Page 88 of Love is a Dance Step
“Oh, hello.” Melanie offered her a kind smile, looking more at ease in her beautiful gown than Lola ever would. Something about this woman oozed class.
“Hi.” Lola tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Melanie gave her a strange look, and Lola couldn’t help but wonder what she saw. Did she know about the kiss Lola shared with Drew? The night they’d hung out in his room as more than a star and his dancer?
Melanie walked toward the couch at the far end of the elaborate bathroom and dropped down onto it. “This place is my sanctuary.”
Lola glanced from the stalls to the sinks. “This place?”
Melanie laughed. “Well, not this one in particular. But these kind of events are always held somewhere that has couches in the ladies’ room.” She dropped her voice as if sharing a secret. “That’s how you know how fancy it is.” Kicking off her shoes, she leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
Lola couldn’t help but walk closer, needing to know why someone who probably spent her life going to events needed a sanctuary. She lowered herself into the armchair next to the couch and slipped her feet out of her heels, sighing as the tension eased.
Melanie looked to her and grinned. “Heels are a killer, huh? The guys don’t know how easy they have it.”
“So.” Lola chewed on her lip. “You aren’t having a good time?”
“It’s not that. I enjoy the dancing, and Drew sounded amazing, but if I have to talk to one more old blowhard, I think I’m going to scream.”
Lola laughed at the accurate description of the guests. They were older couples who were from one of two worlds. Either the D.C. political scene or Wall Street. “Do you and Drew come to these a lot?”
“Hardly. I mean, I do, but whenever the label tries to convince Drew to do anything, he makes up excuses. I swear, if he wasn’t so darn charming, they’d spend their lives frustrated with him.”
“But he came tonight.”
She nodded. “It’s different when it’s for charity. Drew will do anything to help those in need. At the beginning of the summer, he threw a charity concert that raised over a million dollars. If you asked him, he’d probably tell you his old assistant Matt did most of the work, but it was really Drew.”
She could picture it. Drew Stone, the philanthropist. Somehow, it fit with his personality. He was always looking out for his dancers or anyone else on tour, caring more about them than himself.
Melanie sighed. “Right now, I’ll bet you’re sifting through everything you thought you knew about your boss from the tabloids.”
That wasn’t what Lola was doing at all.
But Melanie didn’t stop. “Drew has a certain image he portrays. The All-American boy with a bit of charm, some playboy antics, and just the right grin to make the entire world love him no matter what he does. But none of that is him.”
“You care about him, don’t you?”
Melanie searched her face as if looking for something before nodding. “I care about all of them, all my clients, but Drew… he’s special. Always has been. The first time I met him, he was an eighteen-year-old kid. But he acted much more mature than that. He walked into my office, having just signed his first recording contract. The guy sticks out his hand for me to shake and gives me this grin, I’m sure you know the one. Kind of ornery but also sincere. He says ‘we’re going to be friends.’ Just like that.”
Lola leaned forward, needing to hear more. She remembered Drew at eighteen, even though she’d only been eight when he left home. “Keep going.”
Melanie smiled. “It was like he knew me instantly and saw what we could be. I told him I was his publicist, not his friend. I must have said it a million times over the years until one day I realized he was right. Despite my insistence on never getting close to my clients, we were friends.”
“I don’t think anyone can resist him when he wants something.” Lola knew how Melanie felt because she’d felt it too. From the moment she ran into Drew in the dance studio, he’d wanted to know her, as if one conversation was enough for him to know he needed her in his life.
Melanie laughed. “No. He’s spoiled in that way. When he wants something, he gets it.” She leveled a stare at Lola, and Lola knew they were no longer talking about Melanie and her friendship with Drew.
Lola crossed her arms over her chest and averted her gaze, embarrassed at the insinuation. What would Melanie think if she knew Lola kissed Drew first? Did it matter?
Melanie hauled herself up. “Well, I should get back out there. It was good chatting, Lola.” She slipped her feet into her heels, and her steps echoed through the bathroom as she made her way out the door.
Lola sucked in a breath as she rose, unable to even think about wearing her heels again. She’d put them back on when she reached the ballroom.
Scooping them up with one hand, she gave herself a final glance in the mirror before pushing open the door. Before she knew what was happening, her back slammed against the wall next to the door and warm lips met hers.
Her brain caught up as she recognized the kiss, the feel of Drew’s hands holding her against the wall. She dropped her shoes and rose up on her toes to deepen the kiss as her arms wound around his back.
Brooke’s words came back to her about how she knew Lola and Drew weren’t hooking up, how Lola was one of them now.
