Nora strikes again…and again…and…again. It started with pictures of Heather finding out about Tommy in the park, of course there was a snarky caption to go with them.
‘Secrets already? Or awkward meeting? Either way, the Dancer looks ready to twirl her way out of there.”
Heather was red faced angry. So what if it was true, in the moment the pictures were taken, it wasn’t Nora’s place to discuss – especially publically. To make matters worse, Tommy was pictured. Who does that? He’s a kid and totally off limits. This just wasn’t funny anymore.
Heather tried to fight back with a give’em something to talk about approach, granting Nora extensive access to Facebook opportunities thinking it would make Nora look like the fool. That failed miserably. She couldn’t be certain why she thought walking around with Nora’s spotlight on her served any kind of lesson now…at the time it had seemed brilliant.
In the back of her mind and forefront of her heart, Heather was starting to admit that it was all just guise, a ruse, a façade. It didn’t make sense because it wasn’t a plan or strategy for anything other than giving herself an excuse to spend time with Clay. Her fling wasn’t much of a fling, she knew it for what it was, a relationship. She still couldn’t quite voice it, or completely own it though.
What she could do, however, was recognize that Clay, and Tommy, were important to her – and that Nora was an asshole. While she continued to sort through her emotions, and reconcile her thoughts about all that she was and wasn’t interested in, she would engage in some can’t beat’em so join’em. Nora wanted to document Heather’s every move, Heather would do her one better and post the pics, and snarky captions, herself…tagging Nora, every time.
The next several weeks were spent with her boys, enjoying various activities around town and the surrounding areas – their adventures documented on Facebook for all of St. Helena to see, including Nora Kinkaid. Her nights, however, were her own and spent in the throes of passion with Doc McSteamy and not rated for Facebook. Her plan hadn’t ended there, however, no, that was just the beginning.
Harvest season, in wine country, brought in crowds by the hundreds of thousands, including some of the world’s biggest and most respected wine brokers and collectors. Showcasing in the Cork Crawl was for the most elite winemakers, and was a highly sought after position to be in. To participate, however, you had to participate in the Pick Till You Punt team relay race where teams had to pick and carry grapes – those that placed there, were in the Cork Crawl and how they did in the relay determined their booth location in the Cork Crawl.
St. Helena boasted some of the oldest wine country traditions in the area, these events, this time of year, being the most treasured. By day it was all about sampling local wines and foods at the Cork Crawl, by night it was all about the town hosted dance – Fall Fling. The Fall Fling was Heather’s master plan, and where she planned to really sock it to the old woman, Nora Kinkaid.
Nora was used to winning, at everything. She won blue ribbons just for thinking about winning, she was that good. From the garden club, to knitting club, the Cork Crawl Pie bake-off, and even the pinochle club…Nora was always the winner.
The Fall Flings reigning champion, ten years in a row, was about to go down though. Oh yes, Nora Kinkaid was going to wish she stuck to her winning cherry pie and left her well timed Fox Trot at home. As Nora said, it took two to Tango and Heather planned to Cha Cha her way right to the Fall Fling Championship Cup. Game on, or in this case, Dance on.
It took several late nights, and a couple of weekends of diehard practice to get Clay up to speed, but to Heather’s surprise, he was a quick study. Dance came somewhat natural with his athletic abilities and she took it as a sign – they were going to win this thing, stick it to the old busy body and wipe the dance floor with her! She had an end of dance, fancy twirling lift as her secret weapon.
***
The highly anticipated events were finally in full swing. Clay and Heather spent the day with Tommy at the Cork Crawl, enjoying food, drink, and family oriented vineyard shenanigans. It was a warm fall day, everything perfect, and Heather was enjoying herself to no end. Outings together, the three of them, felt natural – she even looked forward to them – today was no exception.
As the day retired to evening, they returned home where a babysitter was waiting for Tommy, and a sexy red dress awaited Heather. As the day wore on, Tommy had grown tired, and had fallen asleep by the time they got back to Clay’s home. The babysitter was in for a laid back night with a sleeping tot, Heather’s dress was in for the dance of all dances. It was time to make her mark on this little town as the new Fall Fling Champ, and hand Nora a proverbial ass kicking while she was at it.
Dancing had always been Heather’s passion, but tonight, her passion was the handsome man on her arm, leading her into the Fall Fling like he was the lucky one. She felt like the lucky one. Though she still was on the fence about relationships and emotional baggage claiming, she couldn’t help but fall a little more for Clay Walker, every single day.
Clay’s beaming smile led the way into the ballroom of The Napa Grand Hotel where the Fall Fling was hosted. Already in full swing, they made a quick round, saying their hellos and feeling out the competition on the dance floor as they did. Clay Walker was as cool, calm, and collected as they came, but he was also just as confident and competitive as his leading lady. They were ready to crush it.
Their strategy was simple, mingle, a little wine, light hors d’oeuvres and some mild dancing. Leave the competition none the wiser. They took to the dance floor here and there, keeping their muscles warm so they could avoid an embarrassing session of stretching before the big event – three rounds of dancing, leading to the final competition.
Staying on top of their game, without revealing their final hand, the two forgot they were even competing. They were enjoying each other, being close, moving in sync, feeling each other’s body move against their own and the heat they were generating. It was like being in bed together, intimate and perfectly matched – like they were making the music everyone was dancing to.
As other couples were being tapped on the shoulder, and leaving the dance floor, no longer eligible, they just danced, like they were the only two in the room. It wasn’t until the crowd erupted in celebration, and the evening’s MC began to speak through the mic that they returned to their surroundings, reminded of where they were.
There they stood, heading into the final round along with another couple that they did not know, likely tourists, and Nora Kinkaid. Heather shot Nora a sweet smile because that was more polite and socially acceptable than flipping the old bird off. She received a turned up nose and sound of disgust in return as Nora left the dance floor awaiting her turn to win the championship cup.
Heather was warming up her Facebook, she was about to drop a bomb of a post holding the trophy she was determined to win. She was surprised that there hadn’t been anything posted by her nemesis all night. She had heard, while talking to her group of friends, that Molly and Seth, Nora’s other targets, had come to some sort of truce with Nora. Details were withheld, but in the end, Stan, owner of the Stan’s Soup and Service, seemed to be Nora’s partner at more than just dance. If she was leaving Molly and Seth alone, there was a good chance Heather could get her off her back too. One could hope.
Numbers were drawn, and the order of the dance off established. The strangers were going first, followed by Nora, with Clay and Heather closing the show. Perfect. Rubbing her hands together with a sly smile on display, Heather had a hard time holding the missing evil laugh in. If she were a betting woman, she would bet a million dollars she didn’t even have, that she was about to rock Nora’s world – she could feel the win, headed her way.
A well-executed Waltz started the final round. The couple dancing was flawless, moving around the dance floor with perfect timing and such grace…but it was bland, text book, and lacked pizazz. A non-threat.
Confidence soaring, Heather could practically feel the trophy in her hand until the music started and Nora and Stan commanded the dance floor with an up-tempo Fox Trot. Their foot work was clean, their lines crisp, and timing perfect. As hard as it was to admit, they were good, damn good and for the first time all night, Heather was nervous. There was a reason Nora was reigning champion of this shindig and it wasn’t because the judges feared her, it was because she was damn good.
An applause erupted, as the dance ended, the crowd clearly charmed by the performance delivered. Insecurities, negative self-talk, and good’ol cold feet settled in for the first time in weeks. She hadn’t realized just how much her mood and emotional game had changed since returning to St. Helena. Her first weeks back were full of anger, hurt, and resentment. Clay changed all that for her, interesting. She made a mental note to come back to that and sort out what it all meant, the whys, hows, and what’s next of it all.
Right now, she needed to get it together. In the back of her mind, she felt like dancing, performing for a crowd no less, was about more than just beating an old lady in a dance off. Sure she had taught classes at The Barre And Tap since returning, but that was different than performing…for an audience…one that knew her story.
“Hey, you okay?” Clay asked, hands on Heather’s shoulders, concern laced in his words.
“Me? Oh, yeah, just thinking and stuff,” she admitted, tossing him a half assed smile.
“No, you’re not. I can see it? What’s bothering you? Where did all of that energy and excitement go?”
She didn’t answer, just slowly turned to the crowd in the distance, still clapping for Nora while she and Clay stood in a quiet corner. He traced her view, putting two and two together, quickly realizing what was plaguing her.
“First performance since your injury.” A statement, not a question; he read her like a book. “You know, you don’t have to do this, right? If the ankle is bothering you from all of the practicing lately…”
“No,” she cut him off, “it’s not that. It’s just…I don’t know. I couldn’t even make it in New York and now…”
“And now you are going to wow this crowd, of family, friends, and neighbors, showing them exactly what New York is missing. You’re fantastic, Heather, beautiful to watch. They are lucky to witness such a performance.”
Her eyes flooded with emotion at his words. He was a wonderful man – how had she been so lucky? His confidence in her, and need to comfort her was more than she had experienced from a man. How had she missed just how much he cared for her, and appreciated her until now? Her fling and scarred heart had clouded her judgement, and veiled what had been in front of her for weeks – a man that cared deeply for her, and would do anything to make her happy.
He placed a sweet kiss on her forehead as he pulled her into a hug, “You got this, twinkle toes. You’ve already won my heart, darlin’, the rest is just a bonus…for me anyway. You ready to dance your ass off for these people?”
And the tears finally spilled over, streaking her cheeks with a sense of joy she couldn’t recall feeling before. He managed to sneak in a sweet sentiment without elaborating or defining it, something else she would need to revisit and reconcile later.
“Born in a tutu, Doc…let’s do this!” she joked, wiping the tears from her face, ready to take the stage with an entirely new outlook.
“If you’re worried about the ankle, we can cut the lift, but I promise, I will never let you go…”
Was he still talking about the lift, or was there more to his statement? He was certainly leaving her with an entirely new outlook, and emotions that she needed to reconsider tonight. It was like she finally arrived in St. Helena for the first time tonight. Her outlook no longer bleak, and full of woe.
“That lift is magic, Doc, it’s our secret weapon…it’s our big wow. Let’s go win this!” she smacked his ass before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the center of the dance floor, ready to make her mark in St. Helena.
He tossed his head back in laughter, and spun her around once they made it to the center of the dance floor before pulling her close. He pulled her in tight and said, “You’re the big wow, twinkle toes.”
He kissed her hard, in front of the whole town as the music began, before breaking out into their steamy Rumba. They appeared to be executing it perfectly, based on the cheers and high pitched whistles surrounding them. Old Nora sat at her table, nose in the air, pretending not to watch, though Clay and Heather didn’t notice.
The music cued them, as their big moment approached, their eyes locked, and smiles so bold it hurt. Clay’s timing perfect, he lifted her mid-step, spinning as they went, maneuvering across the dance floor. Both eloquent and sexy, they did what they did best and that was work in perfect sync, like they had been doing this forever.
Ending on the final note of the song, holding their pose with Heather wrapped partially around his waist, Clay slowly and ever so gently slid her down his body to her feet, mindful of her weak ankle and kissed her again, a perfect ending to a perfect dance, that drove the crowd wild. “I hope that made it on Facebook.”
She giggled, “Which part?”
“All of it.”