Free Hot Buttered Yum by Kim Law Page B

because
of that morning. Because he had seen her. As she’d been playing.
She knew he’d witnessed her feeling far more than fun and good times as she’d
played.
    She’d felt
exposed.
    And he was the
one who’d witnessed it.
    Melody squeezed
his arm again and when he looked down at her, she smiled brightly. He knew
she’d enjoyed herself today. Which made him wonder if this was the first time
she’d had such fun since her husband had passed. He hoped they won for her.
    Roni pulled the card
from the envelope and once again waved it in the air. The crowd started
shouting numbers of the contestants. He heard several sevens for them and gave
Melody a wink. She blew him a kiss in return.
    “And today’s
winner is …”
    “Seven!” someone
shouted from the audience.
    Melody laughed
and leaned into him to whisper, “That’s my friend, Rebecca.”
    “Lucas
Alexander,” Roni announced, “and his partner, Melody
Harper, from Savannah.”
    The crowd
whooped, Melody pumped an arm in the air, and Roni
headed their way with a gift basket.
    “Congratulations,”
she said, handing the basket to Melody. She turned brown eyes to his and he
knew they he had to talk. That night.
    The day had ended pleasantly enough, and
now all Roni wanted to do was head home and crawl
into bed. It had been a long day.
    First was everything
she’d felt when she’d stood from the piano that morning.
    Mrs. Rylander had been right. She wanted it. She wanted to be
back in front of the crowd night after night, doing what she loved.
    Then she’d
thought about the two-month sabbatical she’d taken after her last tour. Before
realizing she couldn’t go back to performing at all. She’d never been that low in
her life. Or alone. And she’d never wanted to feel
either again.
    She’d come close
to it today.
    Everything from
her past had hit her at once and she’d headed to her house to take refuge. She
hadn’t participated in the tree decorations, nor had she so much as cast a
single vote. That had not made Kayla happy, but Roni
had discovered she was still capable of having a day where it was not only hard
to raise her head off her pillow, but almost impossible to step outside and be around
other people. Kayla would just have to deal.
    Roni changed out of
her heels and slipped on the flip-flops she’d brought to the convention center with
her. She hadn’t driven over, so she would walk home. It was only half a mile.
    As she stepped out
onto the back deck, closing the door to the sounds of the band, she heard the
surf pounding below and drew in a deep breath of salty air. It was nearing eight
and close to high tide. She headed for the stairs. She’d prefer to walk home by
way of the beach and dig her toes in the sand. The dampness would give her a
jolt and help keep her from returning to where she’d spent most of the day’s
hours. But she didn’t want to risk ruining her dress, so she’d stick to the
sidewalks tonight.
    At the very
moment her foot touched the ground at the base of the steps, she heard the door
above her open and close. The stairs wound down in a way that ended up slightly
underneath the overwide deck. A heavy footfall landed
on the top step a couple of seconds later.
    She didn’t
wonder how she knew, but she had no doubt that it was Lucas who’d come out
after her. He’d been watching her all evening, though not with the same
flirtatious look he’d chased her with the night before.
    Tonight had been
different.
    He’d seen her
earlier when she’d ripped herself open with emotions, and he was apparently not
going to let it go without attempting to get her to talk about it. But she
didn’t want to talk.
    She also didn’t
want to hide tonight.
    She could use
someone holding her up for just a moment.
    Lucas appeared
at the bend in the stairs in worn jeans, cowboy boots, and a white button-down
under a sports jacket. He stared down at her. Roni
stood there waiting; she hadn’t made another move toward home. Pressure