Dance Like Nobody's Watching (Summer Lake 3) by SJ McCoy Read Free Book Online

right now, he was
rattled. She knew she shouldn't, but she liked it. She smiled at him
and watched his face relax as that beautiful smile spread. His eyes
only left hers when Jack and Emma appeared through the crowd and Jack
clasped a hand on his shoulder. As Dan turned to greet his brother,
Emma spotted Missy and Holly and waved. She pecked Jack on the lips
and started elbowing her way across the crowded dance-floor to join
them.
    “Hey, girls! Isn't this great? I get back
early and we get Miss out for once. We need to make the most
of this, close the place down.” She waved up at Chase. He
smiled at her, then scanned the edge of the dance-floor, no doubt
checking for Jack.
    Missy laughed. “He still likes you, Em, but
Jack put the fear of God into him.”
    Emma looked more pleased than she should as she
denied it. “He doesn't. He's become a friend to both of us.
Anyway, do either of you know what's up with Dan? He was with Pete
and the two of them looked ready to kick some serious butt.”
    “They thought the tourists were moving in on
their women,” said Holly.
    Emma stopped dancing and stood still. “ Their women? Dan's girlfriend isn't here is she?”
    “No,” said Holly. “He's done
with her cos he wants to be with our Miss.”
    Emma squealed and clapped her hands together. “Oh
Miss! Really? That's so cool! You're going to be my sister-in-law!”
    “Slow down, Mouse! We're talking about going
on a date after they're finished, not getting married!”
Marriage wasn't on Missy's wish list.
    Emma laughed. “That's what I said. And
Holly. And look at us now!”
    “Yes, and I'm very happy for you. Getting
married, settling down and no doubt having kids soon. But I'm a bit
different, Em. I don't do things the way most people do. When you
reverse the order and you have the kid first, like I did, you settle
down by yourself and you get on with it. Marriage gets knocked off
the list.”
    Emma smiled her sweet smile, the one that always
meant she thought she knew better and was so smug in the knowledge
she wasn't even going to argue about it.
    “Forget it, hon,” said Missy.
    “Yeah,” Holly grinned. “You
should know by now, Em. You can't convince people of things they're
not ready to hear. It didn't work with me, did it?”
    “No, but you got there eventually.”
    “And so will Missy. Come on. Let's go get a
drink.”
    Missy followed them off the dance-floor. She loved
Emma and Holly, but they had no idea what life was like for her.
She'd raised Scot by herself, always had to work hard for everything,
and lived a very different life than they had. She couldn't expect
them to understand.
    Ben and Michael had joined the guys at one of the
big picnic tables out on the deck. Missy headed straight for the end
of the bench and squeezed on next to Dan. She could do without
Michael stirring things up with his flirting tonight.
    “Hey, ladies,” said Ben. “I
brought us a bucket of beer, thought that was easiest, but I can go
get whatever you like.”
    “I'd love a beer,” said Holly,
plucking one from the ice.
    Dan looked at Missy. She nodded. He grabbed one
and twisted the top off before handing it to her.
    “Thanks, hero,” she murmured. He
winked at her before he turned back to the others.
    “Are you starting to rejoin the living,
Miss?” asked Ben. “Getting you out two nights in a row is
a big deal these days.”
    “I know,” she said. “But I think
I might be using up my quota. I'm not staying late tonight. I'm too
tired and with all the cleaning I've got lined up, you might not see
me again for months.”
    “Okay, so there are two things we need to
talk about,” said Ben. “First, I'm thinking I'm not going
to give you any more contracts ’til you hire a team to help
you.”
    Missy was horrified. She needed the money. This
trip of Scot's had been a big expense, and now she would have another
night's hotel cost on top. She couldn't afford to be paying other
people to do work she could do