Chapter 3
“Well, how was it?” Gran startles me as I walk in the door.
“Did you know where we were going?”
“Heck yeah! Nothing like a little four-wheeling,” she says, vrooming around the room like she’s driving one.
“Gran! Seriously?” I laugh and roll my eyes as I walk to my room. Closing the door, I take a few minutes to just breathe and take in the wonderful day I’m having. I then take the apricot, chiffon dress out of my suitcase and smile knowing that when I picked it out, it would be perfect for tonight - simple yet elegant.
I hang the dress in the bathroom to remove the wrinkles while I shower. As I look at myself in the mirror, I’m shocked to see the girl looking back at me. Her hair is wild, there are flecks of mud on her cheeks, but there is a sparkle in her eye that I’ve never seen before. I see a girl who is no longer falling and is ready to fly.
I take my time to make sure that my makeup and hair are perfect. I curl my long blonde locks before pinning my hair in place. As I slide on my dress, I marvel at how close it fits at the bust but then flows down my body and stops at the top of my thigh, leaving my legs fully exposed. I slide on my nude, high-heeled sandals as I stand in front of the mirror and realize I need a touch of bling.
I rummage for the perfect piece of jewelry, but there’s nothing that fits what I want for tonight. I call for Mom and when she enters my room, she stops.
“You look stunning, Cadence. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, but I need some sparkle and I don’t have anything that works with this dress. Do you have earrings and a bracelet that would work?” She smiles and after a quick trip to her bedroom, she returns with the perfect set. Glancing at the pearl and diamond droplets, I’m in love.
“Do you like this set?” she asks.
“I love it! It’s just enough bling,” I state, as she helps me put it on.
At exactly seven o’clock, Barrick knocks on the door. I take a deep breath as my stomach begins to turn summersaults. Why am I so nervous? I wait for Mom to acknowledge that he’s here, then take one last glance in my full-length mirror and walk toward the foyer. My breath hitches when I find him standing there in a pair of dark denim jeans and a button up that fits him perfectly. I notice he isn’t wearing a hat and his hair has been perfectly styled.
“You look amazing, Cadence,” he says with a smile as I meet him in the foyer.
“Thanks,” I say as he takes my hand in his.
“Hold on, we need a picture,” Gran says excitedly and I can’t help but laugh when I think of the last time we took a picture and flipped off Dad.
“Only if you take it with us,” I say.
“Of course. Regina, you take it!” Gran says as she stands between us. Barrick smiles at me as Gran grins from ear to ear for the picture. When she’s done, Mom tells the two of us to stay put for another picture. Barrick takes his arm and places it on my lower back as I place my hand on his chest. Mom counts to three, and we smile at the camera. Once we’re finished with the pictures, Mom and Gran give me a hug before I leave.
Barrick helps me into the truck with a smile and then we make our way to The Loft. When we arrive, he ushers me inside with his hand on the small of my back. Jade and Aaron are already seated at a table and Jade stands as she sees us approaching.
“You didn’t have to buy those jeans, but I do love them!” she squeals.
“I was shocked when I saw them, but I couldn’t resist because I knew they had your name written all over them. Merry Christmas.”
Once Barrick and I are seated, he gently lays his hand on mine. I can’t believe how far we’ve come in such a short time. It seems like we were just pulling pranks on each other and now he’s here, holding my hand, making me feel like a totally different person. I can’t even put into words what we are right now but I think I’m going to enjoy figuring it out.
I can’t believe how I wanted to push him and Jade away when all they wanted to do was help me fit in. Jade is the sweetest girl and has been there for me since I arrived at school. I’m so happy to have her as my dance partner. I smile sweetly as I take everything in, but then I notice the change in Jade’s mood as her focus moves from us to the front door. I look to see that Maddie just walked in. Great.
I begin to say something to Jade, but Barrick beats me to it.
“Jade, she doesn’t matter,” he states.
“I know, but I don’t want her to ruin our night,” she replies.
“Oh, there’s no way she’s going to ruin anything. I can promise you that. Barrick and I have the two most beautiful girls in this place. No one’s lookin’ her way. They’re all lookin’ at us,” Aaron says to her as he kisses her temple, and Barrick squeezes my hand.
We take our time and eat as more people arrive. After dinner, we mingle until the place is packed and the band begins to play. As the first few notes are played, I cringe at the thought of line dancing and watching other people attempt to dance. I see the look on Jade’s face and know what is about to happen. I take a deep breath as she pulls me from Barrick and onto the dance floor.
I have no idea what I’m doing, so I watch for one eight count and join in. It’s ridiculous how simple all of these dances are, and when I wink at Barrick he’s smiling from ear to ear. I decide to give him a little bit of a show and sway my hips seductively when we get to that part. When the next song plays, I watch the count and join in again. Jade and I are having an amazing time but after the song ends, we head back to the guys who are smiling like crazy.
Barrick
Damn, I am one lucky guy. Watching Cadence sway her hips in that short dress is driving me crazy. She sure knows how to put on a show. After everything that happened yesterday I wasn’t sure what to expect, but seeing her dance and laugh with Jade makes me happy. I just hope this isn’t the calm before another storm.
I wrap my arms around Cadence’s waist once she reaches me. “I thought you hated country music,” I whisper to her.
She smiles. “I definitely don’t like it, but with Jade, I couldn’t resist.”
“Are you sure it was for Jade?” I smirk.
She just shrugs and we talk until the band takes a break. When the DJ plays a non-traditional country song, Cadence gives me a look. “Is this country? It doesn’t sound like it.”
“Yeah. Do you like it?” I ask her.
“It makes me wanna do this,” she says as she rolls her body in one fluid motion.
Hot-oh-mighty. Without saying anything, I take her by the hand and lead her to the dance floor. She shakes her head no, but I won’t let her escape. I look directly into her eyes and she gives in. We begin to move together and I realize we are the only ones on the dance floor. For the first time in my life, I’m thankful Jade always teaches me the newest dance moves because right now it’s paying off big time. As the song continues, I’m aware that others have joined us, but all I see is Cadence. When the song ends, I pull her in close to me. “You’re amazing,” I say to her as she tries to avoid looking me in the eyes. I lift her chin so her eyes meet mine. “You. Are. Amazing,” I say once more and just as I’m about to kiss her, I hear the downbeat of the drums and she jumps. “You want to take a break from this for a minute?” I ask, knowing we have a few minutes before midnight.
“This” —she gestures between us—“no, this country music, hell yes!” Without another word, I take her by her hand and lead her to the side door of The Loft. As I push the door open, the cool winter air envelops us. We pause at the railing and I wrap my arms around her to keep her warm as we look up at the clear night sky.