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All I could do was nod tightly.
He gave me a small smile. “It’s rare. Trust me when I tell you, don’t waste a minute of it.”
Standing abruptly, I looked out at the water, suddenly needing to see her like I couldn’t breathe if I didn’t. This aching sensation when we were apart would only go away the second I held her in my arms.
“What am I doing here?” I mumbled.
“That’s what I was saying earlier.” He laughed and stood with me, giving me a clap on the back. “Get out of here. Go see your girl. Stop wasting time.”
Without a thought, I jerked Pop into a rough hug. “Love you, Pop.”
He laughed, surprised by the sudden affection. “Love you, too, Ben. Now, go.”
Not needing any more encouragement, I raced up the side of the house and into the cul-de-sac to find my car. The tension of the night instantly eased, washing away like water down the bayou. My heart thrummed faster in a much happier rhythm. All because I was running to her. The woman I loved.
Chapter Twenty-Four
~BETTY~
I was completely boredout of my mind. With the exception of Mr. Burke trying to be cool with the kids by dancing a few moves to some hip-hop song, which was mildly entertaining, this dance was dragging ass.
Usually, Finn would amuse me with mocking jokes to keep the night rolling on, but he’d opted to chaperone Prom since he was going out with that stuck-up surgeon tonight. That guy was all wrong for Finn, but he wasn’t listening to me.
The decorations were pretty impressive though, I surmised, looking around the romantically lit gym. No overhead fluorescent light, only cozy, warm lanterns centered on tables for sitting and enjoying refreshments around the dance floor.
I had to give it to Lily. She was head of the Homecoming Committee, something you couldn’t make me do under threat of death or dismemberment.
The theme was fairytales or happily-ever-after or something. I never kept up with those things.
Around the gym were life-size cutouts of Disney scenes like Cinderella’s castle, Snow White’s wishing well, and Jasmin’s flying carpet. There were a few Disney couple cutouts for kids to take pics with, putting their faces through the open ovals of the hero and princess. But that wasn’t what was so spectacular.
Gossamer fabric draped over the dancefloor from a pergola-style structure at the center. It gave the students a focus for their dancing and chatting, the cutouts framing the pergola, so they had a more intimate space since the gym was so big. And it looked like the ceiling had vomited glitter on the whole scene. Everything sparkled. I half expected unicorns to come prancing out any minute.
Of course, I’d already caught one couple making out behind Belle and the Beast, but that was to be expected.
Lily sidled up beside me and handed over a bottle of water. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. I have to admit this is the best this gym has ever looked. Including when I went here.”
“Really?” She beamed. “Have the dances always been in the gym?”
“As far back as I know. Except for Prom, which they hold at the reception center in town.”
She nodded, inspecting her hard work. “It was fun. I didn’t mind.”
This was where I realized Lily needed a new hobby. Or a man. She was younger than me. She couldn’t be more than twenty-two. I knew she’d gotten the job at BHS straight out of college.
“Is your family from here?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Lily was the eternal optimist, but there suddenly seemed to be something a little sad in her demeanor that I’d never noticed before.
“Uh, no,” she replied softly. “I have a foster family in Texas, but”—she shrugged—“we don’t keep in touch much.”
My heart squeezed painfully. It’s interesting how little you truly know about people. Or how you can easily block out other people’s problems because, well, they aren’t your problems. After that self-flagellating thought, I suddenly wished I’d been a little nicer to Lily. I was never mean to her, mind you, but no one would ever accuse me of being overfriendly or welcoming to someone new on the block. I was a stay-in-your-lane kind of girl.
“Your last name is Breaux,” I pondered aloud. That was a very Cajun name. “Were your parents from here?”
She nodded, watching the students dancing. “My dad was from here. But he died in an offshore accident while working on a rig.”
