PJ.” His full red beard tickled her cheek as he nodded to the couple dancing past them. “How you been?”
As big as Dickie was, Nick would’ve clocked him for calling her that. It pissed him off enough when she called herself Plain Jayne, but when someone else did … look out.
“I’m good. You?” She had no idea what he said after that because it took all of her focus to keep her legs from swinging around and hitting the people around them.
By the time she returned to the table, Carter was nowhere to be seen, but his jacket hung on the back of his chair, so he couldn’t be far. Nick and his girlfriend were talking to a couple several tables down, so Jayne sat down and sipped her beer, slow and steady.
The combination of that first Tylenol and beer had managed to take the edge off her headache a little, but after being swung around like a rag doll for five minutes, the edge was back with a vengeance. She pulled out the Tic Tac container in her pocket, now home to three more Tylenols, and downed a second one.
Whoever thought mixing pain meds with alcohol was a bad idea had no idea what they were talking about. Neither one seemed to be helping her head at all.
For the next while, she wandered through the crowd, talking and laughing with people she hadn’t seen in years, including Regan Burke, who now owned a salon downtown.
“Are you living here again or just visiting?” Regan shrugged out of her date’s grasp, then held her palm up in front of his chest. “Just a minute.”
“I’m back. Gonna see if I can get Gran’s store reopened.”
“That’s great.” The guy was back, pulling on her arm. “Come by the salon next week, we’ll catch up.”
Jayne waved her off with a smile and was soon swallowed up by more people, some of whom insisted they’d been such good friends and it was such a shame they hadn’t kept in touch. Uh-huh. Terrible shame.
Brett Hale stood guard by the door, and as serious as he’d looked earlier, it was nothing compared to how he looked in full uniform with a 9mm strapped to his hip. They talked for a few minutes, but when Dickie tried to stumble past him, Brett quickly relieved him of his keys and helped him outside to a cab.
Every time Jayne caught sight of Carter, he was talking to a different girl, and whenever Nick’s gaze found hers, he’d raise his brow in his silent way of asking if she was okay. It was fun to see everyone, and she found if she didn’t move too fast, and if she wasn’t bumped too hard, she could almost control the pounding in her head.
“There’s my little Jaynie.”
“Doc!”
Standing in front of her table, Dr. Scott wrapped her in a long, tight hug, then kissed her cheek and held her at arm’s length. “So good to have you back.”
“When did you get here?” Out of his grasp, she sank into her chair, then pointed at one for him to take.
“Little while ago.” He leaned closer, the minty smell of toothpaste on his breath. “I got stuck talking to T-Squared by the door.”
Almost completely gray now, his hair gave him that distinguished look some men lucked into, and it didn’t hurt that he was a handsome man to start with.
“Is Mrs. Scott with you?”
Doc shook his head. “Too loud for her. I’m only here to have a dance with my Jaynie, then I’m gone.”
Jayne eyed him carefully, taking in the tiny smile tipping his mouth and the way his hazel eyes, so much like Nick’s, twinkled.
“Please tell me you didn’t …” She tried to push her chair back, but it butted up against the boards just as the song’s first chords blasted through the speakers. “Doc!”
Dr. Scott wasn’t listening to a word she said. He simply took her hand and tugged her out to the middle of the floor where a few others had already lined up. Neither Nick nor Carter was among them. No, the two of them stood off to the side, grinning like the idiots they were.
When her glares didn’t seem to have any effect on them, Jayne shrugged and
As big as Dickie was, Nick would’ve clocked him for calling her that. It pissed him off enough when she called herself Plain Jayne, but when someone else did … look out.
“I’m good. You?” She had no idea what he said after that because it took all of her focus to keep her legs from swinging around and hitting the people around them.
By the time she returned to the table, Carter was nowhere to be seen, but his jacket hung on the back of his chair, so he couldn’t be far. Nick and his girlfriend were talking to a couple several tables down, so Jayne sat down and sipped her beer, slow and steady.
The combination of that first Tylenol and beer had managed to take the edge off her headache a little, but after being swung around like a rag doll for five minutes, the edge was back with a vengeance. She pulled out the Tic Tac container in her pocket, now home to three more Tylenols, and downed a second one.
Whoever thought mixing pain meds with alcohol was a bad idea had no idea what they were talking about. Neither one seemed to be helping her head at all.
For the next while, she wandered through the crowd, talking and laughing with people she hadn’t seen in years, including Regan Burke, who now owned a salon downtown.
“Are you living here again or just visiting?” Regan shrugged out of her date’s grasp, then held her palm up in front of his chest. “Just a minute.”
“I’m back. Gonna see if I can get Gran’s store reopened.”
“That’s great.” The guy was back, pulling on her arm. “Come by the salon next week, we’ll catch up.”
Jayne waved her off with a smile and was soon swallowed up by more people, some of whom insisted they’d been such good friends and it was such a shame they hadn’t kept in touch. Uh-huh. Terrible shame.
Brett Hale stood guard by the door, and as serious as he’d looked earlier, it was nothing compared to how he looked in full uniform with a 9mm strapped to his hip. They talked for a few minutes, but when Dickie tried to stumble past him, Brett quickly relieved him of his keys and helped him outside to a cab.
Every time Jayne caught sight of Carter, he was talking to a different girl, and whenever Nick’s gaze found hers, he’d raise his brow in his silent way of asking if she was okay. It was fun to see everyone, and she found if she didn’t move too fast, and if she wasn’t bumped too hard, she could almost control the pounding in her head.
“There’s my little Jaynie.”
“Doc!”
Standing in front of her table, Dr. Scott wrapped her in a long, tight hug, then kissed her cheek and held her at arm’s length. “So good to have you back.”
“When did you get here?” Out of his grasp, she sank into her chair, then pointed at one for him to take.
“Little while ago.” He leaned closer, the minty smell of toothpaste on his breath. “I got stuck talking to T-Squared by the door.”
Almost completely gray now, his hair gave him that distinguished look some men lucked into, and it didn’t hurt that he was a handsome man to start with.
“Is Mrs. Scott with you?”
Doc shook his head. “Too loud for her. I’m only here to have a dance with my Jaynie, then I’m gone.”
Jayne eyed him carefully, taking in the tiny smile tipping his mouth and the way his hazel eyes, so much like Nick’s, twinkled.
“Please tell me you didn’t …” She tried to push her chair back, but it butted up against the boards just as the song’s first chords blasted through the speakers. “Doc!”
Dr. Scott wasn’t listening to a word she said. He simply took her hand and tugged her out to the middle of the floor where a few others had already lined up. Neither Nick nor Carter was among them. No, the two of them stood off to the side, grinning like the idiots they were.
When her glares didn’t seem to have any effect on them, Jayne shrugged and
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