A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises 1)

“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.