Page 61 of My Heart Still Beats
“Tessa!” I say loudly. “What’s yours?”
“Garrett.”
“Nice to meet you.” I take his outstretched hand.
He knows the basic moves and the side-to-side, and we move in synchrony to the Latin beat of the drums. Once we’re warmed up, Garrett leads me in front of him, in the cross-body move. I slide into each step, following his lead like a pro. I love to dance, and Garrett knows his stuff. The red dress is formfitting, but with each move I execute, I wish I were wearing something with a flowing skirt that I could twirl around in. We dance through three numbers before Garrett wipes his brow.
“Break?” he asks.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
I head back to the table where Skye is still sitting, nursing her Wild Turkey, while Garrett walks to a different table.
I grab a tissue out of my evening bag and wipe my forehead. “Garrett can really move!” I pick up my daiquiri and drain most of it.
“Ready to go?” Skye asks.
I laugh. A big, boisterous laugh. She can’t be serious. “Good one, Skye. Finish your drink. We need to get out there. This music is great.”
“But I—”
“No excuses, babe. Just down it.”
Skye downs it. I stop myself from dropping my jaw. Skye never downs it, but there’s a first time for everything. We head to the dance floor, and I’m busting some serious moves when Garrett and a friend join us. We dance as a foursome through the next four numbers.
“Sorry, I need a break,” Skye says.
“Need a drink?” Garrett’s friend asks.
The two of them exit the dance floor, leaving me with Garrett. He grabs my hand and has me twirling around in no time, and I’m exhilarated. Is it the banana daiquiri? The music? The man?
All three?
Whatever it is, I’m totally down for all of it.
…
Present Day…
Ugh.
I quickly erase the thought from my mind. I was ready to hand him my heart that first night. He had that playboy charm and such gorgeous hair and eyes. He was dressed in a tuxedo but was only wearing the shirt and pants. The bow tie had long been discarded, and his white sleeves were rolled up, accenting his gorgeous dark forearms.
We became an item—a happy item, or so I thought. He actually dumped me at one point, and I was so upset.
But then…
We got back together…
I was on top of the world…until I found out what he’d been doing to me the whole time.
Now I feel violated and ugly and used.
I glance down at my Skye cocktail.
Funny, if I had planned this party myself—rather, if old Tessa had planned it—we’d probably be serving pitchers of margaritas and dancing to Latin pop later.
This is better.
