The Dance by Alison G. Bailey Read Free Book Online Page A

swept one arm out in front of himself. “The walls will be a silky sage green with warm honey hardwood for the flooring. After me and my crew get in here to play, this will be the most deck cafeteria in all the land,” said the skinny man in the tight electric-blue suit and red hipster beard.
    I’d spent the last hour listening to this hipster kiss the ass of my mother in-law as she soaked up every second of it. Turns out the Junior League, of which she was the current president, would be donating a sizable chunk of money from their annual Twilight Ball fundraiser toward the remodel of the Saint Francis hospital cafeteria. It seemed to be an odd choice when there were so many charities around that could have used the money to help people directly. Although this place was screaming for a makeover.
    I didn’t know if the ugliness of this cafeteria was the norm for a healthcare facility. I’d been very fortunate in my life, never having to spend any time in a hospital since the day I was born. The lighting was horrible, the walls and floor were slightly yellowed with age, and the tables and chairs looked to be on their last leg. But ever since I could remember, people raved about how incredible the food here tasted. I remember in their later years, my mama and papa would come each Friday to enjoy the cafeteria’s fried shrimp platter. By all the happy faces enjoying the food, the praise seemed well deserved.
    My gaze scanned the large area as I tried not to appear too bored. Considering the time of day, I was surprised the place was this packed. The patrons were a mix of doctors, nurses, and other badge-wearing hospital staff. There were a few scattered patients who’d ventured out of their rooms. The rest of the crowd looked to be people who were here just wanting the great food.
    “Bryson, what are your thoughts on having a water feature over in that corner?” The soft southern accent of Will’s mother drifted into my ears as she tried to include me in the project.
    “Which corner?”
    Pointing her finger, she said, “Over on the far right wall.”
    I followed her scrawny finger across the room. When my gaze hit the target a weird buzzing sensation took over my stomach. It had nothing to do with water features or spending too much time with my mother in-law and everything to do with the site of Hart Mitchell. Or some guy who looked exactly like Hart Mitchell. Oh, hell, it was Hart Mitchell. I’d know those color-changing eyes and deep dimples anywhere at any distance. I had spent my entire senior year seeking them out and one unbelievable moment staring into them. The noisy atmosphere disappeared and I got lost in Hart.
    “Bryson.”
    He was sitting at one of the smaller tables with his back to the wall. His golden blond hair was slicked back off his face and shorter than it had been in school, hitting just below his ear. His scruff was now perfectly groomed. I could tell he took time with his appearance but not an overly obnoxious amount.
    The way his dark silvery gray dress shirt molded to his upper body, it had to have been tailor made for him. I couldn’t see his pants under the table but they were probably black. Black pants would look great with that shirt and tie. With the matching gray tie and large silver watch poking out from under his sleeve, Hart Mitchell could have been a GQ cover model.
    “Bryson, any thoughts?”
    His white teeth and deep dimples kept making appearances as he talked and smiled at the head of blond curls sitting across from him. They didn’t appear to be touching. At least I couldn’t detect touching. For some reason I didn’t want them to be touching.
    “Bryson!”
    The sharp tone of Will’s mom pierced my ears, ripping my eyes away from Hart.
    “I’m sorry. What?”
    She exchanged an annoyed look with hipster guy.
    Rolling his hipster eyes, the guy huffed. “Uh . . . the water feature?”
    My gaze swung between the two as they stared at me, awaiting my answer. “I think