Page 73 of Kissing the Debutant
The woman closed her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened them, they had a glassy quality Jack was sure he imagined. “You do not wish to join a company? Everything we’ve worked for, Lillian? I…”
Lillian’s boldness faded away, leaving behind the girl who had lived her life trying to make her mother proud. She rushed forward to take her mother’s hand. “I don’t want to let you down, Mom. But if I joined a company right now, I think I’d be letting myself down.”
“All these years, I have pushed you to be the best because it’s what I thought you wanted. You have so much more talent than I ever did. You could go all the way.”
“Do you want to know why I’m so sure about not wanting dance to be my entire life?”
She nodded.
Lillian looked out to the stage where the ballerina was finishing her final spins. “Because I was just disqualified from the competition I’ve spent the last months training for, and I am more proud of myself, of my dancing, than I have ever been.”
Her mom reached out to cup her cheek. “I assume you will go back to Ohio with this boy?”
Apparently, the conversation was over.
“His name is Jack, Mom. And yes, I’ll go anywhere with him.”
“Jack.” She nodded and stepped back, dropping her hand. Her eyes met his for one moment. “Okay.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Jack wrapped an arm around Lillian’s waist and pulled her to his side.
Her eyes followed her mom. “That was her blessing.”
“What?” He hadn’t heard her give her blessing at all.
Lillian’s lips tipped up into a smile. “She is stubborn, but she knows when she has lost.” She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Whatever else I think about her, I know my mom loves me. She’ll come around.”
Jack leaned down, fitting his lips to Lillian’s.
Clapping came from nearby followed by a couple of hoots. Jack turned his eyes on Lillian’s three friends. She hid her face in his shirt and laughed.
A tech shushed them, but the girls ignored him.
“That was a total Diva move.” The brunette said it like it was a good thing. They must have heard everything Lillian said to her mom.
The girl on the right—he’d never keep their names straight—grinned. “For the record, it’s crap you were disqualified. You two stole the show out there.”
Lillian looked up at Jack, her eyes sparkling. “Totally worth it.”
* * *
By the time the competition ended, Jack was ready to get in his Jeep with Lillian at his side and drive home. She had a hotel room for the night, but they were anxious to get on the road.
They walked into the lobby. The crowd mingled around dancers and other artists. It was a huge competition with people from all over the country. Lillian waved goodbye to her friends before they headed for the doors.
“Lillian Preston?” A middle-aged man wearing jeans and a navy blue sport coat approached.
“That’s me.” Lillian looked to Jack in question, but he only shrugged.
The man stuck out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Lillian took it, confusion creasing her brow.
“I’m Michael Fleischmann, an admission counselor for Oberlin College. Do you know of it?”
“Yes. I mean, yes, sir, of course.” Lillian stumbled over her words. “It’s… well, it’s a great school for dance.”
He smiled. “We fill a number of spots later in the year, reserving them for dancers we find during the competition season. I would love to talk to you about scholarship opportunities.”
