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The new shoes gave Ali enough height that it was easy for his breath to tickle her ear as her chin rested just below his shoulder. She tightened her jaw as a shiver struck her and clutched Cornell harder when he began to sway to his own humming.
Is he serious?
Ali pressed her face against him, stifling her laughter. “The theme song from Star Wars?”
“I thought if I started spitting Drake it would ruin the moment,” he quipped before stepping back just enough to spin her around and pull her back against him.
Raising her eyebrows, Ali nodded in surprise. “You can dance.”
“Big and tall on ballerina feet, baby,” he said, spinning Ali once more before dipping her back and kissing her.
Giggling against his mouth, Ali let go of Cornell as he brought her up, smoothing her hands across his lapel and straightening his bow tie. “Is this a clip-on?”
“Are you kidding? What would your mom think?” He pinched Ali’s side, grabbing his keys from the table behind her. “Of course, it’s real. You don’t know how many tutorials I had to watch on YouTube to get it right.”
* * *
Ali didn’t get a chance to dance with Cornell as much as she might have liked because Nana, who had to pick up her mouth when they arrived, immediately took his hand.
“If the photographer comes by, make sure he gets a photo of us,” Nana announced. “The girls at Bridge club will drop dead when they see us in the paper this week.”
Rolling her eyes, Bobbi sipped her wine as Ali sat beside her. “That dress looks great, Al,” she told her before doing a double take. “But not as good as those earrings!”
“You didn’t notice them when she walked in?” Tara asked from across the table. “I almost fell over.”
Ali lifted her hand to the back of her ear. “They were his mom’s,” she said, unable to hide the bittersweet tone that escaped her mouth even over the band playing on stage.
“Oh,” Bobbi said softly, squeezing Ali’s hand. Her mother’s eyes drifted over to the dance floor, where Cornell gently twirled Celeste. “They don’t make them like that anymore.”
Ali reached for her wine, nodding in agreement. Tall, tough, tattooed, and tender-hearted.
“Don’t make them like what?” John asked from Bobbi’s other side.
Bobbi groaned. “Romantic. Like Cornell.”
John furrowed his brow. “What about me?” he questioned. “I ask you to marry me every month.”
“Yes, somewhere between ‘pass the salt’ and ‘we’re out of floss.’ Very romantic.”
Ali laughed and shot John a sympathetic look. “I think you’re romantic. I remember you brought her that huge bouquet of roses when you picked her up for your first date.”
“I remember too. I remember watching The Little Mermaid with you while she picked out all of the baby’s breath and threw it away,” John said.
Bobbi shot him a look. “It’s a filler flower.” She turned to Ali. “You should make sure Cornell knows that. And you too, Benton.”
“Did you get that?” Tara asked, nudging her boyfriend. “Filler flower. Long stem roses with no baby’s breath or nothing at all.”
“Noted,” Benton said, adjusting his glasses and reaching for his drink.
Ali didn’t want to break the news in front of John that Cornell was actually the guy who grew flowers for her. “I think baby’s breath is lovely,” she told him with a smile and a wink.
“Make sure you stay hydrated, Cornell,” Celeste’s voice sounded from over Ali’s shoulder. “We’ll go for another round after the first course.”
Cornell slid next to Ali. “I think she might have better moves than you. I could barely keep up.” He politely covered his glass when the server came around with wine.
“I’ll drive home,” Ali told him. “The bar in the back is open if you want something else.”
Shaking his head, Cornell reached for his water. “I want a clear head for later.”
