A Perfect Compromise. Anna Sugden

whatever you throw at me.”

      The pair walked off toward the bar, laughing.

      “There’s nothing fragile about your friend’s ego,” Bella said drily.

      “He’s all talk. Under that boyish charm is a good guy.”

      “Sapphie can handle herself. And him, too.”

      Those uptight vibes were back. Perhaps Mad Dog was right about the jealousy thing.

      J.B. stifled a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

      Bella turned to him. “While they’re gone, I wanted to say that we know how the evening will end for them and you mustn’t feel obliged to stick with me.”

      Her earnest comment caught him off guard. “We’ve just met and you’re already preparing to ditch me?”

      She bit her full lower lip. “I’m sure you have things you’d rather do than entertain the spare-part best friend and I won’t be upset if you do them.”

      He should be relieved; she’d given him the perfect out. Yet, inexplicably, he was slightly irritated that she was so keen to be rid of him. He smiled. “Let’s see how things play out. The night’s still young and there’s plenty of party left.”

      “All right.” This time she gave him the puzzled look.

      Good. He liked that he could throw her a little off balance. “How about we scout out the buffet table while we wait for our friends to return?”

      “We might lose our places.”

      He leaned past her, flipped out four napkins and turned over four water glasses. “Now it’s obvious someone’s sitting here.”

      She glanced over her shoulder at Mad Dog and Sapphie, who were engrossed in each other, at the bar. “You’re right. It looks like it might be a while before we get our drinks.”

      He cocked an elbow in invitation and she put her arm through his. His senses immediately snapped to attention at the touch of her soft skin. As they walked to the heavily laden buffet table, her fragrance—delicate, floral, but with an unexpected hint of spice—teased his nose. The contradiction intrigued him.

      Hell, Bella was full of contradictions and they all intrigued him. She was as prickly as a porcupine, yet when she let her guard down, there were hints of a dry sense of humor. At times she seemed both innocent and uncertain; at others forthright and honest. Definitely able to give as good as she got, she stood up for herself but had an air of vulnerability that made him feel strangely protective.

      As they filled their plates, she ribbed him that he was stockpiling enough food to feed a small army. He couldn’t help noticing that she carefully arranged her food so none of the portions touched. When he teased her about only taking one spoonful of the dishes she wanted, she replied coolly that it was polite to leave some for others to enjoy. Yet she gave him a conspiratorial grin when she sneaked an extra helping of potato salad.

      Back at the table J.B. was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t pick at her food like a lot of the women he dated. But she was as prim and proper as if the Queen of England were seated beside her.

      He mischievously speared a coconut-battered shrimp from her plate.

      “Hey!” She jabbed him with her elbow. “You’ve got two mountainous plates. Leave mine alone.”

      “But I didn’t get one of these.” He bit the end. “Mmm. Delicious.”

      Bella surveyed his dinner. “Well, I didn’t get one of these chocolate-dipped maraschino cherries, so turnabout is fair play.”

      J.B. plucked a cherry from his plate and held it to her lips.

      Her gaze snapped up to meet his, indecision swirling in the blue depths. Then the tiniest spark of heat flickered. Her lips curved into a sultry half smile as, without releasing his gaze, she bit slowly, delicately, into the cherry.

      Fire shot through him, tightening his groin. What the hell?

      “Mmm. Delicious,” she said huskily.

      J.B. popped the rest of the cherry into his mouth. “Not bad.”

      “Looks like you guys started without us.” Sapphie laughed as she and Taylor appeared behind them, holding glasses.

      Bella blinked. “We were wondering when you’d be back with our drinks.”

      The edge was back in her voice, dousing the heat in J.B. as effectively as if she’d tipped her icy drink in his lap. He studied her, considering. He’d seen several sides to Bella this evening and he wasn’t sure which was the real one.

      Would it be foolhardy to take the risk of finding out?

      * * *

      “IT’S TIME TO lower the bar!”

      As the DJ played “Get Down On It” and the crowd chanted and clapped, Issy wondered how she got into these situations. She stood on the sandy dance floor, beside the other three finalists of the limbo competition.

      Unlike her fellow contestants, who were lapping up the spotlight, she felt awkward. Other than when she was with her class, Issy preferred to be in the background. So why was she out here, center stage?

      Because of Sapphie.

      Ever since her childhood friend had teased, cajoled, pushed and dared Issy beyond her comfort zone. Although Issy was older by ten days, Sapphie had been the first to walk, talk and get into trouble. She’d also been the first to learn how to work the washer at the Laundromat. And how to sneak money from her mother’s purse so she could buy groceries.

      Sapphie had also been the one to encourage Issy to follow her dreams. She’d bluntly pointed out that if Issy didn’t leave the town and her family behind, she’d spend the rest of her life taking care of them instead of having a family of her own.

      Plain and simple, Issy wouldn’t be where she was today, so close to achieving everything she’d always wanted, without Sapphie.

      So, although Issy didn’t want the emerald necklace, her friend clearly did, and Issy would try her damnedest to get it for her. Which meant winning the limbo contest Sapphie and the two hockey players had already crashed out of.

      “As this is the final, we’re taking the bar down two notches,” the emcee announced.

      “How low can you go?” the crowd chanted.

      Part of her wanted to fail so she could return to the relative anonymity of the sidelines. But another part refused to surrender without trying. She hated to just give up.

      “First up is the lovely Bella. Step forward and lim-bo.”

      Issy walked over to the bar, which looked ridiculously low, and waited for the musical cue. The audience whooped and hollered.

      “Go, Bella!” Sapphie’s voice mingled with Taylor’s deeper tones.

      “You can do it,” J.B. encouraged. “Take your time and relax.”

      How was she supposed to relax with him standing in front of her, his dark eyes watching every sway and shimmy? Making her feel sexy and a little naughty? Making her imagine a different, more private, dance with him?

      Hot, hot, hot, blared the speakers.

      Issy dropped her shoulders, arched her back and bent her knees. Slowly she inched forward.

      When her chest brushed the wooden pole, she thought she’d blown it. Although the bar rattled on the stand, it stayed up. Even so, she didn’t move again until she was sure. Then she held her breath as she carefully made it through.

      Giddy with success, she straightened to boisterous cheers. Sapphie ran over, squealed and hugged her tight, then pulled Issy off to the side. J.B. lifted her in the air and spun her around.

      As he stopped and began to lower her slowly, their gazes met. Suddenly