracked a wry smile.
She chuckled. “No, nothing’s more embarrassing than that.”
My hand went to my chest, wounded.
“Kidding,” she replied. But something was off about her tone. It was falsely light. Something was going on. And I might be a grump, but I’m not a dick. “What is it?” I pressed.