Page 33 of Love is a Dance Step
You’re not a dancer.
“You still with me, Lo?”
A knock sounded on the door.
“Nora, did you just call me to find out where I was hiding for Drew?”
“No! I mean, I told him where you were, but I also wanted to tell you I think you can do it.”
But Asher didn’t.
Someone knocked again.
If Asher thought she was a lost cause, she needed to prove him wrong. Determination replaced the doubt in her mind.You’re not a dancer.
“Yes, I am,” she whispered.
“What?”
“I’m a dancer.”
Nora laughed. “Of course you are.”
“I’ve got to go, Nora.” She hung up the phone and pushed to her feet before opening the door to find Drew on the other side, the intensity of his gaze burning into her.
“Lola Ramirez.”
“Drew Stone.” She lifted her chin. “Are we going to do this or what?”
A smile spread across his face, and he stepped back, gesturing down the hall. “After you.”
* * *
Everything happened so quickly. Someone pressed a number into Lola’s hand, and she pinned it to the front of her work shirt without looking at it.
All she could hear was the beating of her own heart while the girl she’d seen at the studio with Drew yesterday continued talking.
She snapped herself out of her thoughts, shoving her anxiety down. “Um, what?”
The girl sighed. “No wonder he likes you. You’re just like him.” She threw her hands up in the air. “Does no one around here listen when I speak?”
Lola shrank back in on herself even though she felt like the words weren’t directed at her. The auditions started early, and it was now afternoon, so the girl was probably just tired.
“I listen, babe.”
And that was how Lola came face to face with Ben Evans. Her brain short-circuited. She hadn’t followed him as much as Drew, but she’d seen the video of him at Drew’s concert— “Oh.” It all clicked. This girl, she wasn’t just Drew’s assistant. “You’re Piper Hayes.” She was Quinn Hayes’ sister, the girl who fell in love with her sister’s rock star boyfriend. It had been all over the gossip sites Lola would never admit to reading.
Piper rolled her eyes. “Please don’t fangirl me. Save it for these chumps.” She elbowed her boyfriend. “Just not Drew. He has a big enough head already.”
Her face flushed.
Piper sighed. “It’s too late, isn’t it?”
Lola glanced to where Drew stood with his dad. He’d left her in Piper’s hands, saying he wasn’t supposed to be seen talking to any of the dancers. Favoritism and all that. Then, he’d winked. At her. And she’d nearly died.
“Come on.” Piper suppressed a smile. “Drew went through a lot of effort to find you. Least we can do is make sure you have a chance.” She lifted a hand to someone sitting with a group of dancers in the corner of the room. “Brooke!”
A tall blonde with flawless skin and more of a toned dancer’s body than Lola could hope for—with her diet—sauntered toward them as if every step was for show. She eyed Lola up and down and popped her gum. “Whatcha need, Pipes?”
