Page 32 of Love is a Dance Step
She flattened her palms against her wrinkled uniform as she tried to calm her breathing. She’d been on the phone with Spencer Lee, booking riding lessons at the Lee ranch for a few of their guests, when one of her coworkers rushed in saying Drew had asked about her.
Her. Lola Ramirez—relative nobody.
How did he learn her name?
Her entire body buzzed with nervous energy. She’d spent the day dealing with anxiety-ridden dancers who’d flown in from all across the country for a shot at joining Drew’s tour. It hadn’t made for a fun day.
.
The lines never seemed to shrink, only grow longer and longer.
Now, everyone she worked with knew Drew wanted her in said line. Including her boss, Mr. Stone.
Her phone rang, and she cursed its volume as she fumbled to answer it.
“Hello,” she whispered.
“Has my brother found you yet?” Nora asked.
“No.”
“Where are you hiding?” How was it the members of the Stone clan knew her so well?
“A supply closet on the second floor.”
“Classy. You should just go get it over with. You know you’ll audition at some point.”
“No, I won’t.”
“You’re too good not to.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Lola.” She sighed.
“Nora.”
“Drew came to the house to ask Asher about you.”
Fear spiked through her. “What?” Asher had been angry enough at just the thought of Lola being a fan of Drew’s. Drew just made it a thousand times worse. “How mad was he?”
“Not mad.”
“Nora.” She didn’t believe her.
“Okay, fine. Mad mad. Like throwing things mad. Lo, this isn’t about Asher, not this time. Drew thinks he saw something in you. Why are you so scared of that?”
Lola sat back against a set of shelves, tears coming to her eyes as Asher’s words came back to her.You’re not a dancer. Stick to business.“Because if I try… I’ll fail.”
“Or you’ll try and succeed.”
She closed her eyes, trying to let Nora’s words replace Asher’s. He’d never believed in her, but she wondered if it was because she didn’t deserve that belief or because he wanted her to have nothing but him. He didn’t cheer for other people’s success. She saw it in the way he talked about Drew, the jealousy. Asher wanted to succeed at the expense of everyone else.
Could she do this?
You’re not a dancer.
But she felt like one. Dancing was the only thing she’d ever loved.
