Chapter 9
Kaisa
“It’s Kaisa Halberg and Ledger Bishop!” A woman waves as she approaches us in the lobby the next day. The scents of pine and peppermint move in the air as people mill about. Red, green, silver, and gold accents adorn every surface in the finely furnished space.
We’ve just finished our second rehearsal of the day, and when the woman rushes up to us, my heart squeezes with concern and a Finnish exclamation jumps out of my mouth in a whisper. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get used to strangers recognizing and approaching me.
Out of instinct, I squeeze Ledger’s arm. I’m not actually scared. It’s just the nerves that come up without warning. His gaze goes to mine and something passes between us.
“Hello,” Ledger says to her warmly. “Are you here for Mynt to Make a Difference?” He shifts so that his arm can rest lightly against my waist. It’s an anchor, like a weighted blanket that calms me. I take in a breath of the Christmas-infused air. The resort knows how to do the holidays.
“Oh, we come here every winter. It’s the best skiing experience around.
” She runs a hand through her short, curly hair, batting her large, bespectacled eyes.
“I was thrilled when I heard there would be so many famous athletes here this year.” She turns to me.
“And you’re my favorite dancer on Lights, Camera, Dance! ”
“Thank you,” I say. “That means a lot to hear.”
“I couldn’t believe you got kicked off so quickly the last seasons. You’re so talented. It’s not fair. They better give you a good partner next year. No more of those awkward guys!”
My partner for the first season certainly wasn’t awkward. But I let things get out of hand. I developed feelings for him I had no business having, and it cost me the win.
“Thanks,” I say dipping my head a little. “Tim and Rick were great guys, though, and it was a fun experience.”
I have to be gracious, even though the memories of it make me cringe.
“I know you had fun with Kale Hobbs on season one,” the woman’s friend says with a wink.
I open my mouth to respond, having absolutely no idea what to say, when Ledger saves the day.
“Well, I hope you’re planning on coming to the Peppermynt Twist Showdown on Saturday,” he says. “Because that’s where you’ll get to see her next partner.” His smile is humble and a bit self-deprecating.
The woman gasps. “Are you two dancing together on Saturday night? What a gorgeous couple! You’re paired with someone who complements you again, Kaisa. I’m so pleased.”
A laugh filters through me. “It’s been fun teaching a football player how to dance.”
“You call blisters and sore muscles fun?” Ledger challenges, his face splitting into a grin. The women laugh. “And honestly, I’m guessing I’m more awkward than Tim and Rick were combined,” he says. “But Kaisa is a very patient instructor.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” I insist.
“Well, you’re certainly easy on the eyes. I can’t wait to see you two onstage together,” the woman says. “I’m Barb and this is my sister Patty, by the way. Our brother and sister-in-law are around here somewhere.”
“And our husbands,” Patty prompts, like she’s worried Barb forgot about them.
Barb screws up her face. “They’re watching football in the lounge upstairs. When they’re not skiing, they’re watching football.”
“Hey, that sounds fun to me,” Ledger says.
Barb asks for a selfie and then for us to sign their canvas bags.
When they leave, Ledger chuckles. “They were fun.”
“Patty and Barb.” I nod with a smile. “They came at us like charging bulls, but they turned out to be mild lambs.”
A look passes between us. It’s like he understands my panic, and it’s okay. The warmth of him by my side is everything I love about Christmas back home. The way he’s making me feel right now is like my favorite mug of mulled cider warming my hands.
I offer a little laugh. “Are you planning on going to any of the festivities tonight?”
“My trainer, Steve, has a lot of plans for me. He’s on strict orders from Coach Whittaker to keep me up to date on what the team has going on. How about you?”
“I might check in on the snowman building thing, but I don’t know. There’s a lot to get done. I can’t believe we’re three days away from the performance.”
He grimaces. “And now I’m panicked. We still haven’t done the lift, Kaisa.”
“How do you know it’s a lift?” I tease. “Lift or not, we’ll work on it tomorrow, I promise.” I wet my lips with a touch of my tongue. With Ledger’s strength, he’ll manage just fine. It’s not complicated, but there are some basics he needs to get down first.
“And what about those last three Cuban Walks?” he protests. “I keep starting on the wrong foot.”
“I know.” I offer a smile. And he’s been struggling with the hip action required in those traveling steps. “But you’ll get there. It’s going to be okay.”
Our walking slows momentarily as we approach a knot of people near the bank of elevators. He steadies his hand against my back as people rush by.
“I hope so.” He shrugs. “I want to do well. I want to make you proud.” His gaze skitters to mine as we weave in and out of various groups of people.
I press my lips together to hide a smile. When I open my mouth to speak, a shout is heard behind us.
“You’re under the mistletoe!”
We both look up. Sure enough, there is mistletoe with red velveteen ribbon and lacy green leaves hanging from the arched doorway above us.
“When did that get there?” Ledger says with a nervous laugh.
I can’t help the slight curse under my breath in my own language. How am I under the mistletoe with Ledger Bishop?
The older woman who pointed it out steps around another couple to reach us. “It’s been here all of December. You know what you have to do, right?” She teases. “Go on.”
“We’re not—” I start.
“I wouldn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable,” Ledger asserts, his hand still on the small of my back. “But Merry Christmas to you, ma’am.” He drapes an arm over my shoulder and moves to guide me forward.
“But you have to kiss her, at least on the cheek!” Another older woman says. What is it with all the older women around here all the sudden? She begins chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Soon, others are joining in the chant and laughing. It spirals out of control very quickly, like an impromptu flash mob of crazed Christmas fans hungry for their mistletoe kiss fix.
Ledger catches my eye and I feel my own widening.
We cannot kiss. I’m certainly not ready for that.
Dancing so up close and personal with this handsome man is hard enough, but adding kissing to the mix?
However innocent—it would be in front of a large crowd of people for one thing—what will I do with the surge of feelings that will come up?
No. I kissed my partner in season one and it’s affected my dance life ever since.
A smile twists about Ledger’s mouth. He must sense my hesitation, because his gaze pointedly narrows in on my cheek, and then returns to my own gaze, as if to ask permission.
I offer a timid smile. I suppose I can handle a kiss on the cheek. No big deal. It might be good publicity for the show. There’s nothing too beige about a mistletoe kiss, right?
He leans in and I fight a surge of desire. His scent overtakes my senses. I can’t believe myself. I think my brain goes offline because just as his lips reach me, I snake my hands to his face and tilt it just enough that his lips bypass my cheek and land on my lips.
A shocked umph escapes him as he presses his mouth against mine, his lips warm and minty and gentle.
It’s…we’re kissing. We’re lip to lip and my head is spinning. I ease myself closer to him.
Did I moan softly or did he?
He pulls apart far too soon, taking a step back.
Our gazes lock. I can’t read his expression. A soft “aww” comes from people nearby, and that’s enough to break me out of my reverie. I ease back in a half stumble.
I clap my hands over my cheeks and the crowd laughs. A few people even applaud.
“Nice!” The woman says, squeezing each of us at the elbow before moving on.
Heat floods my face as we reach the elevator, and I’m relieved to see that it’s empty.
Because we kissed. I kissed him on the lips when he was only intending a kiss on the cheek.
Why did I do that?
Miraculously, no one else tries to enter before the doors slide closed. Ledger punches the button for my floor and then his, which is on the top floor. We start talking at the same time. “That was so—” I say right as he says, “Sorry about—”
We laugh and he bows his head as if to allow me the floor. “No, I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t know why I grabbed your face like that. It wasn’t—”
He wipes his smile away with his hand as he rubs his chin. “It was unexpected. But it wasn’t a problem.”
“It wasn’t?” I clear my throat, willing my heart to stop pounding so loudly.
“It—I thought it might be good publicity if we did that. You know, add some harmless excitement and intrigue.” My heart is pounding and I hope he can’t hear it.
I shrug and turn away from him, fiddling with my phone. He cannot notice my flushed face.
Except I can’t manage to even unlock it, my fingers flying over the numbers in the completely wrong order.
I’m so rattled, I can’t even operate my phone.
“Was that why you did it? Publicity?”
I nod while staring down at my phone. “Uh huh.”
“That was the only reason, huh?”
Giving up on the fruitless attempt to unlock my phone, I drop my hand and meet his gaze for the first time since we kissed. “Why did you do it?”
“Because I wanted to and you gave me permission with your eyes.” A slow smile stretches across his face. “I’m glad we settled on the lips.”
I growl. “Ugh, it was…for publicity, Ledger. My last two partners were so boring that I—”
“I know. I heard Barb,” he teases.
I shake my head. “So, I need to amp up my image. I don’t want people forgetting about me.”
“Which is why you kissed me. Got it.” He’s still smiling, though, and the look he’s giving me is scandalous. Like he knows I’m lying through my teeth.
It wasn’t why I kissed him. I hadn’t even thought of that excuse until we got in the elevator.
The truth is, he’s a gorgeous and intriguing man, and I got carried away.
“Glad we’re on the same page,” I manage, my voice warbling a bit. “And I guess maybe you’ve earned lifting privileges for tomorrow morning.” I can’t keep discussing this kiss—best to divert our attention elsewhere.
He raises his fists in the air. “I knew it was a lift!”
“I think we’re ready for it.”
His face lights up and he widens his arms. “Mold me into the best lifting machine you’ve ever seen then.”
“Oh, I will,” I assure him.
The elevator bings and the doors open. “See you in the morning,” he says, his expression sweet.
Hours after our goodbye, I’m still thinking about him when there’s an unexpected knock on my hotel room door.