CHAPTER 4

 

Cate paced back and forth in the corridor outside studio nine at Kevin Spyder’s gym in Seattle. Kevin was a friend of Kian’s. After he’d been forced to retire from kickboxing because of a back injury, he’d returned to his hometown of Seattle and opened up his own gym. He was kindly letting them use one of his studios for rehearsals for Stepping Out.

She hitched her heavy dance bag higher up on her shoulder and tried to pluck up the courage to open the door to the studio. Although she’d had a couple of days of rehearsals in L.A. for the group dance which would open the first episode, today she was going to meet her professional partner for the very first time. She didn’t know who it was going to be.

Please, please, please don’t let it be Vladimir.

Cate reached for the door handle but her damp palm slithered down the cool metal.

Ugh, stop being such a big baby. It’s just a TV show for goodness sake. You’re only going to be on it for like five minutes anyway.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door and was immediately blinded by the bright lights of the camera which was thrust towards her.

“You must be Cate,” Cate recognised Declan’s lilting Irish accent and she tried really hard not to show how relieved she was that he wasn’t Vladimir.

She still had spots in front of her eyes from the bright lights and as she walked across the studio to put her heavy bag down by the CD player, she stumbled.

“Easy,” Declan caught her by the elbow. “Don’t worry; it won’t always be like this.” He was talking quietly enough that the camera crew couldn’t hear him.

“Thanks,” Cate laughed at how ridiculous it all was. She couldn’t even walk across the studio without nearly falling; she had no business being in a freaking dance competition.

After the camera crew had left, Cate felt like she could relax a little. It seemed like Declan felt the same way. “OK so…” he rubbed his hands together, “the dance we’ve got this week is the Cha Cha.”

“OK,” Cate gulped. So they were starting with a Latin dance instead of a ballroom.

“You’ve never danced before, have you?” Declan asked.

Cate shook her head, “not even at parties.”

“Perfect,” he jumped to his feet and reached for her hands. Cate thought she must have misheard him. He winked, “it means you won’t have picked up any bad habits.”

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it?”

The song they had been given was “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” by Kylie Minogue.

Without music, Declan showed her the routine he’d choreographed. “Wow,” Cate gasped when he’d finished. She was in so much trouble. “You really want me to do all that?”

“That’s the general idea,” he laughed. “Come on, let’s give it a go.”

“Sorry,” Cate blushed furiously the first time she stood on Declan’s foot.

“Let’s try that again,” Declan shrugged. “Step back with your left foot.”

Even though she’d clearly heard his instructions, for some reason her right foot decided to step forward instead. “Ugh,” Cate stamped her foot on the smooth wooden floor. The sound echoed through the cavernous studio.

“You know,” Declan grinned, “dancing is supposed to be fun.”

He came up behind Cate and put his hands on her hips. “What are you doing?” she jumped.

“We’re going to try something different.” He began to move her hips. “Close your eyes.”

“No,” Cate spluttered. “We met like five minutes ago. I don’t know you.”

Declan turned her around to face him. He had the most beautiful emerald-green eyes. “I want to teach you how to dance, chara, but if I’m going to do that I need you to trust me.”

Cate realised that she didn’t have a choice. If she didn’t want to embarrass herself on national TV, she had to trust Declan. She turned her back to him and closed her eyes.

His fingers pressed against her stomach. Even though they’d only met for the first time that morning, it felt strangely comforting. She didn’t have to think about how awkward she looked and what steps came next because Declan was behind her, manoeuvring her body into each position. With her eyes closed, she could just submit to his choreography.

“Smaller steps,” he said softly. His warm breath tickled her neck.

“Open your eyes again,” Declan stopped. Cate blinked, her eyes struggling to adjust to the harsh light of the studio. When she looked in the mirror and saw Declan’s arms circling her waist, her first instinct was to pull away. He shouldn’t be holding her like that – he was a stranger and she was married with three children.

Declan must have seen the panic in her eyes. “One more time and then I’ll let you go.”

“Eyes open this time.” Cate watched through the mirrors as Declan danced their moulded bodies through the full routine. It was a tantalising glimpse of what the dance could be like, if she worked hard enough and trusted him.

When he let go, Cate immediately missed his heat and strength.

Declan pushed a hand through his dark-brown hair which stood up at funny angles. “I’m starving. Let’s grab some lunch.”

A couple of blocks from the gym there was a cute little diner, Max’s. As they pushed through the swinging doors, Cate’s phone rang. “I’m so sorry,” she apologised to Declan as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was Nate. “I’ve really got to take this.”

Sierra, who was only ten months old, had had a slight temperature when she’d left the house earlier that morning. Cate hadn’t wanted to leave her but Nate had assured her that even though it was probably nothing to worry about, he would take Sierra to the paediatrician’s office and if it was anything at all, he’d let Cate know straight away.

“Everything OK?” Declan asked when Cate slid back into the booth a couple of minutes later.

Cate didn’t want him to think that she was being unprofessional. “My baby wasn’t feeling very well this morning.”

Declan’s eyes lit up, “you’ve got children?”

“Three,” Cate beamed. She showed him their photos on her phone. “Lola’s eight, Mateo’s almost two and a half and Sierra’s ten months.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“What about you?” Cate asked as the waitress brought over their drinks. She took a sip of the ice-cold water. “Have you got any children?”

“Nah,” Declan shrugged his shoulders, “not yet.” He showed Cate a photo of his wife, Hadley. She was petite with long, almost white-blonde hair, a nose ring and tattoos snaking up her right arm.

“Does she live in L.A.?”

Declan frowned, “no. She’s back home in Ireland. She can’t get a visa to come to America.”

Cate wanted to know more but she didn’t want to pry. “You must miss her a lot.”

“I do,” Declan sighed. “This might be my last series of Stepping Out. I’m thinking of auditioning for the British version, at least then I’d be a bit closer to home, you know?”

As Declan talked about the small seaport town on the south coast of Ireland where he and Hadley had grown up, Cate realised that it was the same town where Kian’s dad’s family were from. She felt a pang of sadness when she thought about Eamon. Her family had always been close with the Warners, her older brother, Ben had been friends with Kian since childhood.

It was easy to eulogise people after they were gone but Eamon had been incredibly kind to Cate’s family. She’d never known her biological father; he’d left before she was born.

Eamon had died when she was eighteen. He’d had a massive heart attack while he was driving home from work one night. His car had crashed through the central reservation of the motorway and into oncoming traffic.

“You don’t know Sadie Warner, do you?” Cate asked, thinking of Kian’s aunt who still lived there.

Declan blinked, “I do, actually. She was my Sunday school teacher.”