“‘Shallow’? Oh my gosh,” Dot said, instantly realizing what this was. A setup. She wondered if Danny would be okay with this, while she shot the group a look, wondering which of them had dared to do this.
At first, they didn’t look at each other while they sang. But then, Danny reached for Dot’s hand, and she lifted her eyes to meet his. The crowd roared their approval and gave them more confidence to keep going. Dot knew she was no Lady Gaga, but she also knew that Danny gave Bradley Cooper a run for his money in the looks department.
They made a striking couple. Mary leaned over to Harper. “We’re far from the shallow now, that’s for sure.” Harper raised her eyebrows and nodded.
Danny and Dot’s chemistry was undeniable. They finished and smiled at the crowd, put their arms around one another, and took a bow.
“That was... Well, that wasn’t terrible,” Danny said when they’d sat down again.
“No. Not at all,” Dot said, reaching for a glass of water to cool down.
The last song of the night was one for the entire bar to sing. “Friends in Low Places” brought the house down, and everyone settled up with Big Keith.
Suddenly, it was two in the morning.
“I haven’t been out this late in ages,” Harper said.
“Who needs the city that never sleeps when you can have Cedar Falls?” Tommy asked.
Jake, sober all night long, drove The Crew home. Everyone got out of the Suburban and gave each other hugs goodbye. Dot and Harper started toward the house and Danny and Tommy got back into the vehicle.
Jake and Mary stood alone on the sidewalk. She’d taken off her heels and carried them in one hand, her clutch under her arm, and her sweater tied around her neck. He reached for her free hand.
“Can I see you tomorrow after my shift, New York?”
“You won’t leave me hanging?”
“Save room for dessert. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Mary counted down the time. Eighteen hours until she’d see Hot Cop Jake again. This was so impractical, she thought, knowing their stay in Cedar Falls was only temporary. But still, she could hardly wait.
Chapter 40
Danny had everything ready for his big bookshop refurb. Dot met him there early in the morning and together they saw the Jankowskis off for their weekend polka competition.
“Have a great time,” Danny said. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“And break a leg!” Dot said, then wondered if that was a bad suggestion for people in their eighties. “I mean, knock ’em dead!” Oh gosh, was she making it worse? She settled on, “Show ’em how it’s done!”
“There’s life in the old girl yet, Dot,” Jeanie called from the passenger seat. “Let’s see if we can come back with a trophy for the mantel.”
“And thanks, kids. We appreciate you so much,” Ted said. Grateful, silly tears welled in his light blue eyes.
“Come on now, Ted. Let’s get going before the traffic builds up.” Jeanie still had her British stiff upper lip, but she looked at them tenderly as Ted rolled up his window and pulled away.
Danny and Dot stood on the sidewalk waving as the Jankowskis headed off to polka glory.
Danny looked at Dot. “Thanks for being here.”
“No place I’d rather be.”
“Even if you could be back in New York?”
“Well, you can’t beat a bacon egg and cheese for breakfast, but this weekend is all about Cedar Falls and redoing the shop for Jeanie and Ted.”
“Then let’s do this!” He whistled and gathered his construction workers, who were milling around their trucks in the parking lot. He hopped into the bed of his truck as the team gathered around it. He reached for Dot’s hand and helped her up.
“Welcome, everyone. Thanks for coming,” Danny said. “This is Dot Clark. She’s a friend of mine and the Jankowskis. Her friends, Harper and Mary, are going to be helping us out, along with some volunteers we’ve recruited.