Page 58 of Love is a Dance Step
She checked the time on her phone. “Half an hour. Come on, we need to get you dressed.”
Noah wheezed. “Mama needs to help Drew get dressed.”
Drew left behind a chuckling Noah to follow Piper across the concrete floor. Dancers rushed in and out of a dressing room as they passed, each saying hi to Drew. Others walked down the hall, no doubt preparing for the concert, whatever their jobs were.
Piper opened the door to Drew’s dressing room and basically shoved him in. “I’ll be back in ten. Get dressed and start stretching.”
He saluted her. “Aye aye, captain.”
She rolled her eyes and shut the door.
Alone, Drew walked to the clothes hanging on a rack. Loose jeans, a black tank top, and a button down white shirt. His signature style. He donned the clothes like he’d done on so many other nights. But this wasn’t another night. For the first time in years, he wouldn’t have Leah.
Instead, Brooke would stand beside him, dance with him. To the audience, there would be little difference, but to Drew… it couldn’t possibly feel the same.
Unlike Ben, he didn’t wear makeup when he performed. What the audience saw was what they got. He stood in front of the mirror as he buttoned up his shirt. What would his dressing room have been like in a different life? Crowded with his hockey teammates, smelling of sweat but bursting with chatter?
He missed it sometimes. Hockey. There’d never been a day he regretted his decision, but sometimes he wished he could have had both.
Piper slipped through the door again and stopped. “You aren’t stretching.”
“Just thinking.”
“Well, you have no time to think. Come on, you can stretch with the dancers.” She led him back into the hall and around the corner to where he could hear the opening act loud and clear. His dancers huddled in a circle as they stretched and prepared themselves for a performance.
Off to the side, he caught sight of Lola as she laughed with Nolan and bent forward into a stretch. He couldn’t wait for the day when she was ready to step up to the front, but they had to take it in steps. First, he needed to see how she’d do in the back.
Brooke noticed him first and stood, her face brightening. “Drew! I’m so ready for tonight. I can’t wait.”
He wondered how often Brooke had secretly hoped something would happen to Leah, but he had to shake those thoughts away. Tonight, he needed to trust his partner. He lowered himself to the ground, and Brooke sat beside him.
“You all prepared to get back out there?” he asked as he stretched.
A jumble of yeses came from the cluster. Nolan leaned into Lola, and she laughed at whatever he said. Irritation welled up in Drew, but he pushed it down.
By the time Piper returned, he’d barely stretched, too busy watching Lola. “Okay, it’s time. I need dancers stage left. Drew and Brooke will enter stage right.”
They scrambled to obey her. Drew was the last to get to his feet. He opened his mouth to say something to Lola. Good luck, maybe? But Brooke looped her arm through his. “Come on.”
His gaze met Lola’s for just a moment before he let Brooke drag him away. He had to get his head in the game. Once he stepped out onto that stage, this wasn’t about him anymore or his worries.
It was about them.
The fans.
And he never let them down.
* * *
Music pumped through Drew as he faced the crowd who’d just voiced half the words to his most popular song. There was nothing like hearing thousands of fans singing your words.
A hand slipped into his as the music faded. For a moment, he thought it was Leah. Then, he remembered who it was that stood beside him, and he slipped his hand free.
Brooke was an amazing dancer. She hadn’t missed a single step and had an energy even Leah couldn’t match, but there was something cold about how efficiently she executed the dances, some kind of feeling that was missing. When he danced with her, he didn’t disappear into the music. It wasn’t an experience for him. Instead, he focused on matching her step for step.
Drew held out an arm, letting the crowd cheer for Brooke. She bowed, basking in their praise.
Once Drew finally caught his breath, he spoke, “Well, Miami, our time together is sadly over. You’ve been great. Please give a warm welcome to Noah Clarke!”
