Date Next Door

He didn’t like it. And because that disapproval made him feel petty and selfish, he brooded even more, though he did his best to hide it.

The buffet tables were covered and rolled away and a hired DJ took his place behind his equipment, signaling that the dinner portion of the party was over and the dance part was about to begin. Joel glanced at his watch, wondering how soon he and Nic could politely make their escape. If he could drag her away from her new best pal, he thought with a scowl.

Kevin and Naomi were among the first couples on the dance floor. Terrell and Latricia had wandered off to talk to some other couples, leaving Joel, Nic and Jimmy at the table, where Nic and Jimmy were engaged in a discussion about recent legislation concerning high-speed chases.

The way Nic was looking so intently at Jimmy made Joel frown and then rise abruptly to his feet. “Come on, Nic. Let’s dance.”

It was hardly the most gracious invitation he had ever extended. Nic’s look of surprise let him know that she hadn’t been expecting him to ask. Had she not planned to dance this evening? Or had it not even crossed her mind that he might want to dance with her?

“Okay,” she said, standing. “Sure. Excuse us, please, Jimmy.”

“You bet. Maybe I can steal a dance later?”

She smiled. “I think that can be arranged.”

Joel could feel his eyebrows sinking into a deeper frown even as he drew Nic into a loose hold on the dance floor. After swaying for a moment in silence, she tipped her head back to look up at him. “What’s wrong, Joel? Is something bothering you?”

He made a deliberate effort to smooth his expression. “No, I’m okay. Just getting a little tired of the reunion thing. How about you? Are you having a good time?”

“Surprisingly, yes. Your friends are all very nice, aren’t they?”

Was she talking about all his old friends—or one in particular? “Yeah, most of them are really great.”

“The food was even good, which is always surprising at a function like this. One thing about Heidi—she knows how to put on a party.”

“She lives for that sort of thing.” He was peripherally aware that they were being watched from various places around the room with varying degrees of curiosity and contemplation, but that didn’t seem to matter at the moment. What did matter was the surprisingly natural feel of Nic in his arms, the easy way she matched her steps to his. It didn’t feel like a first dance but as if they had been dancing together for a long time.

It felt nice. Better than nice, actually.

He’d known Nic was in excellent physical condition, her compact body toned and strong. But it was different observing something about her and actually feeling it with his own hands. Her warmth radiated through the silky fabric of her clothing, and her soft hair brushed his chin when she turned her head to smile at someone else on the floor.

She seemed different tonight somehow. Softer. Smaller. He was still fully aware of her self-sufficiency, her competence, the fiery temper that had been known to make lawbreakers recoil. All things he admired in his friend and his neighbor. But tonight he was also seeing her through fresh eyes. And what he saw was a very attractive young woman with a great body and an infectious smile.

It occurred to him only then that he had been seeing her that way for longer than he’d been willing to admit.

She was looking at him oddly then, as if his behavior was beginning to puzzle her. He forced a smile and said the first thing that popped into his mind. “You’re a good dancer.”

“Thanks. I like to dance. I always wanted to take ballroom lessons, but I’ve just never found the time. Maybe someday.”

He and Heather had taken ballroom dance lessons one summer when they’d both been home from college. They had always planned to take more eventually. “Not a lot of places to dan

ce back home,” he said.

“Certainly not ballroom dancing. Brad and I used to dance at the Boot-Scoot Barn sometimes. Line dancing and western swing mostly.”

The mention of her ex almost made him scowl again, but he managed to keep his expression bland. He didn’t know why he was so grumpy this evening.

“You and Jimmy seem to be hitting it off,” he said, the words popping out before he’d planned to say them. “Heidi must be pleased.”

Nic wrinkled her nose. “We have our jobs in common. That’s the only reason I can think of that Heidi was so intent on introducing us.”

“Maybe she was doing a little matchmaking. Since you and I have made it so clear we’re only friends, I suppose she thought she was doing you a favor.”

Nic shrugged, the movement bringing her more closely against him—and almost derailing his entire train of thought. “He’s a nice guy and all but not really my type. For one thing, I’d never want to get involved with another cop—and I bet Jimmy feels the same way.”

“So what is your type?” he asked in a murmur. “Cowboys?”

She chuckled. “We both know that didn’t work out. Maybe I just don’t have a type.”