“It looks good.”
“Thanks.” She sips her beer again, and we watch the new band take the stage, setting up their equipment. “You’ll like this band. All girls, Madonna cover band.”
“Nice.” I nod. I’m not all that into Madonna, but if she’s excited, I’m not going to ruin her fun.
Posey keeps glancing in my direction, but she turns away the minute our eyes catch.
I talk with Clara for a few more minutes, mostly about her job as a librarian.
“I saw your picture in the high school picture case,” I mention to try to break the ice even more.
A puzzled expression creases her features at first, but then she seems to know what I’m talking about and nods. “With Xavier?”
“Yeah, you two at some dance.”
A small sigh escapes her. “Prom. That was a long time ago.”
There’s longing in her tone that makes my chest ache for her. I’ve never thought of myself as a perceptive person, but this girl is hurting and forcing on a smile for everyone else.
The band announces they’re going to start, and the first song up is “Vogue.” All the Greene women go crazy, cheering and screaming. Molly grabs Emilia to get her to dance with her.
“What? Don’t get her hooked on this,” Jed says.
“Sorry, babe, it’s a rite of passage.” Molly drags Emilia closer to the stage.
Mandi, Presley, Lucy, Nikki, and Allie follow shortly after at Clara’s insistence.
Posey returns from getting a drink and hands it to her brother Jed. “Vogue!” she yells and jumps into the middle of the women, doing all the poses that are on the video.
The women show Emilia how to pose, and she’s pretty damn cute as she raises her arms and juts her hip out when they all freeze. The men shake their heads with smiles, their hands overflowing with either babies, purses, or drinks while they watch. My gaze doesn’t leave Posey or the way her hips sway in her tight jeans. Her long red hair swishes, and she has the biggest smile. I’d do anything to have my hands on her hips right now.
“Go join them.” Ethel nudges me.
All the Greene men stare at me as though they’re horrified by the idea of me going out there.
“No.” I guffaw and shake my head.
“Why not?” She looks at her grandsons and grandsons-in-law. “Don’t listen to them, they all did embarrassing stuff to win over the women they love.”
I look at them and they all shrug and nod in agreement.
But I don’t have a chance to protest again because Ethel seems to have someone on the inside working with her. Emilia comes up to me, grabs my hand, and pulls me to the dance floor, positioning me right next to Posey.
Again, seems Logan was right on the mark with this. I’m just thankful I want the same thing those two old women do.
As I resign myself to my fate, the song ends and the band plays “Crazy For You.”
I stand there awkwardly, but every other guy comes out to dance with his wife, fiancée, or girlfriend. Leaving Posey, Clara, and Mandi on their own, which seems okay. I’m about to bolt, but before I can turn around, two men approach Clara and Mandi and ask them to dance.
I stare at Posey, and she starts to walk away. I lightly clasp her elbow, causing her to turn. The question is clear in her eyes—why would we do this?
I lean closer to her ear. “It’s only a dance.”
Her eyes lock with mine and I can practically see her mind working. She looks away but eventually relents, allowing me to pull her into my arms. We start off with enough space to have another body between us, but eventually, I draw her closer. When she doesn’t knee me in the nuts, I count it as a win.
I have no idea if things could work out for us, but this warm feeling in my chest from having her so close, the smell of her perfume, the glowing neon lights of the carnival rides shining down on us… I can’t help but think something brought me here. Some force more powerful than me.
The words to the song are perfect for what I feel for her. As we sway, our eyes don’t meet. Still, I’ve never felt more connected to someone.
As the song ends, I whisper in her ear, “I’m crazy for you.”
She tips her head up to look at me. There’s still so much doubt in her eyes, and it makes my heart pinch.
The band transitions to a fast-paced song, and Posey tries to leave, but I hold her in place.
“Come on a ride with me?”
She shakes her head. “Shouldn’t you be campaigning?”
She’s right. I should be shaking people’s hands and trying to win them over, but right now, she’s the only person I care about winning over. “Come on.”
“I can’t.”
I look around, desperate to find some way of getting her on a ride with me, to have three minutes of alone time with her. “Then let’s play a game. You pick the game, and if I win, you come on a ride with me.”
She smirks and crosses her arms. “Fine. You’re getting the shit end of the stick on this one, Price.”
I follow her to the games area, watching her ass the entire way. God, she’s got me following her like a dog with his tongue hanging out. Pretty soon, I’ll need to remember where my priorities lie, or I have no hope of winning this election.
I’ve loved the carnival every year. But this year will go down as the best year yet. I danced with Gavin Price. Goose bumps still race down my spine when I remember him whispering that he’s crazy for me. He’s not holding back with his feelings and my willpower is slowly waning because the truth is… I want him too.
The problem is that he’s my mom’s competitor and I can’t go against her. She’s not even here tonight because she’s taking care of Hank. She’s always putting people’s needs before her own.
“This is interesting,” Jed says from behind me.
His daughter, my niece, comes alongside me. “I thought we were dancing.”
She links her hand with mine. Emilia is the cutest thing ever.
“We’re going to go play a game,” I tell her.
Emilia’s big toothy smile has me smiling in return. “I love games. Can I play?”
“Of course you can.”
“Yay!”
I’m not sure why all my siblings are following me to the games section, other than pure nosiness. Nikki’s probably jotting down notes to retell on her radio segment.
“What’ll it be?” Gavin asks, his arms out to his sides in front of the row of games.
I walk over to the basketball game.
“I knew it. Pay up, Cade,” Jed says.
“You should know that Posey thinks she missed her calling as a Harlem Globetrotter,” Cade tells Gavin. “She’d play Around the World in the driveway all the time.”
“You’re just upset because she beat you.” Mandi, my dear sister, sticks up for me. I give her a smile of thanks.
“Once. And when it came to one on one, she lost,” Cade says.
“Because you’re about six inches taller than her.” Mandi, God help her, will defend me forever.
“All right, basketball it is then.” Gavin cuts through all my siblings’ bullshit and pulls out his wallet.
“Yep. You’ve played?” I ask.