Keeley"s frantic racing around the roller rink continued until a song ended and an announcement came over the speakers.
"Alright everyone, clear the track! It"s time to put the connections you"ve made tonight to use. Couples skate only for the next ten minutes!"
She skidded to a stop, annoyed. She was really getting into her groove too.
Smoothly skating towards the exit, she found Ryan waiting there with a sheepish expression on his face.
"Hey…so this girl has been following me around on and off and will probably ask me to do the couples skate with her and I don"t know how to say no. Could you do it with me instead?"
Well, she did owe him one for the time he went drinking with her. It wouldn"t be the end of the world.
"Sure, let"s go. I didn"t want to stop skating anyway. But I"m fast; can you keep up with me?"
"I think so."
The rule of the couples skate was that you had to hold hands and skate next to your partner. Keeley had never held hands with a man other than Aaron. It felt like a nice little act of rebellion since she was still angry at him.
She wasn"t kidding about going fast; Ryan gripped her hand for dear life as he struggled to keep up with her as she flew around the track.
This wasn"t so bad. Pulling a weight as she went was half-decent exercise.
===
Cameron was a bit surprised by how much attention from the ladies he was getting at this party.
He wasn"t the same nerdy-looking guy he was in college, but that was mainly because his eating and sleeping habits improved and he could afford decent skincare. He stopped being clean shaven because well-maintained stubble became popular. Getting thinner, more stylish gla.s.ses probably helped too.
His pirate costume got a lot of compliments and he managed to score three girls" phone numbers. Not bad for an hour of socializing.
Cameron was actually quite good at roller skating because his ex-girlfriend used to make him practice skate moves with her but he spent most of his time chatting with people rather than in the rink. That is, until he saw a semi familiar yellow blur zoom by where he was seated four times.
He knew that pineapple dress.
Pardoning himself from his companion to go skate for a while, he went to get a closer look. His eyes weren"t deceiving him; that was definitely Keeley Hall. What on earth was she doing at a singles party?
Did his boss know about this? He said she was going to a party with her friends…
He tried cutting across the rink to get closer and possibly introduce himself. His curiosity about the boss" woman had been eating him alive since Aiden told him how normal she was.
The middle of the rink was usually empty or used by people trying to do fancy tricks or dance moves. Cameron was so preoccupied with his goal that he didn"t notice a girl skating backward and executing complicated spins until she spun right into him.
Reflexively, he caught her in a dip. The wheels on her skates were still rolling so he stuck his foot out in front of hers to stop her completely.
Her sparkling emerald green eyes, unable to be fully obscured by the thick-framed gla.s.ses she wore, gazed up at his face in shock. She was breathing heavily and Cameron"s heart began to pound.
It was as if the world around them had stopped. The sounds, the lights, the other skaters…everything faded away in the magic of the moment.
Cameron gathered his wits about him as the moment broke. "Sorry, I wasn"t looking where I was going."
The woman laughed, showcasing pearly white teeth. "I"m the one who was skating backwards. Thanks for the save."
He released her and gave her a subtle once-over. She was wearing a hipster Little Mermaid costume. Her true hair color was obscured by an obvious wig. A mermaid and a pirate. Their costumes even sort of matched.
"What"s your name? I"m Cameron Singleton," he said hastily, holding his hand out for a shake.
Her hand was warm and soft as she accepted the handshake. "Jennica Stevens."
Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that it was time for couples only skating. He wasn"t about to waste this opportunity.
"Since we"re here…would you like to be my partner for the couples skate?"
A surprised smile lit her face. "Sure!"
As most of the skaters cleared off the floor trying to find a partner, Jennica slipped her hand into his and urged him forward. "So…what"s your skill level? I"m a dancer so I can do a bunch of tricks but I"m cool with just going around the track if you can"t keep up."
Cameron sent a silent thank you to his ex off into the void. "Actually, I know how to skate-dance too."
She raised an eyebrow. "Alright hot shot show me what you can do."
He rose to the challenge, clasping her other hand and beginning to skate backward. His ex-girlfriend Melody was a dance teacher who loved all things athletic. She taught him an entire ch.o.r.eographed skate dance once. He was curious if this girl could keep up.
The dance consisted of a lot of switching arms, spinning, and changing which partner went backwards. Jennica hadn"t been bluffing—she kept up with his movements as if they had practiced together a hundred times. It was obvious that she was impressed.
They were too engrossed by the dance to hold a conversation during the first song. When it ended and he spun her into another dip, she grinned at him.
"You really can dance!"
A few of the other couples around them applauded a good show and Cameron felt slightly embarra.s.sed. He had completely forgotten other people were watching.
He held out his hand. "Shall we go again?"
"Let me lead this time."
As she skated circles around him, holding one of his hands, she suddenly began to laugh.
"What is it?"
"My friends. One of them doesn"t seem to be having a very good time."
He followed her line of sight and saw Keeley dragging a much taller man behind her as she skated almost violently.
"Neither of them look terribly happy," he commented. "You came here with them tonight?"
"Uh huh. There are about seven of us; my two roommates, that guy over there, and a few of his friends. Did you come with anybody?"
So they were roommates. Aiden would know her; he should ask for more information later. Something about Jennica was different than any other girl he"d met but he couldn"t put his finger on it.
"No, my friends are lame and ditched me tonight. I came alone."
Cameron sighed, thinking about his earlier conversation with Aaron. He would be so p.i.s.sed when he found out he turned down an opportunity to see the love of his life.
Jennica executed another perfect spin before placing a hand on his waist like they were waltzing.
"Well, you"re welcome to join us. I think we were going to get drinks after the party ends. n.o.body should be alone on Halloween."
Excellent. Not only could he spend more time with her and possibly get her number, he could see what all the fuss was about surrounding Keeley Hall.
"I would love to."