She hesitated. “It sounds silly now.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“When I was a kid, my mom and I used to watch old movies on Sunday afternoons. She said every woman deserved one night when someone crossed a crowded room just to ask her to dance.”

Maddie twisted the stem of the water glass. “After she died, I kept imagining my wedding dance. I thought I’d feel like she was there somehow.” Her voice caught.

“All night, I’ve been angry about the money and the guests and Tyler’s message. But when everyone left, I realized the thing that hurt most was that nobody was going to ask me to dance.”

“That isn’t silly.”