Chapter Twenty
Gillian
I glanced at the clock. It was six-thirty. The dance recital was in half an hour, and I was still at home trying to make sure that the white flower I’d tucked behind my ear was in the perfect position. I pulled my hair back behind it one more time and took a quick look. It simply wouldn’t sit right. I threw the thing in the trash and headed out the door.
Dwayne was standing outside his house when I pulled up. He had this way of looking right at me, as if he could see through me. It made me feel vulnerable, like he could get to me no matter what, and he could. Nothing could stop the chill racing through me when he hopped in and gave me a hug.
His touch lingered when he pulled away. “Are you excited to see the girls?” he asked when I pulled out of the driveway. “You’ve probably been working really hard to get them ready.”
“I have, and I’m really glad that you came.”
“I wouldn’t miss a chance to see you.”
“You’re going to have fun. We’ve got a really good group this time, and I think they have a lot of potential.”
“Are they young?”
“Oh, yeah. Their mothers get them in dance as early as they can. We don’t take anyone under five, but they’d sign them up a lot earlier than that if they could.”
“That’s terrible.”
We got there right before the recital started. “Listen,” I turned to him before we got out, “the mothers are going to try to talk to me and hound me about every little thing. We have to just run straight for the back door and sit down without talking to anyone.”
“Kind of like when you catch the football and have to run for the goal before anyone tackles you.”
“Exactly,” we both laughed. “But seriously. These women are vicious.”
“I’ve been at war for the better part of a decade. I think I can deal with some catty women.”
“Yeah… I’m gonna have to rush you through.” I checked the rearview mirror. Lili Nguyen, one of our more avid skeptics was standing in the front lot, staring at my car. “Come on.”
“She’s coming,” Dwayne checked back behind us as we made our way across the lot.
“Don’t look. Don’t look. I don’t want her to know that we see her.”
“Excuse me,” she called out, her pumps clicking against the pavement.
“Go, go, go.” I pushed him through the back door and started to walk through.
Bright orange fingernails caught the door before it closed behind me. “Where have you been?” Lili opened the door. “Everything is in shambles. Two of the girls skinned their knees and Lexie can barely hold up. This recital is a disaster.”
“The girls are young. Some trouble is to be expected.”
“Are you coming?” Dwayne walked up behind me.
Lili trained her dragon eyes on him, then on me. “Just get it together.” She stormed off.
“You weren’t kidding. What is with these women?” We started walking to our seats.
“They do this because they want their children to get into the industry. It’s totally cutthroat, as you can imagine, so they’re all complete sociopaths.” Dwayne sat down, and I took a seat next to him. “On our first day, one of the girls pushed another girl down, and her mother was nodding along, encouraging her.”
“That’s sick.”
“That’s the reality of parents and competition.” Lexie dimmed the lights and took a seat at the keyboard in back.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming tonight to show their support for our little ballerinas. We have an amazing class this semester — one of the best I’ve ever seen — and I really think you’re going to enjoy tonight’s performance.”
“You worked hard,” Dwayne whispered. “Be proud.”
“Thank you.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. It felt intimate, more than we’d done before. When I pulled my hand back, I could still feel the warmth from his skin. I tried not to focus on that and watch as the girls came out, their hands above their heads, as they spun slowly on their toes.
When Beth came out at the end of the line, she waved at me, and my heart jumped. I was ready to tear up. I didn’t want Dwayne to see, but I couldn’t help it. He pretended that he didn’t notice at first. Then he took my hand and held it through the rest of the dance.
When the procession was over, the girls all stood at a line at the front of the room and bowed. Beth looked right at me when she dipped down, and I nearly died. “She really likes you,” Dwayne whispered in my ear.
“I’ve given her every moment of my time since she got here, and it’s paid off.”
When the recital was over, Beth’s mom came up to me, holding her daughter’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done,” she said.
“I was tearing up,” I told her. “I couldn’t believe how amazing she was.”
“Who are you?” Beth pointed at Dwayne.
He smiled and got down on one knee in front of her. I watched closely. “My name is Dwayne. Is your name Beth?”
“Yes, it is, and I’m the best swan that ever ever existed. Two evers.” She held up two fingers.
“I say three because I have never seen a swan walk on her tippy toes the way you did.”
“You found a good husband,” Beth told me.
“He’s not…” We all started laughing.
“You’ve done so much for her, Gillian. I really think that we’re going to commit to getting her on stage.”
“And, I will do everything I can to make it happen.” Beth was whispering something in Dwayne’s ear. He nodded along, then whispered something back.
“What are you guys talking about?”
“Nothing,” they both said.
“Uh-huh.”
“Come on, Beth. If you want to get ice cream, you have to leave now.”
“On more thing!” She wrapped her arms around my leg to give me a hug. Then she hugged Dwayne, and he went beet red. “Bye,” she called as she waved and walked off.
Dwayne stood up. “I have a secret.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not telling.” He turned around to walk away with his butt shaking just enough to keep me looking. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I could still feel the warmth where he squeezed my hand.
“Stop that,” Lexie came up and whispered in my ear.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re falling for him.”
I didn’t say anything, not at first. This was no time to be defensive. I had to know whether or not she was right.
“That’s dangerous.”
“I’m not having this conversation.”
“Just think about it before you jump in.”
“I will.”
After a moment, a pair of hands came up behind me and wrapped around my waist. His breath poured into my ear. “I’m hungry.”
“What did she tell you?”
“Uh-uh, that’s a secret.”
“Then, I’m not hungry.”
“Suit yourself.” He started walking out the door.
“Wait.” I ran after him into the parking lot. “Were you going to walk home?”
“No, I just wanted to see you come after me like that.”
“Get in.” I unlocked the doors. “I’m starving.”