CHAPTER 2

 

“So…” Ruby asked eagerly. “How did it go?”

“Ugh,” Cate kicked off her shoes and flopped face down on the king-sized bed.

It was nearly midnight and she’d only just got back to her hotel room after the second day of gruelling rehearsals in L.A. for Stepping Out. Her inky-black hair was tied in a very rough bun and she was still wearing her sweaty dance clothes, a black vest and yoga pants.

“That good, huh?” Ruby laughed. “Have you found out who you’re going to be dancing with yet?”

Cate shook her head, “next week.”

“I really hope you get Declan. He’s attractive but not too much so, not like Vladimir. How could you concentrate on learning to dance if you were paired with him?”

Cate gulped, she was really hoping that she didn’t get paired with Vladimir. It wasn’t because of what he looked like – he was definitely the heartthrob of Stepping Out; over six-foot tall with well-defined muscles, jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. It was more his fearsome reputation as a teacher.

In each of the five seasons he’d been competing on the show, he’d always reached at least the semi-finals and had gone on to win the competition twice. Whoever he was partnered with, whether they’d had previous dance training or not, they put in many more hours than any of the other couples.

“Declan seems like a nice guy, he was really sweet with Stasia.” Irish professional, Declan had got to the semi-finals of Stepping Out last year with Stasia, a Paralympic athlete who’d lost her right arm in a car accident.

“I don’t know,” Cate sat up. “I’m kind of hoping I get paired with Michel, at least that way he won’t be too disappointed when we get knocked out in the first week.” Michel was the oldest professional on Stepping Out and the only dancer who’d been with the show since the very beginning. He’d got all the way to the final in the second series but in recent years he’d been paired with comedy value contestants and hadn’t made it past week two.

Cate adjusted the screen of her laptop. “Ugh, how can you look so put together?” she scowled at her half-sister. “It’s barely sunrise in London. You should still be in your pyjamas with no make-up on and your hair sticking up at all different angles?”

Ruby fussed with her olive-green silk blouse, “do I look OK? I’m not sure if this lipstick is too severe. I’ve got that interview today and I really want it to go well.”

Ruby had recently moved to London from the small seaside village where she’d grown up. Although the village of Calder Harbour was picture-postcard beautiful, it relied heavily on tourist income and there weren’t that many opportunities for clinical psychologists.

Cate sat cross-legged in front of her laptop. “You’re going to smash it, Rubes.” “Ow,” she yelped as her fresh blister rubbed against the cotton sheets.

“Are you OK?” Ruby looked concerned.

“I’m fine,” Cate looked at the unsightly pink bulge on the side of her big toe, “it’s just a blister.”

Her stomach growled loudly but she was too exhausted to even think about ordering room service. She found a slightly brown banana at the bottom of her dance bag and unpeeled it.

“Enough about me,” Cate popped a piece of squashy banana into her mouth. “I want to see this fabulous new apartment of yours. Ben said that you can see Stamford Bridge from your window.”

“Ha,” Ruby grinned. “I guess you can if you stand on the toilet and hang halfway out of the bathroom window.” She turned her laptop around so Cate could see her bedroom. It was small but Ruby had already added her own personal touches. The walls were painted a soft lilac and on her bedside table was a beautiful chandelier lamp. On top of the white dresser, there were lots of little bottles of nail varnish - Cate and Ruby both shared a love of intricate nail art. The patchwork quilt that Kian’s aunt, Sadie had made for Ruby was draped over the wrought-iron bed frame.

Cate noticed that the framed photograph of her boyfriend, Nico wasn’t on Ruby’s bedside table but decided not to say anything. Nico had stayed behind in Calder Harbour where he owned a successful erotic bakery.

She knew first-hand how tough it was going to be for them, trying to maintain a long-distance relationship. When Kian had first moved to Seattle, she’d stayed behind in Manchester with their children, Lola and Mateo until the end of the school year and so their family had been separated for five months. At least Ruby and Nico were on the same continent.

“What are your flatmates like?” Cate settled in for a good gossip. She enjoyed living vicariously through her half-sister. Cate had never had flat-mates; she’d gone straight from living at her mum’s house to getting married and moving in with Kian.

“They’re cool,” Ruby smoothed out her slick ponytail. “I went out with Imogen, Becca and their boyfriends for pizza last night. It was fun.”

“What about…?” Ruby had found the flat-share through Emily, the girlfriend of Nico’s cousin, Levi. Unfortunately, Levi had unceremoniously dumped Emily a week before Ruby was due to move in. The duplex apartment had two bedrooms with a connecting shared bathroom on each floor. Imogen and Becca were on the first floor and Emily and Ruby were on the second floor. The nasty break-up had turned a blossoming friendship between the two women into a really awkward situation.

Ruby frowned. “I haven’t really hung out with Emily too much yet. I think she finds it too uncomfortable.”

Towards the end of the chat, Cate stifled a yawn. “Shoot,” Ruby said guiltily, “I’ve been yammering on for ages and it must be really late over there. You look tired.”

“Thanks a lot,” Cate pretended to be offended. She looked at the clock. She had to be up again at five am; she had an early flight back to Seattle. “I almost don’t want to go to sleep because I know I’m going to be so sore when I wake up again.”

“You’re going to be awesome, Cate,” Ruby laughed. “I’m like the best dancer ever and we’re so much alike we could be twins so that means you must be too.” They had the same biological father but different mums.

Ruby busted out some very questionable dance moves which made Cate giggle. “Stop,” Cate winced as Ruby hobbled about, having got her foot stuck in the wastepaper bin. She clutched her aching stomach muscles, “please don’t make me laugh.”

“Let me know how the interview goes, OK?” Cate reminded Ruby before they were about to hang up.

Ruby frowned.

“Stop biting your lip, you’ll get that gorgeous lipstick on your teeth. What time are you meeting Thom?”

Thom was one of Cate’s friends from university. He’d been working with Megan Wilson, one of the UK’s most high-profile forensic psychologists ever since he’d graduated. When Cate had been back in the U.K. a couple of months ago for their mutual friend, Vanessa’s wedding, she’d mentioned to Thom that her sister was moving to London and applying for research positions. He’d used his connections to get her the interview today. They were meeting at Starbucks before the interview so he could give Ruby some last-minute advice.

Ruby checked her watch, “in about half an hour. Yikes, I’ve still got so much to do.”

“You’re going to do great,” Cate yawned again. “They would be lucky to have you. Let me know how it goes, OK?”

“If I’m not too busy drowning my sorrows in tequila, I’ll e-mail you,” Ruby grinned. “Give those gorgeous kids of yours a big kiss from their Auntie Ruby when you get home.”

Cate closed down her laptop and put it on the floor at the side of the bed. She was too exhausted to even change out of her sweaty dance clothes. She reluctantly set the alarm on her phone and snuggled under the covers trying to get warm. The air conditioning was on high so the bed was freezing cold; her toes were almost numb.

“Mm,” she burrowed her head deep in the fluffy pillows. At least this time tomorrow, she’d be back in Seattle in her own comfy bed with Kian’s lovely warm body wrapped around hers.