Page 51 of Teacakes & Tangos
Mum would have been delighted to think that I’d one day wear one of her beautiful dresses for a very special occasion... to dance with the man who’d helped lift me up when I was on the floor with fear after Dad’s accident.
The man I knew I was falling for...
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The tango dress I’d chosen was quite simple from the V-shaped neckline down to the waist. It was plain black and figure-hugging. But the star of the show was the skirt – a sparkling black fringe that flew dramatically into the air as I spun around in it in front of the full-length mirror.
It was quite daring but I reckoned we probably wouldn’t be doing too much spinning for our first session – plus I’d make sure I was wearing black undies that could stand scrutiny, just in case!
Later, on the phone to Xander, agreeing a time for him to pick me up, he told me he was a little nervous about the evening ahead. He’d never done anything like this before.
But all his nerves seemed to dissolve when I opened my front door, wearing The Dress. His eyes widened and a big smile spread over his face. ‘You look stunning,’ he breathed.
‘Aw, thanks,’ I said, feeling quite shy.
‘Will I do? I don’t want to let you down.’
‘You definitely won’t do that,’ I murmured, running my eyes approvingly over his outfit. He was looking gorgeous in his fitted black trousers and a white linen shirt, open at the neck, and I told him so.
‘I’m looking forward to this now,’ he admitted, suddenly serious. ‘How could I do otherwise with such a stunning woman by my side?’
I smiled and tried to brush off the ‘stunning’ compliment by pretending I couldn’t find my keys. Les had never said anything like that to me. I wasn’t used to dealing with compliments. But inside, my heart was doing a happy dance, leaping about with joy!
When we arrived and walked in, I was quite relieved to find I wasn’t the only female there who was dressed to kill in a tango outfit. Some were a lot more eye-popping than mine, in vibrant shades of red and purple and turquoise, with ruched bodices and bows and dramatic ruffled skirts.
Although I was familiar with the tango, we joined the beginner’s class so that Xander could get the most out of the evening. It was a lot of fun helping to familiarise him with the steps, and we seemed to be laughing and joking the whole way through.
We were so entirely focused on one another, it wasn’t until half way through the night – when we were having a drink and taking a breather – that I finally had a proper look around at the other dancers.
There were people of all ages – from elegantly dressed older couples to a group of pre-teen girls, and there were quite a few women who’d come along for a girls’ night out and were dancing with one another.
At last, we headed out into the balmy evening, exclaiming at the sun which was now a fiery ball of orange-red on the horizon. As we walked to the car, we paused for a moment, leaning together against the carpark fence, drinking in the sharp scent of the woods at night and Xander laughing about how good at the tango he really wasn’t.
A voice carrying over the night air made me look up, and my mouth opened in surprise.
‘Oh. It’s Minnie! She must have been there, at the tango evening. I didn’t see her. Probably because I only had eyes for you.’
I smiled at Xander, expecting him to make a jokey remark back. But he was staring straight ahead, a slight frown on his face.
‘Maybe I can find out where Minnie lives so I can take the cash back to her,’ I murmured, almost to myself.
Minnie recognised me at that moment and waved, and I waved cheerfully back as she walked over.
I smiled and stepped forward to say hello.
But to my surprise, she walked straight past me. And that’s when I realised it had been Xander she was waving at. And now – to my utter confusion – they were actually hugging each other!
What on earth . . .?
Minnie turned and saw it was me. ‘Oh. Anika! Gosh, fancy seeing you here. So you know my lovely grandson?’
Bemused, I turned to Xander. He looked tense and very pale in the dusky light.
‘Minnie is yourgrandmother?’
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Baffled, I was staring at Xander, trying to process the fact that Minnie was his gran.
