Page 27 of Embraced at Seaside
“Hold on.” Theresa held up her palm and eyed Bella. “Is that some type of dirty dancing? Because I’m not sure we want to get involved with anything like that.”
Jana couldn’t suppress a laugh before it came out. “I’m sorry, no. Let me explain. It’s a beginner freestyle dance class I came up with for new moms, to help them get back in touch with their bodies after having a child. I’ve found that a lot of new moms feel less attractive, even though they’re more beautiful than ever, after giving birth. They spend so much time being mommy that they forget they’re women, too.”
“Boy, that’s the truth,” Bella said.
“Dance is a very personal experience,” Jana explained. “Learning to move in ways that help new moms feel sexy again is what it’s all about.” She pushed to her feet and reached for Theresa’s hand. “Here, let me show you.”
“Oh goodness, no.” Theresa shook her head. Bella had warned her before the meeting that Theresa was all business, from her polo shirt and smart layered haircut to her cool demeanor, but Jana wasn’t deterred. She believed that all women had an inner sexuality they could channel, and when given the opportunity, most had fun with it.
“Don’t be shy. I’m not going to embarrass you. I promise.” She pulled her to her feet and Bella gasped. Jana ignored Bella’s reaction. Maybe if Theresa got involved she’d be more apt to let her rent the space.
“Leanna, Bella, please join us,” she urged. Leanna jumped to her feet, while Bella was more cautious, remaining seated.
“I’m a total klutz,” Leanna said. “But I want to take your Foxy Mamas class. It would be great to get in touch with my inner woman rather than my mama side for a while.”
“Really? That would be great.” Jana looked at Theresa. “I mean, if we end up coming to terms about the space. And, Theresa, please don’t feel pressure to approve this whole thing. So, what kind of dancing do you like?”
“I don’t really dance anymore,” Theresa said. “But when I was a young girl I had my fair share of suitors. I wasn’t a bad dancer.”
Jana tried to ignore Bella’s raised brows. “Wonderful! Here, let me put on some music, and we can see how it goes.” She navigated to Spotify on her phone, and within a few minutes Leanna and Bella were rocking out to Taylor Swift, while Theresa moved cautiously.
“That’s great. Now try this.” Jana showed her how to move her hips in a more fluid motion. She wasn’t surprised to see that Theresa picked up the moves quite easily.
“Theresa! Wow, look at you. I can’t even do that.” Leanna jerked her hips from side to side.
Bella laughed. “Girlfriend, you need that Foxy Mamas class bad.”
“I know, right?” Leanna touched Jana’s shoulder. “Can you help me do what Theresa is doing?”
“Of course,” Jana said. “Theresa, that’s marvelous. You’ve got it.” She gripped Leanna’s hips and helped her move in a less jerky fashion.
“I feel sexier already,” Leanna said. “Kurt is going to be so happy.”
They danced for a few minutes, laughing and chatting about how silly they must look. Jana assured them that they looked beautiful.
Theresa looked at her watch and gasped. “Oh my. I have to leave for Boston. I’m sorry, girls, but I need to cut our meeting short.”
“Theresa, thank you for considering this, and for taking the time to talk with me this morning. I truly appreciate it.” Jana didn’t think before she moved in for a hug. Theresa stiffened at first, then awkwardly patted Jana’s back. “As I said, even if you don’t want to approve the space for classes, I’m so thankful that you took the time to consider it, and I’d still be happy to help you learn to dance if you’d like.”
“Oh, goodness.” Theresa stepped out of the embrace. “Well, we’ll have to review the association bylaws. Assuming there are no legal issues, then we’ll have to take a vote of the owners, and if they don’t have an issue with it, then as long as we set up rules about hours of operation, number of people on-site, and parking…oh, and insurance. We’ll have to speak to our agent about that, and you should look into that, too, Jana. There seems to be much to consider, and I really do have to leave.”
“That’s okay,” Bella said as she opened the front door. “Why don’t you take off? In the meantime, Jana can look into insurance and put together the other information you’d like to see.”
“So, this is really a possibility, then?” Jana asked.
“Well, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We’ll need to read the bylaws, as I mentioned. If that’s in order, then as long as we can come to an agreement with the rest of the items, you have proper insurance, and the majority of the owners agree…” Theresa smiled as she reached for her keys, glancing around the room one last time.
As soon as they were outside and Theresa drove away, Jana said, “We might really do this!”
Jenna, Amy, and Jessica came outside with the babies and joined them, squealing with joy. After a round of hugs, the girls began talking about the details Theresa had mentioned: insurance, majority vote, parking.
Jana leaned against the laundry building and closed her eyes.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispered more to herself than anyone else. “I might really do this.”
HUNTER SPENT THE day helping Grayson with an order for hibachis that had come in late last week. Once they finished fabricating parts for them, Hunter’s thoughts returned to Jana. From the moment he’d seen her dancing, so graceful and confident alone in her studio, he’d known exactly what he wanted to create for the competition. After leaving her house last night, he’d come straight to the shop and tried to sketch his ideas, but his thoughts kept racing, then just as quickly, fraying, just out of reach. He’d finally given up and realized that what he wanted to create was too big, too alive, for drawings, and he’d heated up the forge and gone to work.
Now, as he headed out the back door toward the warehouse where they kept the scrap metal, it didn’t take long for his mind to skip from images of Jana in her skintight dance shorts and barely there top to the hurt look in her eyes when he’d turned away from her in the studio, causing his chest to tighten. Those thoughts were chased by the surprise in her eyes this morning when he’d shown up at her door, and later, to the confused look on her face as she studied him. His feelings for her had taken a deeper, meaningful turn, and he had a feeling that she’d not only noticed, but was confused by them.
