Page 59 of Love is a Dance Step
The crowd roared, and he tried to imagine they weren’t cheering louder for Noah than they had for him. But who was he kidding? The volume was deafening. Noah had a special kind of fame Drew hadn’t yet reached, the kind of fame that led to immortality.
He jogged off the stage as the dancers joined him, their excited chatter filling his mind. He’d done it. He’d danced without Leah. He searched the group for Lola, finding her once again on the edges with a grin stretched across her face.
His heart kicked up a notch. He’d have to ask Nolan later how she did in her first show, but seeing the pure joy shining in her eyes hit him unexpectedly hard. That was the thing missing from Brooke’s dancing. The joy.
Piper smiled as she approached and handed him a bottle of water. “You were great tonight.”
He drank half the bottle without stopping and wiped his mouth. “I was okay.”
She shook her head and held her phone out to him. “Someone wants to talk to you.”
He exchanged the water for the phone and brought it to his ear. “Hello?”
“Piper told me you rocked it tonight.”
Relief flushed through him at the sound of Leah’s voice. “I don’t know.” He jerked his head toward the hall, and Piper nodded, letting him walk away. Drew left the others behind and made his way to his dressing room.
Leah laughed. “I never thought I’d see the day when the always cocky Drew Stone doubted a performance.”
“The performance was fine, but there was something missing. You.” He sat on the oversized blue chair in the corner of the dressing room.
“Dude, you don’t need me. You never have. Maybe this injury is your chance to learn to do this without me.”
“Never.”
She sighed. “Don’t use me as a crutch, Drew. You were a rock star before I came around. Sure, I love dancing with you too, but it’s your job to dance with whoever is there.”
“Even if that person is Brooke?”
Laughter vibrated through the phone. “Yes, even her. What about the new girl? When do you plan to get her in?”
“She danced in the back tonight.” He wished he’d been able to watch Lola, to see her dance again. There was video of the concert, but it wasn’t the same as watching in person. “I was hoping she’d be beside me in Jacksonville, but Nolan says she isn’t ready.”
“She’ll get there. You just have to have faith.”
“I’ve never been very good at that.”
“It’s because you haven’t needed to be. Drew, your life has been so easy. Yes, I know you worked hard for everything, but you’ve always been the best at whatever you do. You were drafted in the NHL draft. You have the best family known to man. And this whole singing and dancing thing? It came naturally to you. Me being hurt isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I was replaceable, but you, you’ve always been one of a kind.”
He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. “You aren’t replaceable.” He needed her.
“You’re sweet, babe. Listen, you obviously saw something in this girl. Piper told me she bombed her audition. So, be patient. Trust your gut. She’ll get there.”
A knock sounded on his door, and he sighed. “I should go.”
“Okay, love you.”
“You too.” He hung up and pushed himself from the chair to open the door.
Brooke stood on the other side. A smile slid across her lips. “Hey, Drew.” She tried to push past him into the dressing room.
He put an arm across the opening to stop her. “What’s up?” He had a rule on tour. No getting close to the women. This meant the only women allowed to enter his dressing room were Piper and Jo. It kept him from getting himself in trouble or causing rumors to circulate.
Brooke pouted. “When Noah is done with his set, a few of us are going out. Come with us.” He’d heard his dancers talk about how excited they were to check out the Miami night life. They went out to blow off steam after a lot of concerts, and it didn’t bother him. But he never had the energy. Once the adrenaline wore off, he crashed, wanting to just crawl into bed and turn on a movie.
He shrugged in apology. “Sorry, Brooke, I’m bushed. Maybe next time.”
She stepped closer to him. “If you’d like, I can stay back with you.”
