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“Heather, do you want to sit?” Tess asked.
“Great idea. My toes feel as if they’re about to fall off.”
I was even more aware of Ryker than before as we all headed to the organizers’ table. I held the note in my fist, the words still playing around in my mind. Where was the red curtain? I glanced around the room slowly, until I noticed it at the far corner. My stomach flipped, especially when I realized Ryker was watching me. I wanted to say yes right away, but I had to think this through, and I honestly couldn’t with six-foot-two of sexiness right next to me.
Tess, Skye, and I sat at the table. Ryker stood between his sisters. I took my feet out of my shoes and stretched my toes.
“In our completely unbiased opinion, you lucked out, Heather. Ryker is the best dancer around here,” Tess said.
Ryker grinned. “Any chance you can use the time during my speech to sing my praises to Heather?”
“You can count on us,” Tess assured him just as a man joined us. He had black hair and deep blue eyes that were eerily similar to Ryker’s.
“Our brother, Cole,” Ryker said.
“Hi, Cole.”
He shook my hand, glancing between Ryker and me. “Couldn’t miss meeting the woman who ensures I’ll take in the most tickets for the raffle by taking Ryker out of the equation.”
“I thought there was a certain number of tickets for each dance and participant?” I asked, laughing.
“That’s right, but they aren’t sold out usually.”
Skye shook her head, smiling. “Will you two ever stop competing against each other?”
Cole shrugged. “Not in the foreseeable future.”
Organizing these events was hard work, but they made it all seem like so much fun that I just wanted to be part of it all.
“Besides, you should keep a closer eye on Ryker from now on,” Skye told Cole. “He wanted to cheat—make me rig Heather’s raffles so he always won.”
I placed a hand on my hip, turning to Ryker, who was glaring at his sister.
“Ah, wasn’t supposed to say that to Heather, right? But I think it counts in your favor. Shows your commitment to dance with her,” Skye said.
“I thought you said it was worth buying all the tickets,” I teased.
“Yes, but there’s always a risk of someone placing a bid before me and then being picked.”
I brought a hand to my mouth but still wasn’t able to mask the guffaw escaping my lips. Ryker’s siblings were merely smiling or shaking their heads. As soon as Ryker left, they immediately started singing his praises—even Cole.
“He’s smart, hardworking. Are we missing something?” Tess asked.
“Loyal,” Skye added.
Cole held up a finger. “I have one. Fun.”
“You’re really giving this praising thing all you’ve got,” I said.
“That’s the family motto,” Cole informed me.
“Just so you’re warned, Mom is here tonight,” Skye said. “Don’t know where she is now, but she and Avery talked a lot during the dances.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. She’ll find you eventually,” Tess said.
They were such a delight that I wanted to linger with them during the entire break, but I needed to check on Avery. I almost left the table barefoot before remembering that I’d taken off my shoes. Damn, I’d only spent a few dances with Ryker and was already losing my head? How was I going to fare at the end of the evening?
