Never Say Never by Linda Hill

Thank you.” I was completely sincere, wishing that the music had continued longer. On impulse, and completely uncharacteristic of me, I dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. I was exhausted, but happy.
    “Will you come back then? Another night?” The crowd was thinning, making room for the show to begin.
    “Of course. I’d love to.”
    Billy hooted from the table. He was whistling as we got closer, pointing at the two of us, hooting and throwing catcalls. Then he and Michelle began teasing each other as my face grew redder and reality set in.
    I didn’t dare meet Sara’s eyes as I slid into the chair beside her.
    What must she be thinking?
    “Well, you certainly didn’t dance like that at the Christmas party last year.” Sara’s voice had that mocking lilt.
    I groaned inwardly and met her eyes, fully expecting to suffer the brunt of more teasing. She was smiling at me over the rim of a wine glass, one eyebrow raised.
    “I haven’t danced like that in years.” I felt defensive, exposed, and terribly uncomfortable.
    “Then you should do it more often.”
    Was that a compliment?
    She shook her head slowly and tsked with her tongue. “I had no idea.” she mused.
    What did that mean? I felt a warm hand on my elbow and turned to find Michelle’s dark eyes inches from mine. “It’s getting awfully late. I have to work tomorrow, so I have to leave now.”
    “Hmm.” I glanced at my watch. Nearly one o’clock. “Yeah, we should probably be leaving too.” Her hand was resting on my forearm now.
    “Will you tell me where you’re staying? We have a date, right?” She smiled hopefully.
    “Of course. The Ritz in Buckhead.”
    “Ooh, very nice,” she purred playfully. “No room number?” I laughed a bit uneasily. “I don’t like to give out my room number ...” As if I so often had occasion to do so.
    “I understand. I’ll call then, okay?”
    “Great. Thanks again for the dance and the drink.”
    “Entirely my pleasure.” She squeezed my hand and gave me a final smile before saying goodbye to Sara and Billy and threading her way toward the front door, waving to many as she went.
    The drive back to Buckhead was a relatively quiet one, with Billy monopolizing most of the conversation. I tried not to squirm too much as I fended off his comments and questions about Michelle. Sara remained strangely quiet.
    Sara was also noticeably absent the next day. I put my ear to the adjoining door, hoping that the silence on the other side didn’t mean anything. But she never appeared after breakfast. It wasn’t until after noon that Billy ran into me and mentioned that she had taken a morning flight back to Boston for the weekend.
    I don’t think he noticed my anxiety or confusion.

    God. Last night must have really put her off. You really blew it this time, Les, I chided myself. Blew what? It’s not as if there was something to blow.
    “I did hear from Michelle today, though,” Billy told me. “She wanted to call your hotel but didn’t know your last name. I hope it’s okay that I gave it to her.”
    “Of course.” My thoughts turned to Michelle, and I decided that if a message was waiting when I got back to my room, I wouldn’t bother returning to Boston that weekend.

Chapter 6
    I wasn’t disappointed. Michelle had left a message just after three o’clock, and I wasted no time returning the call. We agreed that she would pick me up for dinner at seven-thirty, and I found myself humming once the phone was firmly in its cradle.
    With two hours to kill, I paced nervously, wondering what I would do as I waited. I decided to call Susan. Although she was initially disappointed that I wouldn’t be coming home, she was excited when I told her about Michelle.
    “You dog,” she teased.
    “She’s hot, Susan.”
    “My type?”
    “Your type. My type.” We continued to banter for a while and, before finally hanging up the phone, I assured her that I would tell her all the details.
    I waited until precisely