Chapter Thirty-Nine

Kit dashed to the reception room, passing through the slow-moving throng of those finding their seats. She consulted her seat card, table four. No one was there yet, chairs empty, place settings sparkling and untouched.

She surveyed the room. No Shane. She hoped he hadn’t given up and left.

She backtracked to the bar and peered through the doorway where guests were gathered. She elbowed her way through the clusters of people.

“Looking for someone?”

She turned to the voice. Brian.

“Oh, hi. Um, congratulations, Brian.”

“Thank you. You look great, Kit, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

A heavy pause hung in the air between them.

“Are you happy, Kit?”

I hope so. I hope it’s not too late to convince Shane I believe him.

“I don’t think it should take that long to answer the question.” Brian’s eyes danced with that superiority he liked to flaunt. He chugged whatever brown liquid was in his short square glass. “I’ve got to go in there and try to remember my dance steps.” He made a face. “The things we do for love.”

Yes! Love made you do crazy things.

She tilted her head and offered him a smile. “Be happy, Brian. Take care of my cousin. Now I need to find Shane.”

Her cell phone vibrated in her small purse, and she withdrew the device and connected the call.

“Hey, kid.”

“Hi, Hop. You okay?”

“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You could be having another crisis. Like maybe you found another kitten or something.” His chuckle in her ear made her grin. She loved the old guy.

“Are you always a wise guy?”

“Not always. Just with you.”

“Ha ha. Listen, where’s your mother? I looked everywhere but the ladies’ room. She hiding on me?”

“We were just taking pictures on the stairs. Everyone’s going in for dinner.”

“Oh, okay. Did Shane find you?”

“He did, but our conversation got interrupted. I was just about to go find him.”

“I warned him, you know. From day one I warned him.”

“Warned him about what?”

Hop blew out a whoosh of air. “About you. I told him not to fall for you because you were trouble with a capital T.”

“I am not.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Is that all, old man?”

“No. I called to tell you that boy’s one good kid. He’s honest and smart. Tomorrow when he accepts his certificate at the fire academy, I’m going to be there to hand it to him. The new regime said Irish requested me. That’s what kind of man he is. Loyal.”

“That’s wonderful, Hop.”

“You’re going to be there, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

He chuckled. “Red’s coming, too. How about that.”

“How about that.” She smiled against the device she held to her ear. Mom and Hop. Who knew?

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Wait till you see my new toy, kid.”

“What’d you get?”

“A camper. A honey of a camper. Going to do it, Kit. Going to have an adventure.”

“Good for you, Hop.” A tear stung her eye. “I’m so glad for you.”

“And if I play my cards right, that pain-in-the-ass mother of yours might be coming along with me.”

Mom in a camper? Her brain couldn’t wrap around that idea, but it made her chuckle.

“What about Smokey?”

“You’re going to watch him. You owe me, remember.”

“That’s a deal.”

“Hey, I see your mother. I’ve got to go. Oh cripes, wait till you hear this—she’s even got me dancing.”

****

Kit stood at the entrance of the ballroom. The band played a familiar old favorite from the Sinatra era, and the bride and groom danced in the center of the parquet dance floor. Other couples danced around them, all taking the same measured steps, their movements in unison. Hop and Mom kind of swayed side-to-side but didn’t actually go anywhere. Now and then Mom lifted her head and laughed with her mouth open.

Her eyes found Shane. On the edge of the dance floor, one foot on the parquet, the other on the dark blue carpeting, he danced with Abigail in her flower-girl dress, and she looked up at him, eyes wide, broad grin cutting across her face. They ignored the other dancers and made their own steps. He twirled Abigail, and she pirouetted as she’d promised, moving as she’d learned in dance class with one arm held gracefully in the air. Kit’s heart squeezed and expanded in her chest. That was Shane—spontaneous, taking his own steps, no calculations, moving with the flow. She loved him.

She made her way across the room as the music changed to a faster, upbeat song with a lot of percussion. Most of the choreographed dancers left the dance floor and went back to their seats. Abigail dashed off at her mother’s call, and Shane made his way across the dance floor.

She squared her shoulders and stepped toward him, her heels clicking on the parquet. He stopped and stared at her.

“Care to dance?” she asked. “I’m not much of a dancer, but I’d like to try.”

He tilted his head, the one side of his mouth curving up into a half smile. “All you have to do is go with it.”

“A wise man once told me all you had to do was let yourself feel it.”

He slipped his arms around her waist. Being in his arms was like coming home, and she pressed closer. He swayed left and then swayed right. His words came out in a whisper. “And do you, Kit? Do you feel it?”

She held his gaze. She placed a hand to her own chest. “I feel it here.” She kissed him. “I love you, Fireman.”

He tucked his head and whispered so close it tickled her ear. “I love you, Kit. Only you. For now and for always.”

“I can’t believe this has happened. This is crazy.” She laughed to keep the tears that filled her eyes from falling.

“It is. But I have something even crazier to say. Ready?”

Maybe. No. Screw maybe.

She uttered a breathless “Yes.”

“Okay. Kit Baxter, one of these days I’m going to marry you.”

A smile claimed her lips. “And when that happens, I’ll be wearing a pink dress with a rhinestone buckle.”

He laughed. “That I gotta see.”

“Oh, you will, Shane. You will.”

And she fell into step with the music, aware yet uncaring that she didn’t know what the heck she was doing with her feet. The only direction she needed was there in the green eyes of her fireman.