Page 30 of The End of Summer

After our impromptu therapy session, I make the conscious decision to put my brief dance with Brady out of my mind. Yes, it wasinsanely hotand yes, it’s true that no man haseverdanced with me like that before, but it was probably his last time ever doing it, and that’s fine. I can’t afford to be distracted while I’m working, anyway. I didn’t like the way Arrow spoke to me, scolding me like a child for – for doing what, exactly? For stepping outside? As if that was some egregious offense? Well, lesson learned. If I want to keep this job, at least for now, I can't allow myself to get rattled.

Lucky for me, today is Saturday, so I have a chance to redeem myself.

Summer Saturdays on Cape Cod are the worst. It’s something us locals refer to as “turnover day,”meaning all of the tourists in weekly rentals will be leaving and all of the following week’s tourists will be arriving. If you live here, you know never to make important plans to go somewhere off-Cape unless you’re in the mood to sit in hours of bridge traffic on Route 6. I always use Saturday mornings for laundry, taking a walk on the Rail Trail (if I feel the need to be extra healthy, since it’s also the day that has the least bicycle traffic), and more recently, I’ve been working on my moves at the studio. It’s the one time of the week where I can be there alone, so I feel less inhibited since no one is watching me.

Cherry taught me to record myself when I’m dancing, which is a common practice among the girls. I like it because it gives me the chance to see what I look like up there and to perfect my movements so the shapes I create with my body look the way I want them to. Saffron recently instructed me on how to invert, and that’s been a lot of fun. It’s not too far off from gymnastics, really. This morning, I choose to practice something called a “chopper inversion.” I set the pole to spin, and after stretching first, I begin with a few simple moves from the ground. The pencil, where you lift yourself up, body straight and still, in perfect vertical alignment with the spinning pole, is great for conditioning but also for getting used to the motion. The first time I ever did a move on spin pole, I became immediately nauseous, so I always remember to start with something simple to get accustomed to the movement.

To do a chopper, you first have to know how to invert on a static pole. Essentially, you stand alongside the pole, with your inside hand holding the pole up highand your outside arm reaching across your body to hold the pole as well. Then, you do a pole crunch, but with legs straight out and in a V shape. Basically, you just swing your legs up over your head. Once you get good at that, just pull up a little higher and you’ll be upside down in a true inversion. On spin pole, this move looks awesome because your legs create the appearance of a helicopter.

I’m at the studio, working on the move with the stereo pumping out the newest Charlie Puth track, when the door opens, letting in a stream of bright sunlight.

“Oh, hey girl,” Arrow says.

I flip myself back down and land as gracefully as I can. “Hi, Arrow. What’s up? Early for you, no?”

She drops her purse on the table near the front that we use for catering. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here. Did you get a text from Cherry?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I haven’t checked my phone recently, though. Why?”

“She’s in the hospital. Appendicitis.”

“Oh, shit. That sucks. Sorry to hear it,” I say. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. She’ll be fine I’m sure. Thought it was food poisoning, but when the pain just kept getting worse and worse, her boyfriend took her to the ER.”

“Thank goodness. Isn’t it, like, really bad if your appendix bursts?”

Arrow shrugs. “I guess. I’m no doctor.” She checks something on her phone, then swipes the screen and looks at me. “Listen. Tonight’s party is a big one, and I need all hands on deck. We’ve got 30 girls coming downfrom Boston. The bride is some locally famous author chick, so it’s a little more of a high profile crowd.”

“You want me to make extra shots?” I ask.

“No – that’s not the issue. I need to make sure all the poles are staffed.”

I say nothing, because I’m not quite sure what she’s getting at.

“I need you todancetonight, Summer.”

What? I can’t be hearing her correctly.My jaw drops. “Me?”

She nods. “Please. Let’s not get all dramatic about it. You know the choreo. It’s simple. And then, for the in-between times, like when the guys are here, just dance on a pole. We can put the shots out on the table.”

“What about the keys?”

“Party bus,” Arrow explains. “No worries tonight.”

My heart thumps with Charlie Puth’s bassline. “You sure, Arrow? I don’t know if I’m ready.”

She looks at me sternly. “You’ll be fine, Summer. You can do this. You know the old sayingDance like no one’s watching?”

“Yeah?”

“Just do that.”

“Maybe we can ask Jenna to come back?”

“No offense, I know she’s your friend, but Jenna’s about as sexy as a teddy bear in a tutu. Also, she can’t dance for shit.”

“Really?” This surprises me, given the fact that she’s the one who introduced me to this place.

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