Page 27 of Love is a Dance Step
“Then, you should quit getting mad at me for stupid things.”
He sighed his “Lola is being dramatic again” sigh. And she hated it. She also hated that she didn’t want him to go. Not having Asher around showed her how pathetic her life had become. She took classes she had no interest in, only occasionally saw her mom, and spent her evenings alone except with too much food. The only thing that made her happy was teaching dance classes.
Dance classes. Crap! She sprang up, her eyes darting to the clock on her desk as panic soared through her. Drew was conducting auditions at the resort today. A resort she had to work at in half an hour.
“I’m going to be late for work.” She jumped out of bed and dug through her drawers for black pants and a purple vest that were the ridiculous uniform.
Asher chuckled. “Are you ever on time for anything?”
“Yes,” she snapped.
He sat up. “Slow down. My dad will understand. He’s probably busy setting up for Drew’s thing anyway.”
The way he said his brother’s name irked her, but she let it go. She’d never understand whatever it was that made Asher dislike Drew so much. Maybe jealousy?
“I need to change. Turn around.” She waited until Asher faced the headboard before stripping off her pajamas and shimmying into the pants. “What are you doing here, anyway?” She buttoned up her shirt, wishing she’d had time for a shower. “You can turn around.”
Asher turned to face her. “Do I need an excuse to see my best friend?”
“When you’ve been acting like a total douche canoe, yeah, you do.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry, okay? You know how I get about Drew.”
She sprayed dry shampoo on her roots before sweeping her hair into a ponytail. “I do. I just don’t get it. Your sisters love him. He can’t be that bad. When I talked to him yesterday—”
“You talked to him?” He sat up straighter.
“He wants me to audition at his dance thing today.” She didn’t know why she told him, but someone needed to help her work through her doubts. Whatever Drew thought he saw in her, it wasn’t there.
Asher laughed. Actually laughed. “You? Lo, you’re not a dancer, not a real one anyway. You teach dance. You don’t perform.”
Weren’t those the exact words she’d said to Drew? She wasn’t a dancer, not in the professional sense, but she loved to dance. Yet, when Asher said it, something inside her deflated. “I know.” She turned back to the mirror.
Asher slid from the bed and crossed the room to turn her toward him. “You know I like your dancing, right?” He hadn’t seen her dance in a long time. “But, Lo, there will be professionals there today. They don’t take amateurs on rock tours. I hate being the tough love guy, but you are a great dance teacher, not a great dancer.”
Her shoulders dropped, and she looked away from him. It wasn’t that she thought he was wrong, just that she wished her best friend had even an ounce of faith in her.
He nudged her chin with his thumb. “Stick to business school, aye?”
Just the thought of that made the air rush out of her lungs. Stick to business school. She nodded and shrugged him off her. “I need to get to work.”
“Are we okay, Lo? I don’t want to be mad at you anymore.”
Were they okay? He said he was wrong for getting mad, but she was too tired and too lonely to fight, so she nodded and forced a smile to her lips. “We’re good. See you tonight?”
“I can’t tonight. I have a date. Tomorrow?”
Those words “I have a date” used to send pain spidering through her heart, but for the first time, she was relieved, and she didn’t understand why.
9
Drew
She wasn’t there.
Mystery dance girl hadn’t come.
Drew surveyed the line of dancers wrapped around the side of the building. It was more than he expected when he put out an open call online. He hadn’t thought they’d clog up every area of his dad’s resort. Security kept the dancers off the private beach and away from the pool area and dining room, which were all reserved for their guests.
