Page 51 of The Baxters
With this new plan, Landon settled back in his seat. He doubted the reception would go much longer. The bandleader had announced he was playing a final set of songs. The music changed and a familiar tune filled the room. “In the Mood.” The perfect number for swing dancing.
A memory filled Landon’s heart and he smiled. Ninth grade at their middle school, he wound up in the same PE class as Ashley. Only instead of the usual running or kickball or calisthenics, Mrs. Bell was obsessed with swing dance.
Third day of school she announced that the first PE unit would be spent learning the great ways to move their partners across a dance floor. Landon could see again the looks on his friends’ faces, the horrified groansthat came from most of them. Swing dancing? Paired up with some girl they barely knew?
But somehow Mrs. Bell actually made the class fun. Landon and his friends looked forward to PE every day. And so did Ashley. There had been no question that Ashley would dance with him. She ran to him the first time Mrs. Bell asked them to partner up. “I can’t do this with anyone else.” She giggled. “You won’t let me fall, right?”
He might’ve only been fourteen, but Landon could still see himself, grinning down at Ashley and shaking his head. “Never, Ashley. I’ll never let you fall.”
Turned out they were both pretty good at it. By the end of the ten weeks, Landon and Ashley were asked by Mrs. Bell to demonstrate a proper swing dance for the rest of the class.
The song she played that day in PE class was the same one playing now. “In the Mood.”
Landon watched to see what Ashley was going to do, whether the song triggered the memory for her the way it did for him. And sure enough. She turned and their eyes met. Then, like she’d done that first day of PE class, she hurried to him and held out her hand. “Come on, Landon. For old times’ sake.”
And like that they were holding hands on the dance floor, swing dancing as if ninth grade were just last week. “You still remember?” He kept his eyes on hers. Was this really happening? The two of them out here dancing this way?
“Of course.” She looked more relaxed. Maybe becausethe song took her back the way it did for him. “I had the best partner in the whole PE class.”
As the music played, most people danced to the edge of the floor so they could watch Landon and Ashley and two other couples who knew the various moves. Landon wanted to freeze the moment, Ashley laughing and dancing, her hands in his, their bodies and feet moving in perfect rhythm with each other.
With her so close, with yesterday alive again, it was impossible not to see the Ashley he had first met in fifth grade, the one giving her report on the octopus at the front of the class… or the Ashley walking across the stage at ninth-grade graduation, when she found him after the ceremony and told him she was afraid.
“Why, Ash? We’re done with middle school!”
“Yeah, but”—she searched his eyes—“what if we’re not friends next year. There’ll be so many new kids.”
And Landon had laughed and shook his head. “I’ll always be your friend, Ashley Baxter. You can’t get rid of me.”
Then they were sophomores and learning to navigate a new school. But they found out that long after the music of PE class had stopped, the song continued. Through every year of high school right up until the accident.
“They’re all looking at us.” Ashley pushed her hair back from her face. She was still laughing. “Are we that bad?”
“No, Ash.” They did a spin and faced each other again. He looked deep into her eyes. “We’re that good.”
The song ended and the other wedding guests clapped and hollered their approval. By then only Landon and Ashley remained on the floor. They were still holding hands, and together they did a slight bow. She leaned close to him and whispered. “Thanks, Landon. That was fun.”
They walked off the dance floor and she released his hand. Both of them were breathless as Ashley turned to him. “I’m sorry. How I acted earlier.” She gave a slight shrug, like she still had no answers. “Being with you, in your arms, dancing like that. It confuses me.”
He had a hundred questions for her. Couldn’t she see what was happening? If she was confused, then maybe it was because she actually wanted to be with him. Did she ever consider maybe she was making things difficult for no reason? So she had a baby, so what? Was that her problem? If so, Landon didn’t care. He loved her as much now as ever. And who wouldn’t love little Cole?
If only she would let him.
Landon didn’t ask a single question. Instead he felt a half smile lift his lips. “At least the swing dance didn’t confuse you. We would’ve tripped over each other and landed”—he moved his hands away from each other, like an ump declaring a runner safe—“splat. Right across the floor.”
A giggle seemed to take her by surprise, and her eyes sparkled. “You still know how to make me smile.”
He winked at her. “Remember that, Ash.”
A depth layered the moment. “How could I forget?”She took a step back and waved. “See you, Landon. Thanks for the dance.”
“You, too.” Clearly she didn’t know about her mother inviting him over after the reception. But she was already walking away. Which was maybe for the best. He didn’t want to lose the chance to talk to her back at the house.
If he had it his way they would go deep this time. She would tell him why she thought she had changed too much to ever make things work. And he would tell her about Baylor and the one thing no one but his parents and a few school friends knew.
The only thing he wouldn’t tell her was the part that scared even him. The fact that after tonight he knew one thing for sure. He could never date Jalen’s sister, Hope. Because he could never love another girl the way he loved Ashley Baxter.
Even if it meant being alone the rest of his life. She was practically out the door headed to Baylor, ready to study art and live out four dreamy years as Landon’s girlfriend. Couldn’t God have stopped the truck from crossing the line?
