Page 26 of Second Dance
Thanks for a lovely evening. What time should I pick you up tomorrow for dinner? I’ll make a reservation.
I waited, holding my breath as three dots appeared.
Gillian
I teach a Pilates class at five, so maybe 7:30? I’ll need to shower and change first.
Alex
Perfect.
Gillian
I had a good time too. Grace was excited to hear what a nice time we had catching up. She’s very self-congratulatory about the whole thing.
Alex
That’s pretty cute.
Gillian
Did your kids know you were seeing me tonight?
I hesitated before answering, wanting to be honest but not scare her away.
Alex
Peter did. I told Bella afterward. She wasn’t thrilled.
Gillian
I can understand. I hated my mom’s boyfriends. And she had a ton of them. Always someone new that she hoped would be the one. He never was.
Alex
You never told me that.
Gillian
By the time I met you, she’d been dead for a long time, and I remember not wanting to talk about her. Either her life or her death.
Alex
What happened to her?
Gillian
Drug overdose. My sister and her husband took me in after that.
Alex
Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I never knew that.
Gillian
I was nineteen and worried what you’d think of my family had I told you how dysfunctional my childhood had been. Dancing saved me. College saved my sister. She was super smart and went to law school. She would have been a great mother, had she had the chance. I know because she took care of me for years. Made sure I got into the dance academy. We both had such big plans for our lives.
Alex
