A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises Book 1) (12 page)

He was pretty sure Joe was about to eagerly accept the offer of a free drink, even though the one he had was only half-empty and even if it was being offered by a cop. But Stevie spoke up quickly. “I’m good, thanks. And, Joe, it looks like the rest of the band is getting ready to play again. You should probably join them.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay. Catch you later, Gavin.”

“Sure.” As the other man moved away, Gavin turned toward the line at the bar. “I’ll get the drinks.”

“You can’t carry them all by yourself,” Stevie pointed out. “Jenny, why don’t you help him? Tess, I see a guy I know who you might enjoy meeting. He’s still married, but separated, so he’s sort of eligible, right? Jenny and Gavin can find us after they get the drinks.”

Gavin wasn’t sure who looked more reluctant to agree with Stevie’s suggestions, Tess or Jenny. Jenny’s hesitation around him certainly wasn’t doing much for his ego. Yet, he still couldn’t seem to back away.

He placed a hand lightly on her back to keep her close to him as they made their way to the bar. He ordered the drinks and tipped the bartender.

“Thank you,” Jenny murmured when he handed her the wineglass.

He sipped his beer, then asked casually, “Where’s the fiancé tonight?”

Jenny’s brows creased with a frown that she quickly smoothed. She glanced quickly around, as if to make sure no one had overheard his question. “He’s not officially my fiancé yet,” she answered quietly. “I’m not ready to make any announcements. And he’s not here this evening. He’s been out of town for more than a week and won’t be back until Wednesday.”

So her suitor had been out of town when she’d headed for the cabin to consider the proposal. And she hadn’t seen him since she’d returned, meaning Gavin’s had been the last kiss on her lips.

For some reason, that gave him a sense of satisfaction.

Chapter Seven

“H
i, Jenny.” The woman Gavin had met when he’d first arrived—Cindy? Sandy?—rushed toward them with an avidly curious look on her made-up face. She rushed into speech before Jenny could even respond to the greeting. “I’ll be coming into your store this week. I’m going on a week-long Caribbean cruise with some of my sorority sisters from college next month and I need all new beach and party clothes. Since I’ve started my new workout program, all my clothes are just falling off me.”

“You look wonderful, Sandy,” Jenny assured the woman with cheery warmth. “And make sure you come in. If I’m not in the store, tell Amber I said to give you a ten percent discount. I’ll leave a note in your account file.”

Sandy’s face lit up. “Really? Thanks, Jen! I’ll definitely stop in.”

“I’m sure you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for. We have a whole new line of cruise wear and accessories that should meet your needs.”

“I can’t wait to see it.” The woman eyed Gavin again, open speculation in her expression as she looked from him, then back to Jenny. “So, where’s Thad this evening?”

He noted that Jenny’s smile didn’t waver as she answered lightly. “He’s in LA on a business trip. I’ll be sure and tell him you said hello. But where are my manners? Sandy Powell, this is Gavin Locke. He went to college with Stevie and me.”

“We met when I arrived,” Gavin replied smoothly. He wasn’t thrilled about the offhanded way Jenny had introduced him, but he let it stand. “Sandy welcomed me quite graciously.”

He thought he heard just a hint of a wry note in Jenny’s voice when she responded, “I’m sure she did. Don’t forget to ask Amber for that discount, Sandy. And let her or me know if there’s something else we can do to help you prepare for your cruise.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, Jenny.” Perhaps Sandy decided that the discount was more valuable than digging for more gossip fodder. With a little wave, she hurried off as quickly as her tight skirt and ridiculously high heels would allow, to join a small group of women gathered nearby.

Gavin suspected there would still be some speculation about his presence at Jenny’s side while the man she’d been seeing was out of town. Though he could only guess how Jenny felt about that, he decided it didn’t really bother him all that much.

Moving out of the way of other thirsty guests, Jenny looked up at Gavin with a somber expression. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted when Tess descended on them to pluck her lemonade out of Gavin’s hand.

“Thank you,” she said, her smile strained. “I’m going to try very hard to pretend this is something stronger than lemonade.”

Coming up behind her, Stevie sighed heavily. “Art’s not that bad, Tess. Obviously he thinks you’re hot. That’s a good thing, right?”

Their auburn-haired friend sighed and took another gulp of her tart drink before replying. “He asked if I have any moral objections to sleeping with a man who’s still technically married. He said he wanted to get that little detail out of the way before we went any further. Doesn’t like wasting time, he said. And we’d barely shaken hands!”

Jenny gave a little gasp. “Seriously? Gross.”

“Right?” Tess motioned dramatically with her glass, nearly splashing her drink over the rim.

“He’s just going through that awkward stage between married and single,” Stevie explained with a shrug. “It’s been a while since he’s dated and maybe he’s a little...”

“Desperate?” Gavin supplied drily.

She chuckled. “Maybe. And sure, he needs to take it down a notch.”

“Or a dozen notches,” Tess muttered darkly. “No more attempted fix-ups tonight, okay, Stevie? Let’s just enjoy the music.”

The band had taken their time setting up again, chatting with one another and with some of the people hanging around the dais, but now the first chords of a song began. Some of the guests turned expectantly to pay attention, while others carried on with their avid conversations, the evening’s entertainment being merely an excuse for professional and social networking. Jenny located a table with three recently vacated chairs, and Gavin snagged another from nearby, dragging it up to join them.

The volume of the music wasn’t earsplitting, but it was loud enough to make conversation more difficult now. Gavin leaned back in his chair and sipped his beer, content to listen and to watch Jenny with her friends. Stevie managed to make herself heard as she chattered away, though occasionally she remembered to try to look as though she were paying rapt attention to her boyfriend’s performance.

The band was good, he supposed, though their brand of wailing alternative rock wasn’t really to his taste. Give him country any day. Strait, Jackson, Brooks, some of the newer stuff by Chesney, Shelton, Florida Georgia Line. He still listened to some classic Diamond Rio occasionally, though he tended to avoid the memories their songs invoked. Jenny had loved their music back in the day. Did she still, or had her tastes become more sophisticated to suit her new status?

A few people drifted out onto the smallish dance floor, followed by a few more once that ice was broken. A slightly chubby guy with thinning hair and a winning smile paused by the table. “Hi, Tess. I thought that was you. How’s that boss of yours? Still a slave driver?”

She laughed. “Hi, Glenn. And yes, Scott will never change.”

“Would you like to dance? Unless your lucky friend here doesn’t want to share any of the lovely ladies at his table.”

Gavin chuckled.

Watching as Tess and Glenn moved to the dance floor, Stevie exhaled gustily. “That’s not going anywhere. No chemistry between them at all.”

“Okay, I have to ask. Why are you so hell-bent on fixing Tess up with someone?” Gavin asked with a bewildered shake of his head. “Seriously, she’s great-looking and seems nice enough. I wouldn’t think she’d need you to round up dates for her.”

Stevie wrinkled her nose. “You’d think. But she and Glenn weren’t joking about her boss. Tess works
all
the time. Even more than Jenny, and Jen’s a major workaholic. Tess has been saying she’s ready to get married and start a family, but she’s had trouble meeting anyone with her crazy hours. Online connections just aren’t working out for her so far, so I hoped maybe she could meet someone here tonight on her rare chance to mingle. Um, you said you’re single, right?”

Jenny groaned, but Gavin only laughed. “Yes, I’m single, and yes, I think Tess is great, but...”

“But no chemistry with her,” Stevie finished with another sigh.

He made a concerted effort not to look at Jenny. “Not that I’ve noticed, no.”

“Oh, well, if you change your mind, I’ve got her number.”

Jenny set her wineglass down with a thump. “Seriously, Stevie.”

Gavin thought it might be time to turn the tables on Jenny’s meddling friend. “So what about you and Joe Porkpie Hat? Seriously?”

Stevie had never been easily offended, and apparently that hadn’t changed. She merely spread her hands. “Yeah, I know, he’s kind of a nerd, but he’s a very talented musician. And he’s a lot of fun when he’s not trying to be the cool bass player, you know? When it’s just the two of us, or a few close friends, rather than a crowd like this.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

A new song started, a bit slower this time.

Gavin turned to look at Jenny, who was being very quiet. “How about it, Jen? Want to dance? For old times’ sake?”

She had always loved to dance. He couldn’t imagine that ever changing, no matter what else might be different about her now. Yet, she hesitated, leaving him to wonder if she’d tried and failed to find an acceptable reason to decline. Was she, too, afraid of the electricity he sensed sparking between them again?

He knew she’d been hurt by their breakup, maybe almost as much as he had, though that was hard to believe. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to reopen those old wounds, any more than he did. And yet...

He stood and offered her his hand. “Just one dance?”

She placed her hand in his. “Just one,” she said.

He noticed that Stevie watched with a suspiciously smug smile as they walked toward the dance floor.

* * *

How could ten long years fall away in the space of only minutes? How could a decade of change and growth be forgotten with only the touch of a man’s hand, the warmth of his body next to hers? How could formerly hazy memories of long, passionate, wondrous nights be suddenly more real to her than the people surrounding them as Gavin took her in his arms on the dance floor?

Jenny closed her eyes with a touch of despair as the foolish questions flooded her mind, making her stumble a bit as he guided her into the dance. Opening her eyes and glancing up at him, she murmured an apology.

Stop this, Jenny. Stop it before you do something incredibly stupid.

“Stevie hasn’t really changed a bit, has she?” Gavin spoke with his mouth close to her ear to be heard over the music. His warm breath brushed her cheek, and she almost shivered, but managed to control herself.

“Of course she has. We’ve all changed in ten years.”

He eyed her a bit too closely, as if trying to read her expression. “Okay.”

“You’ve changed quite a bit, too,” she couldn’t help pointing out. “I’m sure some of your experiences as a police officer have left their mark on you, in addition to the scar on your shoulder.”

If he had other physical scars from his service, she hadn’t seen them, but then she’d been hesitant to look very closely. For various reasons.

“I’m sure you’re right,” he agreed equably. “It gets ugly at times.”

She had no doubt that was an understatement. Oddly enough, she was torn between wanting to hear more about his work and being reluctant to know the grim details. She shook her head. “The thing is, we’re all different now. We’ve all changed.”

“I’m kind of hoping that’s a positive thing.”

He was gazing into her eyes again, and once again her thoughts scattered. She tried desperately to keep them in line.

Sex, she told herself flatly. That was all this was about. She’d always had a somewhat primitive response to whatever pheromones Gavin put out, and apparently that was one thing that had not changed. It wasn’t as if she were unique in her response to him. Even women who looked quite happy to be with their own partners couldn’t help glancing Gavin’s way a time or two. There was something so very virile and masculine about him that no red-blooded woman of any age or eligibility status could help but notice.

Still, if he was getting ideas that there was still something between them, that their chance meeting at the cabin could lead to anything more, she needed to set him straight. Sure, they’d gotten along fine at the cabin, worked well as partners in cleaning up after the storm, shared a few meals. Shared an amazing kiss. But that was supposed to have been a kiss of goodbye, not the start of something new. And if she’d thought of that kiss a few times—more than few times—since, well, that, too, was only natural, right?

Perhaps a crowded dance floor wasn’t the ideal place to remind him that it was too late for them to try to recapture the past. It was bad enough that people who knew she was dating Thad were eyeing her curiously now, wondering about the identity of this sexy guy she was dancing with and talking with so intently. Did any of them know Thad well enough that they’d be on the phone to him soon, oh-so-casually asking if he knew what was going on? He wasn’t the jealous type, she acknowledged candidly, but she doubted he’d like being the subject of gossip.

Gavin’s hand moved at the small of her back, pressing very lightly inward to bring her an inch closer to him. She could have resisted; he didn’t hold her that tightly. But for just that one moment of weakness, she allowed her eyelids to go heavy, gave herself permission to simply enjoy the remainder of the dance without thought of what would come after. It was unlikely that she would ever dance with Gavin again. Might as well enjoy it while she could.

The music ended with a flourish of Joe’s bass guitar. Swallowing a regretful little sigh, she stepped back. “Gavin, do you think we could find someplace to talk? In private?”

Looking steadily at her, he nodded. “I think that can be arranged.”

She turned toward their table. Stevie had been joined by Sandy Powell and a couple of other women Jenny didn’t recognize, as well as two guys who hung around the table, flirting, laughing. But she didn’t see Tess among the group. Was she still dancing with Glenn? No, there was Tess, hurrying toward them, a phone in her hand and a very familiar look on her face.

“I’m so sorry, Jenny.”

“Don’t tell me. His Majesty needs you again.”

Tess nodded somberly. “I’m afraid so. I have to leave. Do you want me to drop you off at your place on my way or...”

“I’ll drive her home,” Gavin cut in, his tone encouraging no argument.

Tess looked to Jenny for guidance.

Jenny moistened her lips. The thought of being driven home by Gavin made her entire body tighten with nerves. So many emotions still simmered between them. So many words that were probably best left unsaid after all these years. Yet, as she’d just told him, they needed to talk. Alone. She supposed this was as good a time as any.

She nodded. “That will be fine. Thank you, Gavin. Do what you have to do, Tess. But it wouldn’t hurt you to tell His Majesty that you deserve a night off every once in a while.”

“It’s not another break-in, is it?” Gavin asked with a frown, slipping into cop mode.

“No,” Tess assured him. “There’s been an incident at one of the job sites. My boss is out of town, and the foreman hasn’t been able to reach him. So they called me.”

“You’re on call during your off-hours?”

Tess chuckled drily. “I’m pretty much on call 24/7. It’s the downside of having made myself indispensable.”

Gavin lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe you should consider looking for another job?”

“I would, but...well, I love the one I have,” Tess confessed almost sheepishly.

Jenny smiled. “Not to mention that she pretty much runs the company. Her title might be office manager, but the whole place would go under without her. As Scott is the first to admit.”