Page 18 of Second Dance
She nodded, and off she went, promising to return with our drinks.
After she left, Gillian and I were quiet for a moment. I wasn’t sure where to start.
“It’s been a long time,” I said, feeling lame.
“Yes, it has. A lot’s happened to both of us. Where do we begin?”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” I said. “Tell me more about Grace. Strangely enough, we all saw her play Belle at the school play. I had no idea she was yours. Although something about her had felt very familiar. Isn’t that odd?”
“Completely.” Gillian’s mouth curved into a smile, her eyes shining. “I’m so proud of her. She’s fearless when it comes to performing. I’ve had her in singing and acting lessons from an early age. Her request. And she’s taken dance at my studio since I first opened.”
“How did you find your way to Willet Cove?” I asked. “You grew up in Sacramento, right?”
“That’s correct. Good memory.”
I remembered everything about Gillian Horton, but I kept that to myself.
“I’d been here as a kid and never forgot how beautiful it was. When I came for Grace, I decided it would be a great place to raise a child, and I saw potential for a dance studio—children and adult classes. My sister and her husband left me a nice nest egg. My brother-in-law was a patent attorney—and quite a bit older than my sister—so he’d had everything in order. A trust fund for Grace. Their life insurance money came to me so I’d be able to take care of Grace. Between that and the sale of their house, I was able to buy a cottage here and open my studio. I earned my Pilates certificate, thinking it would be a great combination with dance classes.”
“And you’re doing well?” I asked.
“Remarkably so. I mean, I’m not a billionaire, but we have a wonderful life.”
I smirked, embarrassed. “So you know about that?”
She shrugged, smiling. “There are a lot of articles out there about you.”
“Did you know about all of that before I reached out?” I asked, curious if she’d ever Googled me.
“No. I had no idea what happened to you.”
The server brought our wine, interrupting the flow of our conversation for a moment. But Gillian got it back on track quickly when we were alone again.
“In fact, the first I learned of your presence in Willet Cove was just a few nights ago. Grace suspected you were my Alex.”
“How in the world did she know?” I asked.
“It’s kind of a complicated story.”
“I’ve got all night.”
4
GILLIAN
Istumbled a bit over my words, distracted by how surreal it was to be sitting across from him after all these years. “I’d just told Grace about you, and then she saw you at Tyler’s game. This is a small town, so they were naturally curious about the rumored billionaire. They looked you up and saw you went to MIT. Given that and your name, Grace thought you might be the Alex from my past.”
“That’s a smart kid.” His eyes held mine a beat too long, and a warmth radiated from my chest to my stomach.
“Yes, she is. But she’s also in trouble right now.” I explained about the dating app scheme, how the kids had put their mothers on Second Chance without permission. As I talked, I watched his hands on the stem of his wine glass—the same long fingers I remembered, though his hands looked stronger now, more lived-in. “Apparently, they’re concerned about what will happen to us after they leave for college. As if we can’t live without them.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “So the kids looked you up, then showed me your photo at our family dinner. I was stunned. But I had to admit it was you. Then, I did the math on your kids.”
His eyes widened, then understanding crossed his face. “You thought I had kids back then and never told you.”
“And perhaps a wife too.”
He leaned forward slightly, closing the space between us. “Okay, yeah. I can see how you came to that conclusion.”
“It bothered me more than I care to admit.” Heat crept into my cheeks, and I had to look away from the intensity in his gaze. “But then I saw your profile, and it all became clear.”
