Page 102 of Second Chance Saloon

Jackie sighed, crossed her arms and slumped against the back of her seat. “I need more alcohol for that.” She turned to Mitch. “Let it be noted you’re missing out on bathroom sex in favor of my public humiliation.”

He pulled her to him, putting his hand between her thighs.

She clamped it there with a smirk. “You’re trapped now.”

He looped a finger under the belt of her shirt dress, leaned over and whispered into her ear: “Oh, I’ll be stealing you away the moment the last note of ‘Footloose’ plays, don’t you worry.”

Then, in one swift motion, he pulled his hand away and put it on the table, taking another glass of tequila.

Jackie swallowed; her cheeks flamed further. Whenever she thought Mitch couldn’t make her blush, he proved her wrong. And she absolutely fucking loved him for that.

“Toast, toast, toast!” Nick chanted, clapping his hands to the tune of “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich that was playing from the speakers.

The entire bar roared with various drunken screams as the chorus came on.

Lyla let out peals of laughter, lifting her own glass and spilling half the tequila in the process. “Jackie should give a toast! She got us all together here.” She flicked her gaze to Nick. “She’s the reason we met, too.”

“Hey, I introduced you!” Mitch kicked Lyla under the table.

She squealed. “Easy, Aquaman. I love you too, but Jackie is my absolute best friend. You’re like second in command.”

Nick raised his brow at her. “You’re building an army? Where am I in the ranks?”

“Well, you’re its general, of course.” Lyla planted a very loud, wet kiss on his cheek.

Jackie sighed but couldn’t stop grinning. She was genuinely over the moon they were in a stable place now. Over the years, there had been many tears into ice-cream tubs, late-night dancing-it-out sessions and holding Lyla’s hair when her head was stuck in the toilet. But this, now? The four of them were healthy, happy and at the start of the rest of their lives.

She raised her shot glass, her gaze slowly moving from Lyla to Nick and finally landing on Mitch. Her mouth split into a smile. “To Lyla, for getting into Icahn medical school. To Nick, for getting a killer internship at Goldman Sachs. To Mitch, for getting into veterinary medicine at Cornell.”

Mitch clasped her fingers under the table. “And to you, for getting into Columbia med.”

Lyla squeaked, spilling some more tequila. “We’re all going to be in New York!”

Nick huffed a laugh. “Not sure they’re ready for us.”

“Bottoms up!” Jackie emptied her glass in one long gulp. Fiery liquid coated her tongue, slipping down her throat and warming her up from the inside.

As her glass hit the table, Betty grabbed the microphone and announced: “Y’all cowgirls and cowboys! Put your best boot forward and come onto the dance floor, it’s line-dancing time!”

The applause and excited whoops washed over the bar.

Jackie winced at the noise, grabbing and draining her other glass as Lyla jumped to her feet. “Jaaaackie, let’s go!”

She wanted to kick the past her for ever teaching Lyla how to line-dance in the first place, in their living room, but here they were. And apparently, “here” was at the very front.

Jackie pulled Lyla’s hand. “What are you doing?”

Lyla threw her head back, her light hair shimmering under the mirror ball. “Having fun! Celebrating the rest of our lives starting! Pick one, or both, whatever.” She laughed and shook Jackie’s hand off hers.

The music came from the speakers, and Jackie blinked, willing her mind to keep up with the tune. Did she even remember the steps? It had been a while since she line-danced to “Footloose”.

Lyla’s infectious giggling every now and then made her lips break into a smile. Even though her mind was still busy worrying about the dance, her feet knew exactly what they were doing. It seemed like steps were ingrained somewhere deep in her subconscious, beyond tequila’s reach.

Three steps to the right, three steps to the left … Step together times four … Crisscross, repeat. After the third repeat, Jackie picked up the pace, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor, her hands clapping and her eyes shining. Endorphins warmed her blood. She wasn’t looking at what anyone else was doing, but felt the music and focused on having fun.

Lyla stumbled next to her but regained her balance before Jackie could check if she was all right.

Without losing her step, she looked up to the small crowd gathered at the edge of the dance floor, her eyes finding Mitch right away. He was standing with his arms crossed, a stupidly happy grin on his face as he watched her.