Page 57 of The Dance

“Hey, pumpkin,” she greeted, setting her purse down on the kitchen counter. “Glad you made it safely.”

“Yeah, I guess I ran over a nail or something. Had to get a new tire.”

“Luckily, that didn’t happen tomorrow when practically everything will be closed.”

“I know.” I blew out a breath, then changed the subject. “But it turned out for the better.”

“Oh?” She grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. “How’s that?”

“I ran into Eddie while I was waiting for roadside assistance.”

“Eddie Bryant?” Her brow rose as she placed the bottle on the kitchen island.

I nodded and pursed my lips. “Yep.”

“Where?”

“At our favorite coffee shop.”

“What happened?” She worked the cork on the bottle.

I turned to take the pot pies out of the oven. “We didn’t talk about much before he needed to leave, but he invited me to a New Year’s Eve party in Dallas.”

“Dallas?”

“Yeah.” I set the cookie tray with the pies on the stove. “Sounds like it could be fun.”

“Eddie at a party?” She poured her chilled wine into a glass.

I took a deep breath, shaking my head slowly in disbelief as I remembered how yummy Eddie looked. “Mom, he’s so hot now.”

Her mouth hung open. “Well, I guess I can believe that since his father is too. Or at least was the last time I’d seen him.”

Gross. I didn’t want to think about how she used to date his dad in the same conversation as me telling her Eddie was hot. She had her chance with Ian, and it didn’t work out.

Wait …

What am I thinking?

Was I thinking about fucking Eddie? Eddie, who was almost my stepbrother?

Yes, yes, I was.

Fuck …

“I’m excited. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to a party.”

Mom gave me a sad smile and walked to me, rubbing my back. “You haven’t really been yourself for a long time.”

“I know,” I sighed. Mom, of course, didn’t know what had happened to me. I’d told her each time she asked that I was depressed because I couldn’t find a job in business. “But Eddie said he owns his own business. Maybe he’s looking to hire.”

I didn’t want to work for him. I didn’t even know what his company did, but I had to tell her something. And the truth was, I was excited thinking about the New Year’s Eve party. I wasn’t sure why because, like I’d told my mom, it had been a long time since I’d been to a party. A long time since I’d done anything. Maybe it was because I had fun with Blake and his family and almost felt normal again.

“What does he do?” She grabbed two plates out of the cabinet.

“We didn’t get that far before he had to leave.”

“Tell me more about your plans to meet up on New Year’s Eve.”