Rhett’s partner and your best friend, Summer, glared daggers at every person who dared to glance at the Eaton men as they pushed through the crowd in the Railspur bar. In their hands were two beers—carefully balanced, but no less important than the warning sparks in their eyes.

As they approached the booth where you, Rhett, and Cade were seated, Summer’s eyes lit up with a familiar, mischievous glint. The kind of grin that usually meant trouble… and tonight, fueled by a few too many tequila sodas, it was practically glowing.

“I queued a song for us on the jukebox!” Summer announced, practically bouncing with excitement.

Before you could respond, they shoved two beers into Rhett’s chest with just enough force to make him stumble back a step, then grabbed your arm with a grip that brooked no argument. “C’mon, get up! Dance floor’s calling!”

Cade’s hand tightened briefly around your waist, but Summer yanked you free like a whirlwind. “Hey!” Cade protested, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “We were talking—”

“Talking’s boring!” Summer interrupted with a dramatic flourish. “Dancing is mandatory.”

The first notes of Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) blared through the bar, and the crowd seemed to part just for the two of you as Summer dragged you onto the dance floor. Your shoes skidded on the sticky floor, but the music drowned out everything else.

Lord help us, Cade muttered to his brother, leaning back in the booth with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “They’re… really going for it.”

Rhett groaned, taking a careful sip of their beer. “I can’t tell if this is going to be legendary or disastrous.”

Summer spun you around, laughing like it was the most important thing in the world. “Come on! You have to kick it up a notch!” they shouted over the music.

You shot a glance back at the booth, where Cade and Rhett were now visibly struggling between mortification and amusement. Cade whispered something to Rhett, and both of them shook their heads.

“This is what we get for sitting near the jukebox,” Rhett muttered.

“Or for you having Summer as a girlfriend,” Cade added with a dry chuckle, though they couldn’t hide the smile tugging at their lips.

On the dance floor, Summer twirled, arms flailing dramatically, and for a brief, glorious moment, it felt like the bar was theirs. And maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world could wait.