Page 57 of Kissing the Debutant
“Wonder where she got the idea I went to Defiance Academy?” Jack wouldn’t meet her gaze, and it sent a shiver of worry through her. She didn’t want to be the reason he felt uncomfortable.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lillian dipped into a curtsy to greet the audience and took Jack’s arm again, moving to stand beside the other couples.
“Dancing is next,” Lillian said, not sure where Jack’s head was in all of this snobbery. She just wanted to leave as quickly as possible so they could put this nonsense behind them.
They stood in silence under an archway of fragrant flowers while a professional photographer snapped their photograph. The easy banter they’d shared all night had vanished somewhere on their way down the stairs, and Lillian didn’t know how to get it back.
“You know I don’t think—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jack cut her off, the tense line of his jaw like a chiseled rock sent her stomach sinking to her toes. The brief satisfaction she got from the look on her mother’s face wasn’t worth the look on Jack’s face now. She shouldn’t have subjected him to this place.
When the last of the couples were introduced, the music began, and Lillian stepped into Jack’s arms. The familiar feel of his hand on her waist set her at ease, but he still wouldn’t look at her.
The simple waltz was second nature to both of them, and they moved with the kind of grace only partners could achieve. It was a reminder of how far they’d come and how hard they had worked as a team. A reminder of how much she trusted him.
As they moved together around the dance floor, Jack pulled her closer and picked up their pace, leading her into an elegant turn with an extra tap out to their footwork.
She caught her mother’s mortified look and stepped back into the traditional waltz, leading Jack back on track. “We’re supposed to stay in sync with the others,” she murmured. “It’s not the time or place for anything creative.” She’d made her point, but she owed it to her mother to save face and live up to the expectations of the proper debutant. Jack would understand. Once this dance was over, they could slip out, and no one would notice. Her mother would probably be the last person to realize she’d left.
“Well, clearly, I wouldn’t know what’s proper or not.” Jack frowned at her, his eyes shining with hurt and confusion. “But that’s probably why you brought me here, isn’t it?”
“No, Jack. That’s not it—”
“Whatever, Lil. It’s fine. You wanted to suck the wind out of your mother’s sails. Congrats. Job well done. She’s sufficiently humiliated by the blue collar townie her debutant daughter brought to the ball.”
20
Jack
The dancing was over, so why were they still here?
This was a mistake.
Jack had known it the moment he set foot inside this stuffy country club. He didn’t belong here. He’d tried covering up his desire to run far, far away with jokes, and even succeeded in making Lillian laugh, reminding him why he was here.
For her.
Only for her.
But as they stood chatting with the other debutants, he wondered if the girl he knew from the Twin Rivers dance studio could possibly be the same girl fake laughing at the ridiculous words of the girls in front of her.
“Lillian,” a brunette said—he couldn’t remember all their names. “This summer you must come out to the lake with us. My father’s estate is the perfect place to forget the fact that you’ve been exiled to Siberia for the last four years.”
Jack waited for Lillian to contradict her friend, to tell her Twin Rivers wasn’t so bad, that it was home, but those words never came. Instead, Lillian shared a knowing smile with her.
Everything made so much sense. Since walking down those steps with the overdone introduction, he hadn’t been able to pinpoint why he was so irritated.
It wasn’t with this place or the constant looks of disdain directed his way. He didn’t care what other people thought of him.
But Lillian… had she told her mom Jack was from the academy?
“I’m going to get something to drink.” He mumbled the words, not sure if anyone heard him.
Lillian didn’t stop as he turned to walk toward the bar. They weren’t serving alcohol to minors, of course, but he needed something sugary to clear his mind. Something none of these Stepford people would approve of.
“I’ll take a Coke.” He nodded to the bartender, the only person in this entire room who didn’t look at him like he wondered why he was there.
The bartender set a Coke on the bar. “You are the only person to order a soda today.”
