One Last Dance

by Nancy Stopper

  Applause broke out through the crowd, and Carla’s whistle again brought them back to attention. Joey made a quick check, happy to see his waiters and waitresses circling among the crowd, passing out glasses of beer to the adults in attendance.

  “The last person I’d like to introduce—for those of you who may not know her—Gold Star mother, Mrs. Ellen McBride.”

  His friend Kyle’s mom stepped up from where she’d been standing behind the bar. Joey wrapped his arms around her, drawing comfort from the motherly hug she returned. She’d been like a second mother to him, and it hurt to know that Kyle was no longer with them. He whispered in her ear. “You ready for this?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  With his arm firmly around her waist, he continued. “Today is a very special day. Memorial Day originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official holiday in 1971. Memorial Day honors those who have died in service to our country. Among all of the picnics, parades, and barbeques, it’s important we don’t lose sight of the fact that our freedom has been bought and paid for with the lives of those who have chosen to serve our country and protect the freedoms we celebrate today.”

  A hush fell over the crowd and tears welled in Joey’s eyes. He closed them for a moment. “Today, I’m happy to announce J.J.’s will be honoring a special fallen soldier on this Memorial Day, and every day from here on out. Starting today, we will be serving Honor Beer on tap and in bottles. Honor Brewing Company, based in Virginia, is dedicated to honoring the men and women who have served our country, as well as their families. It’s a cause very near and dear to my heart, as my good friend and fellow Oak Grove resident Kyle McBride lost his life two years ago, serving our country in Afghanistan.”

  Many people lowered their heads and shuffled their feet. “To honor Kyle and his service, I’ve added a new tap. A special Tribute Tap, specifically designed by the Honor Brewing Company, is taking a place of honor in my bar. I’d like to read what it says.”

  “This is for you, Kyle. Miss you, bud.

  Lieutenant Kyle Jacob McBride, date of birth: September twenty-fifth, nineteen ninety, Rest in Peace, July twenty-third, two thousand fourteen. Hooah!”

  Joey’s hand shook as he filled two glasses for Clyde and Mrs. McBride before pouring his own. After tapping his mug to Kyle’s mom’s, he raised his above his head.

  “On this Memorial Day, and every day, we honor and recognize the families that lost a son or daughter in combat. Join us and raise a glass for the families that sacrificed so much for our freedom. This is for you, Mrs. McBride, and for Kyle.”

  “Cheers,” rang out from the crowd as Joey lowered his glass and drew a long gulp. Across the yard, his gaze met Brittany’s, tears rolling down her cheeks but a smile on her face. A smile directed at him.

  Chapter Eleven

  BRITTANY’S SMILE GREW bigger as Joey tried, but failed, to work his way through the crowd to her. Each step he took, someone else stopped him to shake his hand, pat him on the back, or pull him into a hug. So many people—so many families—affected.

  She couldn’t believe she’d only known him for three days. The time they’d spent together was so intense, it felt like so much longer. In this short time, she’d learned more about him than any other guy she’d dated. And she’d revealed a lot about her, too. A lot more than she’d shared with others. But she hadn’t shared everything and doubted she ever would. Everything she knew about him, his life in this small town mattered the most, and she just couldn’t get involved in a small town again.

  During his presentation, she’d followed his gaze when it landed on a small, thin woman standing at the back. The gesture he’d given her, one she’d reluctantly returned, could mean only one thing—his sister.

  Brittany had watched the woman for a long time as Joey kept talking. She hadn’t liked what she’d seen. The man beside Joey’s sister wrapped his arm around her, not with warmth and love, but in a possessive way. Rachel had visibly stiffened when he did, and Brittany’s heart broke then and there. Joey said they didn’t like the man Rachel was dating, and now Brittany knew why—he was abusing her. Or, at a minimum, intimidating her. Brittany knew it as sure as she knew anything in her life. Because the look on Rachel’s face resembled one Brittany’d seen on her mother’s face on more than one occasion.

  Convinced Joey couldn’t break free from the crowd on his own, she grabbed her bottle and pushed through the crowd toward him. After squeezing past several couples and families, she finally reached his side. He extended his hand, almost instinctively, and pulled her to him without stopping his conversation. She stood a few minutes, his fingers stroking her gently from time to time, until he finished.

  “Brittany, I’d like to introduce you to David, one of the partners in Honor Brewing. He came up today to help with the launch.”

  Brittany extended her hand and David shook it. “Nice to meet you, David. I’m really impressed with your company. Do you have any locations in New York City yet?”

  “Thanks, Brittany. We’re pretty proud of it, and so happy Joey added Honor Beer on tap and in bottles. We aren’t in New York yet, but we’re hoping.”

  “I had the Pale Ale in a bottle last night and the IPA today—they were both great.”

  “Thanks. I’ll make sure to pass that on to our brewer.”

  “Please do.”

  David turned back to Joey. “Listen, Joey, this has been great, but I gotta get on the road. I’m hoping to catch my son’s baseball game tonight.”

  “Absolutely. Thanks for coming up. I think it went over well.”

  As David walked away, Joey steered Brittany away from the crowd to a quiet corner of the building. He leaned against the wall and enveloped her in his arms. For a moment they stood, her head on his chest, his head resting on hers. With her eyes closed, she breathed in his scent, musky but fresh and clean. She was surprised at how contented she felt, being held in his arms. This certainly hadn’t turned out to be the weekend she’d expected when she’d left New York on Friday afternoon.

  Eventually, Joey nudged her away and looked into her eyes, his gaze boring deep. If she wasn’t careful, he’d see straight into her, and she’d be helpless to hide her many secrets.

  “What did you think?”

  “I loved it. Not a dry eye in the house. I’m so glad I was here to see it. I’m so proud of you.”

  He settled her against him once again, and this time his hand grasped her neck. What could have been restraining and possessive instead felt comfortable. He nudged her chin up and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Thanks for being here with me today.”

  He slid her around so she stood beside him, their backs to the building, watching the party that had spun into a dull roar following his presentation. Happy kids skipped around, tossing balls or Frisbees, and a few ran in and out of the woods behind the bar. Some of the adults set up lawn chairs and blankets on the patio and around the grass.

  Brittany sighed. She would have loved a barbeque like this when she was a child. She and her sister hadn’t had many opportunities to enjoy the simple things her town had to offer. Brittany studied the faces of the families. How many hid bruises under makeup or clothes? Their bruises could have been inside, the emotional ones hurting so much deeper than the physical ones.

  She snapped her head back to Joey. “Did I see your sister earlier?”

  Joey popped up from the building, immediately scanning the crowd. “Damn. Yes, I forgot. I meant to go find her when I finished. Come on.”

  He tugged on Brittany’s hand and towed her behind him. She caught up with him, but he didn’t release her, instead stroking his thumb over her knuckles as they wound through the crowds. Eventually, she spotted the couple standing off to the side, the man towering over the woman who seemed to shrink into herself with each word he spat at her.

  She pointed them out to Joey and his pace quickened. His voice was clipped when he finally spoke. “Hey Rachel, Shane.”

 
; Rachel leapt back in surprise but quickly regrouped. She hadn’t fooled Brittany. She caught Rachel’s gaze and tried to convey comfort and sympathy, knowing they would have to tread carefully.

  “Hey, Joey. Congratulations,” his sister said, her voice weak, her eyes not meeting her brother’s.

  “Hi, Rachel. I’m Brittany. I’m a friend of Joey’s.” She offered her hand. After staring at Brittany’s hand for a moment, Rachel accepted the offering. Brittany wrapped her other around their clasped hands and squeezed. Her voice calm, she continued. “I’m so glad to meet you.”

  Brittany held onto Rachel’s hand until Rachel finally looked into Brittany’s eyes. Rachel’s eyes told a story only Brittany heard. She scrambled to think of the words she would have wanted to hear growing up, something that would have brought her comfort when things felt hopeless. But words escaped her. So she did the only thing she knew to do, she released Rachel’s hand and enveloped her in a hug.

  Rachel hesitated a moment before hugging Brittany back. Before releasing Rachel, Brittany whispered in her ear. “Your brother loves you very much. He’s here for you.”

  Rachel released Brittany and spared her another weak smile. Beside Brittany, Joey’s shoulders stiffened, his jaw clenched, and his lips pursed in a tight line.

  “I just asked why Rachel wasn’t at dinner yesterday. In case she hadn’t told you, Shane, it’s sort of a tradition in our family. And she hasn’t been much recently.” Joey shifted his attention to Rachel. “Mom and Dad miss you, Rach. We all do. Maybe you can cover a shift or two this week?”

  “Maybe.” She didn’t meet Joey’s eyes, instead focusing on her shuffling feet in the pine needles on the ground. Brittany placed her hand on Joey’s shoulder, squeezing and urging him to relax. Every word seemed to upset Rachel further and spin up Shane’s anger. As Joey spoke, Shane’s jaw was tight and he squeezed Rachel’s shoulder even harder.

  “Come on, Rachel. It’s time to go.” Shane pulled Rachel away from them, toward the front of the building and the parking lot.

  “I’ll text you,” Joey yelled before they rounded the corner. As soon as they stepped out of sight, Joey spun around, his muscles tensing beneath Brittany’s hand. He ran his fingers through his hair before bringing his arms down, his hands clenched in fists.

  “Dammit!”

  “Okay, Joey. Calm down. You’re not doing Rachel any good by getting angry at her.”

  “What do you know about it?” he spat at Brittany.

  She reeled. Her shoulders rounded of their own accord, and tears welled in her eyes. She lowered her head. How many times had a voice like that spat ugly words at her mother, herself or her sister? But she wasn’t that girl anymore. She was a strong woman who would no longer be bullied by anyone. Especially by a man.

  “I know enough,” she said and stared at him until realization crossed his face. “My mother… and my father.”

  Joey immediately relaxed and his gaze softened. He slid his hands over her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Brittany. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m not angry at Rachel or you. I want to beat the shit out of Shane. I feel so helpless. We’ve tried everything to get through to her, and nothing works.”

  Brittany relaxed and breathed out the breath she’d been holding. Not once had she ever been given a sincere apology by her father. His venom was typically followed by all the reasons her mother had caused him to get angry.

  Joey didn’t understand the impact his outburst had on her. She could try to explain it to him, but until you lived it, you didn’t really get it. “The one thing I know for sure. Rachel won’t leave until she’s ready. If you try to make her leave, you’ll just drive her deeper into the bad situation.”

  Joey reached for Brittany. “Are you sure you’re an architect and not a shrink?”

  She laughed, pulling away from him. She wanted to see his eyes as she spoke to him. “Feels like it some days. I’m speaking from experience. I watched my mother get emotionally, and often physically, beat down by my father… for years. But she never left. She put up with it.”

  “No one ever did anything to stop him?”

  That was what had been wrong with her hometown… and the reason why she could never live in a small town again, despite her growing feelings for Joey. “No one. There’s no way some of my mother’s bruises could have been ignored…” or Brittany’s, either. “But my father was friends with the sheriff and he turned a blind eye. Too many times. I left the minute I turned eighteen.”

  “Joey,” the blonde bartender from the other night hollered across the yard to him.

  “Hold on, Carla,” he yelled back. He looked Brittany in the eye. “Do you have anything else planned today?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Good. Please don’t leave. I want to continue this conversation, and I haven’t spent nearly enough time with you today, but I have to take care of some things. We’re ending around seven, and then I’m closed for the rest of the night.”

  “Okay.”

  He tugged her into the circle of his arms, lowering his head and taking her in a searing kiss. She sank into his embrace, enjoying the sensation of his hands on her body as they trailed down her back and rested on her ass. With a final squeeze, he released her. “Later.”

  “Later,” she whispered to his back as he jogged across the patio.

  Chapter Twelve

  BRITTANY SAT. LONG after the music died down, she sat. After the last customers left and the trash had been collected, she sat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d just sat and relaxed.

  But relaxing also gave her mind a chance to spin. Joey’s sister was at the forefront of Brittany’s thoughts. What could she do about Rachel? Brittany could talk to Joey, but he seemed powerless to help. More than that, though… what was she doing here at all? She had no intention of starting a relationship with Joey. She was having fun—that was it. A fun, no-strings-attached weekend.

  Whatever happens in Oak Grove stays in Oak Grove, right?

  As darkness fell, the sounds of night grew. The chirping of the spring peepers in the woods, the swoosh of the leaves on the trees as a gentle wind blew across the tops. She grabbed the edges of her sweater and pulled them closer against the cool air chilling her skin, tucking her feet under her butt in the large Adirondack chair. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the subtle twinkle of early lightning bugs flitting around in the woods behind the restaurant began to flicker. Tilting her head, she studied the blanket of sparkling white lights dotting the inky canvas of the night sky. She’d forgotten how bright the stars could shine when away from the city.

  With her face turned to the sky, she felt, rather than saw, Joey approach her chair. When had she become so in tune with him? The width of his body completely filled the space in front of her, blocking the brightness of the stars. As she locked her gaze on his, he placed his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned down until his mouth hovered a breath from hers. He paused, a questioning look in his eye. She answered his question when she cupped his cheeks and closed the distance between them. Her tongue darted out, tracing the seam of his lips, and he opened to her, the sweet taste of beer on his tongue as he caressed her mouth with his.

  Before she realized it, he’d picked her up and changed places with her, her body stretched across his lap. Eventually, he pulled back from the kiss, his breathing ragged as he rested his forehead on hers. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” she whispered back, their voices sounding loud in the quiet of the evening. “You get everything finished up?”

  “I did. Thanks for being patient and waiting for me. I really didn’t expect it to take so long.”

  “You had a lot of people who wanted to talk to you today.”

  His arms tightened around her, and she sank into his lap, his body forming a cocoon around hers. With his head resting on hers, they sat, neither wanting to break the comfortable silence that enveloped them.

  “I’m ready to head out.” He paused. “Would you
come back to my place?”

  She hesitated for a moment before remembering What happens in Oak Grove, stays in Oak Grove. She sat up so her eyes met his. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Joey stood, Brittany still in his arms. He released her slowly, pressing his lips to hers as she slid down his body, her soft curves brushing against his hard muscles. And one especially large muscle.

  She gasped.

  “Can I drive you?”

  Now he asks. “You’ll have to. Karen took the car home a long time ago.”

  “Perfect. You’ll be at my mercy.”

  “That right, huh?”

  After pulling his keys from his pocket, he threaded his fingers through hers, and together they walked around the building. He deposited her in the passenger seat of his truck and hurried around the front.

  Joey drove the short distance to a section of town Brittany hadn’t visited. A cute row of houses lined their drive. Broad trees with branches full of leaves stretched wide over the street. A well-kept sidewalk wound its way in front of his house. She could just picture bikers and joggers and kids playing on a sunny day. Families lived on this street. Families like hers. This street, these houses, resembled her middle-class home growing up. What secrets lurked behind the dark windows and curtains of the normal-looking houses? Appearances could be deceiving, as she well knew.

  Joey pulled into a gravel driveway, the bright shining of the moon illuminating the pale-yellow clapboards and green shutters of his house.

  “Wait right here,” he said before he hopped out and rounded the front of the truck. The door beside her opened, a blast of cool air slamming into her.

  She shivered.

  Joey settled her into his embrace. “Cold?”