Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
T he next morning, Alexander was waiting outside of Blair’s suite ten minutes before she said to be there. He didn’t want to give her any reason to be upset. After the silent walk from the night before, he really didn’t want a repeat of the same.
He’d argued with himself the night before after he’d handed his suit off to the gentleman who was going to launder it. The hot water from the shower had been a welcome refresher after the evening. Alexander felt like he owed Martina an apology and the next time he saw her, he was going to offer it. It wasn’t about his reputation. He had never been hesitant to admit when he was wrong. His parents taught him to acknowledge wrongs and to do his best to mend fences. He honestly felt that Martina deserved at least that.
Blair was a strong woman with a reputation for being forward and decisive, but he was sure that the matchmaker hadn’t expected her client to not just make an end run around her schedule, Blair had dug a tunnel and managed to parachute in over the walls as well.
The door opened and Blair stepped out with a brilliant smile on her face. "Well, you’re early." She fairly beamed in his direction. "I bet you’re as eager as I am for this class."
He managed to keep his smile on his face. "I’m looking forward to spending this time with you."
Alexander meant the words. They had been friends for quite some time, almost a decade. He wanted to give this a chance. He was committed to that.
Even if Tatum Hansen had turned his head, he was here to spend time with Blair and he was going to honor that commitment.
"I can see that you got my text."
He followed her gaze and looked down at his clothes.
DRESS CASUAL BUT FASHIONABLE
He was glad she approved, because he had a feeling if she hadn’t, she might have sent him back to change. As it was, he was wearing a long sleeve chambray button down and dark slacks. It was what he wore around his house or out to private events with his friends and family,
but he had questioned if she would find it fashionable.
Alexander was glad that he’d passed muster.
"Well," she held out her arm, waiting for his, "let’s go."
She took the arm he offered and they set off down the hall.
"I’m glad you showed up early."
The tension in his shoulders eased a bit as he turned to smile at her. He was hoping to talk her into walking around the promenade and get a chance to make up for the time they missed at dinner when she’d stepped out of the kitchen. Their conversation up until that point had been really interesting.
She turned and smiled at him too. "I want to make sure we get a place up at the front of the room, so we need to go straight there."
When they arrived, they were indeed the first couple there. Stepping up to the wall, she let go of his arm and smoothed her hands over her dress. With the sun shining down on them he realized that he’d never seen her wear anything like it. "That’s a lovely dress."
"I’m so glad you noticed." She struck a pose and stretched out a leg so he could see the shoe on her foot. "I have several like it in different colors and slightly different style lines. The shoes are handmade by a cobbler I use in Rome."
She looked up at him and seemed to be waiting for… something.
An idea struck him that she might be waiting for him.
"Uh," he managed a vague gesture with his hands, "they’re lovely."
"They’re ballroom shoes," she clarified as she shifted against the wall and stood tall with both feet together, "the last thing I want is my shoe slipping off my heel."
He nodded. "That makes sense."
"Of course, it does!" She reached out and touched his arm, just above his elbow. "You’ll notice the difference when we’re on the floor."
Alexander resisted the urge to look down at his feet. There was probably something special that she was talking about and he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask why.
"Well look at you two!"
Turning toward the affable sound, Alexander saw a couple walking toward them who were probably closer to his parents in age. The gentleman looked strong and Alexander had a feeling he’d done hard work all of his life, but his face bore a striking resemblance to Andy Griffith rather than someone like Grizzly Adams.
The woman on his arm was as petite as he was burly and where the man had a head of white hair, her hair was a warm golden-blonde with wide-swathes of silver. On the surface, they were both vastly different in appearance, but by the way they leaned toward each other and smiled, they were well matched.
The petite woman grinned at them both. "I bet you’re both as excited as we are."
Ben, as he introduced himself, was a logging man and Alex was happy to know he’d been on the right track. "And this," Ben beamed, "is Pearl, just look how she gleams."
Pearl’s cheeks flushed and made her shine with a luster like her name.
"I can see what you mean," Alexander gave the dainty woman an appreciative nod before he introduced the other couple to Blair, easily seeing how great the other two were going to be together. "Are you both looking forward to the dance class?"
Giving a little grimace, Ben looked down at Pearl before answering. "I’m all for twirling this lovely lady around a dance floor, I’m just worried that I’ll step on her dainty little feet with my big clodhoppers and put this sweet lady into a wheelchair for the rest of the cruise."
"Oh pshaw," she nudged him with her shoulder, "I doubt that could be the case, Ben. But," she gave him a saucy look, "if you did, would you push me around in that wheelchair?"
Ben’s expression sobered as he covered his heart with his free hand. "If it came to that, sweet, dear woman, I’d carry you around."
Alexander saw in that couple the same thing he saw in his parents, a genuine caring… a gentle connection that would likely grow the more time they spent with each other. He wondered if that same kind of connection could grow between him and Blair.
The door to the room opened and Tatum stepped outside.
It was different now that he knew her name. Oddly, he hadn’t needed to know her name while they were talking. He would have been curious about it at some point but it had been more than enough just to continue talking with her.
"Oh, I like this," she met all of their gazes with her own, "early birds. Well, come on in and find a space on the floor." Tatum stepped to the side to let them in.
Ben looked down at Pearl. "Ready?"
Alexander felt Blair tug on his arm, starting them both toward the door. He tried not to notice the shock on Ben’s face as she announced brightly, "We’re first."
Ben recovered quickly; his affable expression restored in moments. "Please."
Alexander turned his head to apologize to the older man, but he saw Ben wave him on. "You got yourself a strong-willed woman there, son. Better follow her lead."
Not that he was given much of an option. Blair had a firm hold on his arm and he followed, or he was likely to trip and fall flat on his face. That wasn’t going to help anyone, so he kept pace, struggling with the odd sensation that was pressing on the back of his neck. He knew how competitive Blair was, so he was hoping that this was just a case of that rushing up to the surface.
They were soon joined by half a dozen more couples. Alexander wasn’t sure if they were expected to introduce themselves to the other couples but the instant he’d tried to move away, Blair had locked onto his arm. "I’m not giving up our place on the floor."
When the clock high up on the wall ticked over into the new hour, Tatum moved to the door and closed it, making the softer light in the room brighter by contrast.
"I just left a note on the door for any stragglers to come in when they arrive, but I want to get started." Taking off the sweater she was wearing, Tatum set it over the back of a chair and Alexander used the excuse to look around the room. Tatum’s figure was stellar and showed her years of dance training in the athletic grace of her muscles. "I’m Tatum Hansen and some of you may know me from some of the televised coverage of ballroom competitions, but in this room we’re all just friends getting to know each other." She took a moment to go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves by their first names and Alexander was happy that they had stopped there. He recognized a few of the people in the room on sight.
H aving the kind of financial worth that they did, the circle wasn’t all that large, but in a dance class like this, no one really wanted to look bad in front of each other.
"Okay then," Tatum walked to the center of the mirror along one side of the room and gave quick instructions on how to line up and smiled when they were all in place, "I imagine most of you don’t have people telling you what to do very often."
A gentleman at the end of the row cleared his throat. "Our mothers have no problem with that."
The whole group laughed and shared knowing looks.
"Well, then I’ll have to call your mother later and tell her if you were a good boy."
The gentleman gave a good-natured laugh. "I’ll do my best, but I’m not above bribery to make sure my mother gets a good report card."
"I’m going to guarantee that everyone is going to do great today, because this is one of my favorite dance forms. All you need to do it count to three. We’re going to start with the waltz."
"But," Blair stepped away from him and fixed her curious gaze on Tatum, "you’re a Latin champion!"
Tatum smiled. "Sure, but I love all kinds of dance. And before they recommend you focus on one ballroom track, they’ll have everyone learn all the forms they can. So, we’ll start with the waltz today and tomorrow we’ll try something new."
There was some grumbling in the room, but Tatum took it all with a gentle smile and sweeping gaze. "This isn’t going to make you ready for a competition, but you’re going to have a few steps in each of the forms that I’ll teach you. You’ll know enough to get on the floor and make it through a song and keep yourself from treading on the toes of your partner." Her brow quirked up. "Well, hopefully."
A couple of the men cleared their throats and the women with them laughed quietly.
"Oh," Tatum looked through the group, "I can see we’re going to have fun. Now, let’s get this out of the way. You might think some of the things I’m asking you to do are silly, but I promise you. Give me a chance and we’ll end the class with some skills you can try out after dinner. So, let’s count to three, out loud. One. Two. Three." She gestured for everyone to join in and a few voices counted along.
"One. Two. Three."
"One. Two. Three."
By the third time, the whole group had joined in and everyone was sharing smiles with the other
couples in the room. "One. Two. Three."
When Tatum started again, she stepped to the side on "One." And on the next "One," she took a step in the other direction. Alexander realized a few moments later that he’d mimicked her movements without realizing it. And when he caught sight of Ben in the mirror, the older man nodded at him.
Taking a deep breath, Tatum rushed out a few words between the next Three. And the One.
"Now step on every count. One. Two. Three." She grinned at the group. "Don’t think just step. One. Two. Three. Keep your Eyes. On. Me. And step. One. Two. Three."
Alexander kept his focus on her and listened to the sound of her voice, taking a step with every number and changing direction with her.
"One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three."
Reaching out, she pressed a button on the stereo and the music picked up without fail, rolling along. "One. Two. Three. One…" she let her words fade out and she moved along the lines of the class encouraging everyone with smiles and nods. She offered comments as she went. "Loosen your shoulders."
"Just move."
"Doing great!"
"I love that smile."
The music ended a few sets after and the whole group paused for a moment. Then they looked around the room at each other. One of the men in the back chuckled. "That was actually fun."
Tatum grinned and gestured at him in the back row. "That’s the spirit, Jake." When he gave her a half-wave and then a thumbs up, he stood a little taller.
Alexander couldn’t help but want her attention a little himself.
"Okay, folks! Front line, turn around and face your partners!"
Some turned, but more than that seemed to freeze in place or hesitate.
"Oh, come on!" Tatum’s laughter was infectious. "You’re all matched up. There’s no need to worry about each other. I promise you, after dancing with each other in these classes, you’ll learn so much about your partner."
A gentleman in the back row gave a little groan. "I’m not trying to scare her away!"
Tatum waved away his concern. "The fact that all of you are here to learn together? I think that’s a great sign about all of you. So, let’s continue on."
Less than ten minutes later, Alexander had several realizations. One, he wasn’t actually hopeless at dancing. Two, this kind of class wasn’t what Blair had in mind. She was practically bouncing on her feet, anxious to move things along. The group had spread apart, each couple finding enough room on the floor that they weren’t in danger of bumping into anyone.
"The next step," Tatum announced, "is to reach out and touch your partners!"
A few coughs and more than a few laughs were the response to her words.
"What I mean is that we get to see how amazing everyone is going to be together."
Blair leaned in closer. "Finally!"
Turning to look at her, Alexander shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
Ben waved and Tatum excused herself and crossed over to the other side of the room.
"Well, we’re not going to wait." Picking up his left hand with her right, she lifted it up and took his other hand and put it on her waist. "There." With a sigh, she gave him a bright smile. "Now I can show you what to do."
Looking around the room, Alex hesitated. "I think we should wait."
"We don’t need to." Blair’s tone was insistent. "I know how to do this. I was a debutante, and we all learned a waltz that we performed at the ball. It’s simple."
He smiled at her. "If you know how to waltz, why did you sign us up for this class?"
Leaning closer, Blair looked up at him from under the elegant sweep of her bangs. "Because I wanted to impress you, Alex. We’re always at the same functions. Everything from fundraisers to awards ceremonies and there’s always a band. I’ve never seen you dance. So, I signed us up for the classes thinking you’d see how much fun it is and then we can go to the events and dance."
Tilting his head to the side, he looked at her, confused. "I always see you on the dance floor at these events. You don’t need me to dance with you."
She sighed, squeezing his hand that she was holding up by his shoulder. "Hardly anyone our age dances," she explained, "it’s always older men and family friends. The worst are employees trying to get on my good side. I go home most nights with bruises on my feet. I’m pretty sure one of my pinky-toes is mangled from the last awards event I went to and-"
Blair stopped in mid-sentence and he knew why a moment later. His hand that she’d placed at her waist felt the vibrations of her phone.
Alexander felt his shoulders sag and he let go of her hand. "You brought your phone?"
Shrugging, Blair reached into her pocket and pulled out the slim phone and swiped to open the messaging app. "You know that problem last night? Well, they were able to fix most of it, but there were still some things that needed to be wrapped up."
He nodded, understanding. In their industry there were always fires that needed to be put out. Still… "Can you wait to answer them after we’re done here?"
She gave him a wide-eyed look. "Really? You want me to wait?" Blair stepped back and put her free hand on her hip. "I thought you understood- that you would understand."
He didn’t want to argue. Not there in the class where it would make things uncomfortable for the others who were having a good time. "Are you going to try to come back after you finish with the call?"
Her eyes narrowed at him and he thought she looked confused. "You’re going to stay here?"
Gesturing at the group, he shrugged. "You already know how to waltz. I guess I have something I need to learn.
She looked down at her phone and then back up at him. "I could teach you later."
Alexander looked across the room at Tatum who was finishing up with Ben and Pearl. "She said we’ll have an opportunity to dance tonight. I think you’d rather dance instead of taking the time to show me the basics."
He knew the suggestion made sense. Blair wanted to dance and it made sense. She was a beautiful woman who loved to dazzle the crowd. She’d been doing it all her life.
Blair’s phone vibrated in her hand and the decision was made for them both. "Okay. I’m going to take care of this and when I’m done, I’ll call you."
He gave his pants pockets a pat with his hands. "I left my phone in my room. I thought we were spending the day together."
"Okay. Okay…" he could see how torn she was, "then I’ll find you when I’m done."
Nodding, he agreed. "All right." What else could he say?
She walked past him toward the door, and he was left standing alone on their area of the practice floor.
It was then that he second-guessed the idea of staying. Remaining on his own, he might make it awkward for the others. He didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to entertain him. Being a single on a matchmaking cruise, he was going to stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
He made his decision to leave and had taken a couple of steps toward the door when he felt a hand on his arm.
Looking in that direction, he saw Tatum looking up at him with concern written in her features.
"Hey, was it something I said?"
Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and quickly explained why Blair had left. "I was going to leave too. Being the lone dancer here would probably make everyone feel uncomfortable."
Her expression changed instantly.
"What? Stay." She lifted her hand from his arm. "I can use your help if you’re willing."
"Help?" He shrugged. "Comic relief is all I can offer."
Alexander could see the look in her eyes, but he wasn’t sure he understood what it meant. He knew he couldn’t leave. Not just yet.
"I know this is crazy to ask, given that we met last night," she lowered her chin and then lifted it again so she could meet his gaze, "do you trust me?"
"Yes." He should have been surprised at how fast the answer fell from his lips. He wasn’t a man who gave trust easily. “I do."
"Good." She sighed in relief. "Then stay and help me and I promise you’ll be able to make a good impression on the dance floor tonight."
"Miracle worker as well as a dancer?"
" N ope." Tatum shook her head. "I’m really good at teaching."
He heard the confidence in her tone and knew by the sharp, intelligent look in her eyes that she meant what she was saying.
"All right then. I’ll be your assistant."
She gave him a look and nodded. "I promise you won’t regret this."
He gestured for her to walk back to the front of the room and he fell into step behind her as they approached the mirror. He could only half-listen as she announced his new role to the group.
It wasn’t the round of spontaneous applause that made his face heat.
It was the way Tatum easily wrapped her hand around his.
Instead of the odd and uncomfortable feelings when Blair had manipulated his arms, he felt a warmth surging through his body and before he could think better of it, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.