Rider’s Block

23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter twenty-three

“Stars Like Confetti,” Dustin Lynch

B y this point in my trip, it should be no surprise that I should have inherent trust in anything Christine says, but I’m still surprised to see how right she is as I’m spinning my way across a dance floor under twinkly lights while a local band plays country favorites.

The sun has long set, and with its setting, the part of the day that everyone apparently had been waiting for was ready to commence. The band warmed up while everyone grabbed an over-charred but familiarly delicious burger and fries and made their way to the surrounding picnic tables. As song after song played, the mood continued to lift. All of the rodeo participants made their way to the concert after taking care of the livestock, and slowly but surely the dance floor started to fill up.

Since I’ve declared Dean and Penny to be my summer project, I’ve developed a keen awareness of their location and proximity to each other. So, I watch as Dean works his way over to where Penny and I are currently eating our burgers—only talking to guys, I notice—and sits down to join us. At first Penny’s back goes rigid, but Dean, to his credit, does a surprisingly admirable job playing it cool and talking to me first with a quick nod in Penny’s direction.

He talks about his roping, he talks about the pie contest and who he voted for—blueberry, which was good, sure, but not as good as banana cream—and then goes out of his way to talk about needing to go get a new pair of boots. I see where he’s going with it, the sly dog, so I shouldn’t be surprised at his calculated boldness when he looks over in Penny’s direction and asks:

“You still working the store Monday mornings?”

I can see the doubt in her eyes, weighing the pros and cons of participating in this conversation, but she glances my way once with a bit of a scowl before answering a simple “Yes.”

“Mind if I drop in for a quick look to see about some new boots?”

“Sure.”

I consider it a win, and so does Dean. When Penny looks down at her beer, Dean gives me the biggest grin I’ve ever seen from the man, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside for playing such a small part in this little love story I hope to watch unfold.

“Alright, California, looks like the floor is full enough for my liking, want to dance?”

I nod my affirmative and take a last bite of my burger before we head out. I can tell he’s on cloud nine just from the fact that he’s ahead of the beat of the music by a half step.

“She said yes.”

“She did.”

“She normally tells me to talk to someone else when I go in the store, so I think I’m making progress. I’m making progress! Did you do anything?”

“I only told her to keep an open mind, which is only fair since she’s trying to shove me towards the other Randall.”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up. I won’t blow it this time.”

“You’re doing great, Dean. I don’t think I realized how much you liked her—”

“I didn’t want to admit it because I didn’t think I stood a chance.”

“Well, you’re getting there. Just keep showing her that you want her, and only her, and I think she’ll get the picture.”

“Speaking of Randall sibling setups, I saw Eric smile again today, which I have you to thank for.” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down in a way that looks exactly like my brother. I think the two of them would get along just fine.

“No, you have Roper to thank for that. I nearly fell right into him. Have you seen Eric since the rodeo?”

“He’s right over there—” Dean spins me around so I can see Eric sitting with George and Nancy at a table, eating their dinner. “He seemed different after his ride. More determined. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was weird.”

“That ride was weird. I mean, I’m no expert—”

“No, you are not—” I pinch his elbow.

“But it just felt off.”

“He’ll figure it out. Tonight wasn’t important so he’ll hopefully shake it off and be ready for the next one.”

I spend the next hour spinning around between different partners. I keep an eye on Penny and Dean, hoping to see them together on the dance floor. But Dean is keeping to his cool act, and I have to applaud him for it. He doesn’t dance with anyone but me, Christine, or occasionally Nancy.

I, on the other hand, dance with what feels like every eligible bachelor for fifty miles. Even Jed takes a shot again, and I begrudgingly accept. He rode in the rodeo tonight again, and for a bull rider he sure feels clunky on the dance floor, but it doesn’t stop him from adding extra flair where flair isn’t needed. I’m about to dance with Colton again when I feel a firm hand on my lower back.

“Sorry, Colton, I need to talk with Mia.” Eric’s voice is determined, and it’s very apparent he’s not taking no for an answer. I quickly murmur my apologies to Colton as Eric leads me to the center of the dance floor. Having him holding my hand again feels like coming home after one of my long trips away. It’s comfortable, it’s safe, and it feels like I could get too familiar with it too quickly. As we walk away, I try to get a read on his demeanor. He doesn’t look angry anymore. He doesn’t look standoffish. He looks determined, resolute. The firm set of his shoulders has people parting like the Red Sea as we make our way across the dance floor. He’s been sitting at the picnic table all night, and I don’t want to admit how pleased I am that he finally decided to participate—but more specifically that he decided to participate with me. The way my heart is hammering against my chest proves Dean to be frustratingly right again. I just know I’m looking at those shoulders with puppy dog eyes as he leads us to an opening. I can’t help it. This guy draws me in like a moth to a flame.

Eric pulls me in close to dance, and the way his face is set matches the intention of his shoulders. We barely take our first step when he bends toward my ear.

“Sorry, Red, I just can’t take it anymore.” He’s pulling me in closer than usual as we dance across the floor, and I notice he’s steered us toward the back where he pulls me aside and around behind the barn. “I need you to tell me now. I need to know if you even want to have this conversation, but I’ve tried to avoid you and I just can’t do it anymore.”

“Eric, what are you—”

“I thought I needed to win first, but I couldn’t get you out of my head tonight and I feel like an idiot—”

“What are you talking about—”

“You!” He lets go of my hand to pace in front of me and I feel like I’m watching a whole new man emerge. “Ever since you got here I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. I thought I could just be your friend. And I tried. I tried to just be your friend. But the more time we spend together the more I know that’s not enough. So, I tried to distance myself again, and that just made it worse.” He keeps pacing back and forth by the barn and I’m watching him with what feels like my jaw on the ground. “We were on that stupid camping trip, and I just thought if I could keep far enough away, I could survive it. But it was fucking torture . I swear to God if you let me, we’re going to redo that trip, and we’re going to do it right. That was a fucking nightmare being next to you and not being able to do anything about it. And then other guys started dancing with you tonight and, fuck, I just…I just can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what, Eric? What are you talking about?”

“I want you. I want to try. I thought I couldn’t have you until I won on my own, but not having you is worse. I failed so miserably tonight, and it’s all my fault.”

“What are you saying? What about the NFR? Do you remember the ride home from the dance hall?”

“I remember everything clearly. I was an ass, and I’m sorry.”

“Eric, you weren’t an ass—”

“I was. I know it. I’ll make it up to you.”

“I don’t want a fling, Eric.”

“I don’t either.”

“This is really risky.”

“It’s worth it.”

“I leave in less than two months.”

“Let’s just take it a step at a time.”

“Are you afraid of the distraction?”

“I’m more afraid of losing my shot with you.”

“Don’t say those things if you don’t mean it.”

“I mean it, Red. I’ll prove it to you.”

“I don’t want to be the reason you settle.”

“I want you to be the reason I win.” There’s a subtle smile on his face that I can’t help but lean toward. The giggly side of the helium feeling in my chest seems to be dangerously close to winning.

“I’m nervous.”

“Me too.” There’s a boom that has me jumping three feet in the air as Eric chuckles and pulls me into the type of hug I’ve been thinking about for two weeks. He rests his chin on my head while I settle into realizing the boom was the start of the fireworks show. We watch it together, me in his arms as the next explosions hit the sky in a medley of colorful displays. He takes me back to the dance floor where everyone is slowly dancing so they can watch the show, and we spend the next dance mixed in a crowd of people who have no idea how much the axis of my world just shifted.

Three dances later I’m breathless for a variety of different reasons, chief among them being the fact that I danced all of them with Eric. Someone politely tried to cut in, but after Eric leveled him a stare that let him know exactly what he thought of that idea, the poor guy graciously tipped his hat and headed to find someone else. I didn’t mind one bit. Eric has always been my favorite dancing partner, anyways.

As the dance floor clears Eric walks me back over to my car, using his hand on my back to guide me. He’s had a small smile on his face the whole night, and I keep having to remind myself that it would be rather unbecoming to break out into a giggle fit. That will just have to wait until I make it home. When we get to my little red Prius he opens the door for me like the true gentleman he is, and for a fleeting second, I think he’s about to kiss me.

He leans in, effectively boxing me into the opening of my car, but instead of kissing me he decides to prove to me that, once again, he’s going to do this whole thing his way.

“I’ve thought about this since the day you blew that tire, Red. Let me show you how much I want this.”

And wasn’t that just a little terrifying.