Page 52 of Second Dance
The doorbell rang, so I excused myself to go answer it, yanking open the door a little too hard and nearly knocking myself backward.
Gillian stood there with Grace at her side, both sun-kissed and glowing, looking like a photo advertising Northern California tourism. Grace held a bouquet of flowers.
“Hey, guys.” I stepped back to welcome them inside. “Come on in.”
“Hi, Alex. Thank you for inviting us.” Grace thrust the flowers into my hands. “These are from our garden.”
“They’re beautiful,” I said. “Thank you.”
Grace’s eyes widened as she looked past me to the wall of windows that framed the ocean beyond. “Wow. Holy cow. This place is sick.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I brushed my mouth to Gillian’s cheek. “You look beautiful.” She wore a sundress in a sage green that brought out her eyes. A pair of wedge sandals showed off her dancer calves and added a few inches to her petite stature.
“You look considerably more relaxed than earlier.” Gillian smiled up at me, squeezing my hand.
“Thanks to you,” I said, my gaze lingering on her pretty face for a second too long.
Bella appeared in the foyer, looking pale and shaky. Neither of us would recover anytime soon from the encounter with Darren. Still, she was putting on a brave face. She held up her hand in a half wave. “Hi.”
“It’s nice to see you, Bella,” Gillian said. “Thank you for having us.”
“Yeah, thanks so much.” Grace lurched toward Bella, clearly surprising my daughter with a warm hug. “Your house is so pretty.”
“Thanks,” Bella said, ducking her chin, cheeks flushing.
Peter strode in from the hallway, hair damp from a recent shower. For a second, I studied him, looking for cracks in his usual easy-going nature. There didn’t seem to be any. “Hey. I’m Peter.” He shook Gillian’s hand and then held up his fist for Grace to bump.
“Hi, Peter. I’ve seen you play baseball,” Grace said.
“Ah, cool. Was I playing well?” Peter asked.
“I guess so. I don’t really know that much about the game,” Grace said before turning to Bella. “Annie told me you’re super good at soccer.”
Bella shrugged, but I could tell she was pleased. “Annie’s our best player, but I do okay.”
“I wish I was sporty,” Grace said. “But I’m more the diva type.”
Gillian laughed. “That’s the truth.”
I led them all into the kitchen.
“Did you bring a swimsuit?” Bella asked Grace.
“No, I didn’t,” Grace said.
“Don’t worry, you can borrow one of mine if we decide to swim later. Or, there’s the hot tub.”
“I’m in,” Grace said.
Sonya came out of the pantry, wiping her hands on a towel. “Good evening. I’m Sonya.”
“The woman we can’t live without,” I said. “And this is Gillian and Grace.”
“May I offer refreshment?” Sonya asked. “Señor Alex told me to chill some white wine for you.”
“I’d love a glass,” Gillian said. “Thank you.”
