What She Deserves

“The Most Eligible Bachelor Award goes to…Chase McKnight!”

“Good lord. You’ve got to be kidding,” Chase said. He laughed, chortled and laughed some more. Still laughing, he made his way to the stage as everyone thumped him on the back.

Winnie allowed herself a tiny smile of satisfaction. Chase—her Chase—had received more votes than Peter Duvall. At last, somebody who could beat Peter at something.

“Don’t look so happy,” said a voice to her right, and she turned to see Peter grinning at her. “There’s still one award I could win.”

“I’m not… I don’t care.” Winnie spluttered. “I mean, I’m happy, but it has nothing to do with you.” Peter’s tie and jacket were missing, and he’d unbuttoned his white shirt to reveal a slice of tan throat and chest.

“Sure, Winifred.” He moved to her side and their arms brushed. A twinge of awareness zinged through her, something she hadn’t noticed with Chase. Annoyance, she supposed, felt different from admiration.

Jhi and Chase genuflected for the crowd as flashbulbs popped. In a surfeit of showmanship, Chase hoisted the small woman in his arms and twirled her as she squealed.

Winnie shifted so she wasn’t touching Peter. Within seconds he bumped her again. He’d pushed up his sleeves; his arm felt hot against hers. The alumni around them laughed and shouted, everyone crushed against everyone else. He wasn’t standing close on purpose.

Chase and Jhi blew kisses at the crowd. “Could you two attention hogs get off the stage? We’ve got one more award,” Ron complained. “Bigboy Buffort asked me to announce that the after party starts at his lake house as soon as everyone gets there. Here’s the directions, if you’ve forgotten the way in the past ten years.”

Ron tossed a packet of colored papers into the audience, which fanned out like confetti in a parade.

“Wooooooo! Party at Buffort lake!” yelled a voice near the front of the crowd. The rustle of paper warred with a low roar of speech as pamphlets were handed out, passed back.

“Are you going?” Peter asked Winnie.

“Chase and I haven’t decided.” She liked the way “Chase and I” rolled off her tongue. Maybe she could work it into the conversation again.

“Ah,” Peter said. Something about his tone pricked her nerves. He had that smug look, the one she’d imagined in her vision about winning King and Queen with Chase.

She’d ignore him. That’s what she’d do. His crush from high school, Sally Jones, was married, but her crush wasn’t. Chase wasn’t even dating anyone. She’d asked.

Chase ought to be back any minute. She wished he’d hurry. Something about Peter, about his arm brushing hers, about their bubble of silence in the middle of the crowd, made her nervous and uncomfortable. Chase made her feel…

What did Chase make her feel?