Page 26 of Loving at 40

At the same time, Mason states, “Adult-only things.” He tips up a brow as he grins at me before clarifying his sexual innuendo for the rest of the table. “We should go out one night. Adults only.”

Anna lowers her head while River perks up. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“We can just hang out on my patio,” Anna suggests. “The kids can watch a movie or something.”

“No, we need to get you out,” River explains, reaching over the table for Anna’s arm. “We should go dancing.”

Vigorously, Anna shakes her head. My guess is she’s thinking dancing will be a couples’ thing. Zack and River. Logan and Autumn. Me and . . . My head swivels between Archer and Mason. My partner would have to be Archer, pairing Anna with Mason. She can’t be matched to her brother.

“Line dancing works,” Autumn chimes in, her voice rising with enthusiasm. “Everyone just dances collectively.” Autumn’s suggestion de-emphasizing Ben’s absence and Anna’s fear of needing a partner.

“I’m not line dancing,” Zack mutters, under his breath, tipping up his own beer and chugging. Zack is more prepster than cowboy, and the silver watch on his wrist hints he’s never seen the inside of a country western bar. In Elk Lake City, we have one called Rogue River, and I’ve been there on several occasions to let loose with teacher friends. Going out on the town when you live in a small one can be risky at times, though. Everybody knows your business.

“I think it sounds like fun,” I admit. As a group activity, we could have a good time. Keeping my eye on Anna, I add, “If the men don’t want to go, we can make it a ladies-only thing.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Who says the men do not want to attend,” Logan interjects, holding up his hands. “I got moves.” He overbites his lower lip and repeatedly shrugs his upper body in his seat. Autumn laughs and rubs a hand down his arm. “Maybe you should save those moves for me.”

“I’ll be hard to resist,” he teases.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Autumn playfully mocks back, before leaning forward and giving her husband a quick kiss. The sweet teasing is a reminder of all the things I wanted in a relationship and one of many things I’ve missed after losing my husband. Those quiet moments between two people. The private jokes. The soft touches. Anna watches her sister-in-law and I know she’s missing the same thing.

Fingertips skitter over my kneecap this time. Realizing the soft touch is Archer’s, I don’t flinch. When his warm palm flattens on my knee for a second, I absorb his heat but, too quickly, he releases me, and the pressure of that momentary touch lingers.

“We should do it,” I encourage, drawing Anna’s gaze from the too-cute couple. “Remember when we were in college. We’d go out all the time.” Of course, half the time, Ben would crash the night, or Anna would leave to find her man once people paired off. Once, I had envied their long-lasting romance, but I also enjoyed my freedom without the constraints of a relationship in those days.

“More ballbusting,” Archer mutters under his breath, reminding me of yesterday’s revelation.

“I don’t know,” Anna says, staring down at the table, and I ignore Archer’s comment.

“Anna,” I softly call her name so she’ll look up at me. “It could be fun.” Holding her eyes, I hope she also reads my sympathy. It will be okay, I try to say without words as she stares at me. I’ll be her wing woman. “I’ll need a dance partner.”

At the same time, two heads shift in my direction. One is Archer glaring at me, and the other is Mason narrowing his eyes. Ignoring both men, I keep my gaze steady on my friend. This is why she needs me. I’m the buffer here. The gentle nudge to take a risk but provide her a safety net. Nothing will happen to her.

“What bar hosts line dancing?” I ask Autumn, making the decision for everyone present.

“I’m looking it up now.” Autumn lifts her phone, tapping away at the screen.

“This is going to be so fun,” River says, leaning over to wrap an arm around Zack.

“Keep your clothes on,” he mutters under his breath, and she laughs.

“You know it’s a struggle for me.” Her reply makes her fiancé laugh a little harder, easing the tense expression on his face after rejecting the idea.

“Noah, you should come, too,” I offer. “Got a girl to bring?”

Noah’s been quiet during this exchange, and he looks at me before glancing at Archer. One corner of his lip curls, and he shakes his head at his friend.

“No one you said.” He pauses, glancing from Archer to me and back. “This isn’t nothing.” He tips his beer in my direction before softly chuckling. I don’t understand what he means, but he answers me, “Yeah, I have someone I could invite.”

“Then it’s a date,” Autumn calls out.

“A non-date date,” I correct, looking directly at Anna. She nods, and I grin to myself. This could be really fun. Then I glance at Archer, who is scowling at me. Shaking my head, I decide I’m not letting him ruin my excitement.

The beer and wine flow. The night grows later. The kids continue to run around until River brings out ingredients for ice cream sundaes. Like she’s running a professional ice cream parlor, she has everything in little bowls or containers for the mixing and matching of liquid toppings and candy treats. She also has an assortment of flavors, and I opt for two scoops of black cherry on a sugar cone.

Now, I’m no dummy, so I know what guys think when they see a woman licking ice cream on a cone. The swirl of a tongue. The suck of the icy treat. Even a soft bite of the cold form can be a turn-on, so I do not dismiss Archer watching me lick and lap at my cone as he sits near me.

“Want a lick?” I eventually say, holding out my cone in his direction.