Chapter 11
Evelyn strikes again…and again…and…again. It started with pictures of Kinley finding out about JT 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.
Kinley was red-faced angry. So what if it was true? JT was a surprise to her, but only in that moment when the pictures were taken. It wasn’t Evelyn’s place to discuss — especially publicly. To make matters worse, JT was pictured. Who does that? He’s a kid and totally off limits. This just wasn’t funny anymore.
Kinley tried to fight back with a give ’em something to talk about approach, granting Evelyn extensive access to Facebook opportunities with the assumption it would make Evelyn look like the fool. That failed miserably. Kinley couldn’t be certain why she thought walking around with Evelyn’s spotlight on her served as any kind of lesson — at the time, it had seemed brilliant.
In the back of her mind and forefront of her heart, Kinley was starting to admit it was all just a 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 Jace. Her fling wasn’t much of a fling. Kinley knew it for what it was — a freakin’ relationship. She still couldn’t quite voice it, or completely own it, though.
What Kinley could do, however, was recognize Jace and JT were important to her — and that evil Evelyn was an asshole. While Kinley continued to sort through her emotions and reconcile her thoughts about all that she was and wasn’t interested in, she decided to engage in some can’t beat ’em so join ’em. Evelyn wanted to document Kinley’s every move, so Kinley would do her one better and post the pics and snarky captions herself and tag Evelyn. Every. Single. 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 Pine Valley to see, including Evelyn Shirley. Kinley’s 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 Drunk and Dirty Days 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 ’Til You Drop relay race where teams had to pick and carry grapes — those who placed there were in the Drunk and Dirty Days Crawl, and how they ranked in the relay determined their booth location in the Crawl.
Pine Valley 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, spirits, brews, and foods. By night, it was all about the town hosted dance — The Fall Fling. The Fall Fling was Kinley’s master plan, and where she planned to really sock it to the old woman, Evelyn Shirley.
Evelyn 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 D & D Days Crawl Pie bake-off, and even the pinochle club…Evelyn was always the winner.
The Fall Flings reigning champion, ten years in a row, was about to go down, though. Oh yes, Evelyn Shirley was going to wish she stuck to her winning cherry pie and left her well-timed foxtrot at home. As Evelyn said, it took two to tango, and Kinley 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 weekends of diehard practice to get Jace up to speed, but to Kinley’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! Kinley had an end-of-dance, fancy, twirling lift as her secret weapon.
The highly anticipated events were finally in full swing. Jace and Kinley spent the day with JT at the Crawl, enjoying food, drink, and family-oriented vineyard shenanigans. It was a warm fall day. Everything was perfect, and Kinley was enjoying herself to no end. Outings together, the three of them, felt natural — Kinley even looked forward to them — and today was no exception.
As the day retired to evening, they returned home where a babysitter was waiting for JT, and a sexy red dress awaited Kinley. JT had grown tired from a long day of shenanigans and had fallen asleep by the time they got back to Jace’s home. The babysitter was in for a laid-back night with a sleeping tot, and Kinley’s dress was in for the dance of all dances. It was time for Kinley to make her mark on this little town as the new Fall Fling Champ and hand Evelyn a proverbial ass kicking while she was at it.
Dancing had always been Kinley’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. Kinley 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 Jace Detweiler every single day. He made recovering from the fall of grace and New York bearable. In fact, she barely remembered she was supposed to feel bitter and scorned.
Jace’s beaming smile led the way into the ballroom of Pine Valley 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. Jace Detweiler was as cool, calm, and collected as they came. 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.
The event was finally underway. As other couples were tapped on the shoulder, they left the dance floor, no longer eligible — Jace and Kinley 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 the couple returned to their surroundings, reminded of where they were.
Jace and Kinley were heading into the final round along with another couple they did not know, and the champion of evil herself, Evelyn Shirley. Kinley shot Evelyn a sweet smile. It was more polite and socially acceptable than flipping the old bird off. Kinley received a turned-up nose and sound of disgust in return as Evelyn left the dance floor, waiting her turn to win the championship cup.
Kinley was warming up her Facebook, about to drop a bomb of a post holding the trophy she was determined to win. Kinley was surprised there hadn’t been anything posted by her nemesis all night. She had heard, while talking to her group of friends, Molly and Seth, Evelyn’s other targets, had come to some sort of truce with Evelyn. Details were withheld, but in the end, Ben, owner of the Ben’s Brakes & BBQ, seemed to be Evelyn’s partner at more than just dance. That may have been something to look into. The older duo seemed a little too cozy to be nothing more. Interesting. Kinley could get Evelyn off her back with juicy gossip like that. One could hope, anyway.
Numbers were drawn, and the order of the dance-off established. The strangers were going first, followed by Evelyn, with Jace and Kinley closing the show. Perfect. Rubbing her hands together with a sly smile on display, Kinley had a hard time holding the missing evil laugh in. If Kinley were a betting woman, she’d bet a million dollars she didn’t even have she was about to rock Evelyn’s world. Kinley 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. Kinley winked at Jace — the waltz wasn’t enough.
Confidence soaring, Kinley could practically feel the trophy in her hand until the music started and Evelyn and Ben commanded the dance floor with an up-tempo foxtrot. Their foot work was clean, their lines crisp, and timing perfect. As hard as it was to admit, they were good. Damn good. For the first time all night, Kinley was nervous. There was a reason Evelyn was the reigning champion of this shindig, and it wasn’t because the judges feared her. It was because she could dance her mean old ass off.
An applause erupted as the dance ended. The crowd was clearly charmed by Evelyn and Ben’s performance. Insecurities, negative self-talk, and good ol’ cold feet settled in for the first time in weeks — emotions she brought back from New York but had been absent for weeks now. Kinley hadn’t realized just how much her mood and emotional game had changed since returning to Pine Valley. Her first weeks back were full of anger, hurt, and resentment. Jace changed all that for Kinley. 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, Kinley needed to get it together. In the back of her mind, Kinley knew the desire to dance and perform for a crowd was about more than just beating the mean old lady in a dance-off. Sure, she had taught classes at Twinkle Toes since returning, but that was different than performing…for an audience…one who knew her story. An ounce of redemption was brewing whether Kinley and Jace won or not.
“Hey, you okay?” Jace placed his hands on Kinley’s shoulders, concern in his voice.
“Me? Oh, yeah, just thinking and stuff,” she admitted, tossing him a forced smile.
“No, you’re not. I can see it. What’s bothering you? Where did all that energy and excitement go?” Jace asked.
Kinley didn’t answer, just slowly turned to the crowd in the distance, still clapping for Evelyn. Jace traced Kinley’s view, putting two and two together, quickly realizing what was plaguing her. While they stood in a quiet corner, there was a whole crowd of people she was about perform for. Perform for.
“First performance since your injury.” A statement, not a question. Jace read her like a book. “You know, you don’t have to do this, right? If the ankle is bothering you from all the practicing lately—”
“No,” Kinley 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. You’re going to show them exactly what New York is missing. You’re fantastic, Kinley — beautiful to watch. They are lucky to witness such a performance.”
Kinley’s eyes flooded with emotion at his words as she nodded her head in agreement. Jace 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 any 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 who cared deeply for her and would do anything to make her happy.
Jace 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. Jace managed to sneak in a sweet sentiment without elaborating or defining it — something else she would need to revisit and reconcile later. All the feelings were coming to a head. They were forcing her to see things for what they were, pushing her to be who she was supposed to be…and let people in who deserved to be part of her life.
“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? Jace was certainly leaving her with a list of feelings and emotions she needed to consider…eventually. It was like she finally arrived in Pine Valley 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!” Kinley smacked his ass, then grabbed his hand to drag him out to the center of the dance floor. She was ready to make her mark in Pine Valley.
Tossing his head back in laughter, Jace spun Kinley around once they made it to the center of their spotlight and pulled her close.
Holding her in a tight embrace, he leaned in, and whispered, “You’re the big wow, twinkle toes.”
He kissed Kinley hard in front of the whole town. The music began, and they broke out into a steamy rumba. Based on the cheers and high-pitched whistles surrounding them, they were executing perfectly. Old Evelyn sat at her table, nose in the air, pretending not to watch, though Jace and Kinley didn’t notice. All they could see was each other.
The music cued them to their approaching big moment, their eyes locked, and their smiles so bold, it hurt. Jace’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. It was like they had been doing this together forever.
Ending on the final note of the song, holding their pose, Kinley wrapped partially around his waist, Jace 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,” Jace whispered in Kinley’s ear.
She giggled. “Which part?”
“All of it.” He winked.