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“C’mon Sam, don’t be such a party pooper. Come to the dance and have fun with us.” Kayla Brown gave her younger sister a sad puppy face.
“Thanks, but no thanks. You know I hate big crowds.” Sam set the sheet music next to her on the sofa.
“But you love to dance.”
“I do. But not when I feel like I’m dancing in a can of sardines.”
“I promise there’ll be plenty of room. It’s at the Monarch Beach Hotel. Remember how spacious it was when we celebrated Uncle Sean’s wedding?”
“I remember that place. It was huge.”
“No kidding. We’ll have lots of fun. There’ll be lots of games and even a drawing for a free trip to Hawaii.”
“Hawaii?” Sam’s voice perked up.
“That’s right. So what do you say?” Kayla had a mischievous grin on her face. “Peter Wood is going to be there.”
Sam lowered her brows. “Peter?” His name brought back a rush of memories. Peter had been her last and only boyfriend, and the only reason they had broken up was that he decided to relocate to Boston for a computer job.
The Peter she knew was kind and giving, but he wasn’t a believer, at least not when she knew him. And now that she was on a closer walk with God, she wasn’t sure anything serious could happen between them unless he had become a Christian during his time back east.
“How do you know he’s going to be there?”
“Because he asked about you.”
“He did?” There was interest in Sam’s voice.
“I hear he’s still single.” Kayla nudged her sister’s arm.
“Single?’ Sam tried to hide her growing interest.
“Yep, I think you should come to the dance with me. You never know what might happen.”
Sam shook her head with disapproval. “I’m not sure.”
“Oh, c’mon, Sam, you’re waitressing all day, singing at night, and working at the theatre on the weekends. You never take time out to have some fun. What’s one night going to hurt?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have to practice for our new show next month. I really want the lead role.”
“Okay, Sam. I was afraid it would come down to this.” Her sister picked up her cell phone and began to dial.
“What are you doing?” There was concern in Sam’s voice.
“Something for your own good.”
Sam recognized the look on her sister’s face and knew something was up.
“If you don’t go to the dance with me, I’m telling Mr. Computer Geek you’re dying to go out with him to the dance.”
Sam’s calm demeanor disappeared. “You wouldn’t.”
“Are you daring me?” Kay waved her finger ominously over the keypad.
Sam reached out to snatch the phone, almost knocking it to the ground. “Give that to me.”
Kay hid the device behind her back. “So, are you coming?”
Sam pressed her lips together as a sigh escaped her lungs. There were countless times when she hated Kay’s domineering personality. But in this case, Sam knew her older sister was right. Her love life was thriving like the Dead Sea, and if she didn’t work on her social life, there was the distinct possibility she would end up like her Aunt May, who was a spinster at the age of seventy-two.
“Alright, I’ll go.”
A smile broke out across Kay’s face. “Great. Now there’s the Sam I like to see. Just wait, you’ll have a great time, and who knows, maybe you’ll meet some hot guy.”
“With my luck, that probably won’t happen.”
“Oh, stop being a Debbie Downer. Just smile a lot and say something funny.”
“But I don’t know anything funny.”
“Really, Sam?”
“You forget, I haven’t dated anyone since Peter left.”
“Okay, I’m going to give you a crash course on pickup lines.”
“Is that really necessary?” Sam wrinkled her face with displeasure.
Kay set her hands on her waist. “Do you want to stay single all your life?”
Sam pictured a hunched version of herself alone at home eating a frozen dinner with two Yorkies by her feet. The thought of still being single at sixty was something she dreaded, especially because she wanted to raise her own children.
“Of course not.”
Kayla sat down on the cushion next to her, “Then this is how you approach a guy.”
