of their hands exuberantly. “Nice to you meet y’all. Mind if we sit down?” She didn’t wait for an answer before she sat on one of the high stools that surrounded the table. If the expression on Reba’s face was any indication, she wasn’t happy about it. “Val was telling me that you run the boardinghouse, Reba.”
“Yes, I do.” Reba shot Val a mean look. “I love working away in my little tower.”
Maisy grinned. “Hey, after living in an Airstream all year, I’d love my own little castle too. Especially a place as pretty as the boardinghouse. Did you run it fifteen years ago?”
Reba scowled. “I’m not quite that old. My parents and my aunt ran it then.”
“So I guess you wouldn’t remember if my daddy Sam Sweeney ever stayed there.”
Reba glanced at Val and he wondered if she was going to bring up what he had told her about Sam. He should’ve known better. Mad or not, Reba wasn’t the type of woman who would hurt someone’s feelings intentionally. “No, I don’t remember your father ever staying at Dixon’s Boardinghouse.” Maisy’s face fell and with it the annoyance on Reba’s face. “I’m sorry. I heard you were looking for your daddy. I can ask my aunt if she remembers him.”
“I’d sure appreciate it.”
The band started playing a song by Florida Georgia Line and Ty perked up. “Oh, I love this song. Come on, Miss Reba, let’s go.” He hopped up and held out his hand.
Reba looked like she wanted to decline, but then a determined expression settled on her face and she got up and took his hand. Just the sight of Reba’s hand in some other man’s made Val’s stomach tighten. As Ty led Reba away, Maisy laughed.
“Talk about shooting daggers.” She socked him in the arm. “Don’t try to deny it. You two got something going on, don’t you? Or you did. Now she looks like she wants to clobber you over the head with a beer bottle. What did you do to tick her off?”
He told her the truth. “I called her Rapunzel and said she was hiding away in her tower.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like she’s hiding away now.”
He followed her gaze back to the dance floor where Ty was holding her much too close while she tried to match her steps with his. “I didn’t expect her to choose the youngster,” he said more to himself than to Maisy. “I thought she’d choose the older guy.”
“And her being in the arms of an older guy would make you less angry?”
No. Reba being in the arms of Mike wouldn’t have made him less angry. As Ty two-stepped her across the dance floor, he allowed himself to identify the feeling in his gut. Jealousy. Plain and simple jealousy. Except he had no right to feel jealous. He had no claim on Reba. He couldn’t claim her. Claiming Reba would entail more than he was willing to give. But he couldn’t let her choose Ty either. Mike was a much better fit.
He got up and held out a hand. “Would you like to dance?”
Maisy grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.” She ignored his hand and led the way to the dance floor.
Val had never been a dancer so it was a good thing Maisy had no problem leading. Still, he had to apologize more than once for stepping on her toes as they circled around to where Reba was dancing with Ty. He started to ask Maisy if it was okay if they switched partners, but she seemed to know what he was up to and winked at him before she tapped Reba on the shoulder.
“Do you mind if I cut in? My partner would like a word with you.” Before Reba could open her mouth, Maisy had taken charge of Ty like she no doubt took charge of a wild bronc and two-stepped him off, leaving Val with an angry looking Reba. Before she could let him have it, he took her in his arms and attempted to two-step her around the floor. It was a pathetic attempt and Reba wasn’t much better. She stepped on his toes as much as he stepped on hers.
“Now I remember why I hate dancing,” she grumbled.
“You and me both. How about if we just give up and do the middle school shuffle?”
“The middle school shuffle?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember the middle school shuffle.” He danced them to the center of the dance floor where he shuffled his feet