This Changes Everything by Jennifer Ashley Page 0,7

when we mention his talents.”

“And your mom?” Abby glances at my parents, Virginia and Alan, who are surrounded by friends, so happy their firstborn has married a fine young woman. Their words.

“Mom runs all the financials,” I explain. “Without her, we’d be toast. She’s Mrs. Numbers. Ben takes after her.”

Abby pins me with her bewitching gaze. “What about you? Are you management, computer geek, or brilliant salesman masquerading as a screw-up?”

I shrug. “None of those. I take up the slack on what everyone’s too busy for. I keep track of our charitable work, or I’ll land a client Austin’s found, or make sure Ben has the hardware he needs—half the time, I have no idea what the hell Ben’s talking about, but I know where to order it.”

“Ah.” She’s impressed, to my surprise. “You’re the linchpin.”

“I think of it as batting cleanup. You know—if they’re too busy or it’s out of their sphere … call in Zach.”

“And you ballroom dance the clients into submission?” Her nose wrinkles with her smile. It’s adorable.

“Yeah, that’s one part of it.” I give her a wise look. “You’d be amazed how often it comes up.”

“I’ve seen your ads around town,” Abby says. “McLaughlin Renovations. Very functional.”

“It gets the point across. We hired a PR firm once to spread the word, but it cost more than it really helped. I about shit myself when I saw Austin’s face on the side of a bus. I was glad when that ad ended. I was scared to drive anywhere for a while.” I feign a shudder.

Abby chuckles and sips her whisky. “Poor Zach. I asked because that’s what I do—sales.”

“Oh yeah?” I lift my brows. “Do you stroke the merchandise and make it look sexy?”

I’d never have said that if I wasn’t mostly drunk. And she wasn’t so sexy. Would she throw the drink in my face and walk off?

No, she laughs again. Whew.

“I wish,” Abby says. “Selling what my company makes is harder than you think. I have to explain whatever gadget the hot new thing is and why people need it. I don’t always understand what it does myself. I sit in booths at trade fairs and say, We have the latest doo-dad that will increase your productivity ten-thousand percent. Would you like a pen?”

She holds out the rose in demonstration. I take it.

“Why thank you, ma’am,” I drawl. “I’ll order a dozen boxes of your doodads, no problem.” I’d take anything Abby offered me.

“Aren’t you sweet? Most people stare at me blankly and walk away, or they explain why their company’s doodad is so much better than ours.”

“Ungrateful bastards.”

“I always say that.”

“Out loud?”

“Depends.” Abby smiles so wickedly that I want to hold her as close as I had in the tango.

I lay down the rose and stick out my hand. “Want to dance some more? You can barely sit still. Either that or you need the bathroom.”

“Hilarious. Let’s go”

“To the bathroom?”

Abby grabs my hand as she stands up. “If you want. I’m going to dance, my friend.”

And we do. We find the rhythm and shake it—damn, can she shake it. My eyes stay on Abby’s curvy figure, legs that know how to move.

We join hands and do some ballroom dancing to the tunes, for the hell of it. People applaud us. Ryan and Calandra don’t notice—but they don’t need to. They’re lost in their own world, as they should be.

Austin dances up and tries to take Abby away from me, but she, the sweetheart, waves him off. Austin points two fingers at me like, You rock, dude, and gyrates away. Ben’s now dancing with Great Aunt Mary. If I was noble, I’d rescue him, but I have Abby, and Great Aunt Mary is making some good moves.

In the glare of the string lights, with my friends and family dancing like fools around me, Abby is a glow in the grayness. My life isn’t terrible, but there’s not much to it either—day by day fixing problems and helping my parents, hanging out with the brother pack or friends, most nights on my own.

Ryan’s starting his own life now, and it won’t be the same. I’m happy for him, but he’ll be missing in the four-pack. That fact and all the drinking is making me a little sad.

But sadness vanishes when I focus on Abby. Beautiful woman, warm night, hot music. I want more.

Will I have more? That’s a speculation I can’t answer. Whatever Abby’s thinking, she keeps to herself as she dances like a goddess