Page 149 of Jack

The singer came back, reprised the ending, slowly, sweetly, and Emberly backed away, taking his hands, met his eyes. Oh, he had beautiful blue eyes.

I’m glad you’re alive.She wanted to say it but parked the words inside.

Then as the song died, he twirled her out.

She let go. And without looking back, walked off the dance floor, down the stairs, and out the door.

Mission accomplished.

FIFTEEN

Jack couldn’t stop singingor humming the song, the lyrics stuck in his head.“I’ve had the time of my life.”

He didn’t want the night—right now—to end. And maybe that was pitiful, but . . .

The wedding was over. Tomorrow Harper would leave and . . .

“Best part of the wedding is the leftover cake.” Doyle leaned against a counter in the kitchen of the inn, his tie off, his shirt sleeves rolled up, holding a massive piece of cake.

“Right?” Conrad, similarly attired, unpeeled a cupcake.

Austen had changed clothes, wearing a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt, helping clean up the kitchen after the catering crew left. She was bagging garbage, tying it.

“Austen—sit down,” said Harper, who sat wearing the big socks Jack had snagged from the emergency supply his mother kept for guests. “We can clean tomorrow.”

We?He liked how that sounded. He set down his cake plate. “I want to know who Stein was dancing with.”

He cast a glance at his brother, who had come back into the house after taking out one of Austen’s garbage bags.

“What?”

“That beautiful blonde you danced with tonight. Who was she?”

Stein lifted a shoulder. “She looked like she wanted to dance, so . . .” He hoisted Austen’s closed bag.

“That was some dancing. Who knew you had moves?”

“We have the same mother. Same dance classes.”

“No way,” Conrad said. “Mom never taught usthat.”

One side of Stein’s mouth lifted up as he headed out the door.

“I want to know how you learned the crew dance, Jack,” Harper said. She had finished off another cupcake too.

“YouTube video. Last night. Over and over.”

“He practiced in the bathroom. The light was on after midnight,” Conrad added. “Always has to be the best.”

Jack gave them anof courselift of his shoulder.

Even Harper laughed.

And everything inside him longed to walk across the room, take her in his arms, and tell her he loved her.

Loved, yes. Enough lying to himself. He loved Harper Malone. And if that meant him moving to Nashville and setting up camp . . . well, there were plenty of lost people in the South, right?

Maybe he’d even take the bar. Again.