Chapter 3 #2
Ruth smiled at that description. "She did seem to have an issue with me helping because I'm not related to Katie."
Nick grumbled under his breath. "Meddling busy body."
Ruth lifted a hand to hide her own laugh as they stopped near the two-way mirror for the dance studio that Katie had disappeared into.
"She takes her job a little too seriously if you ask me. She's run off a number of volunteers that could have been good to keep around, that's why I stepped in. I didn't want her to make you leave crying."
"Crying?" Ruth shook her head. "Hardly. I'm made of tougher stuff than that."
The music in the room started again and Ruth was left transfixed.
As the children hunched over, with bent knees, they formed an oval and made tiny little steps together moving along the back wall toward the center of the room.
Ruth watched and Katie danced from the center of the floor toward the children.
"She's pretending to be Clara right now," Nick explained. "Clara is in every scene of the second half and has to interact with a bunch of the dancers, especially the children."
"And the kids?" Ruth's voice was soft, almost hushed as she watched Katie dance. The young girl looked like she was floating across the floor.
"The kids are the bonbons under Mother Ginger's skirt."
Ruth remembered what Katie had said about Nick being asked to play the character. "How does that work exactly?"
Nick leaned to the side and because he didn't take his arm off of her shoulders she had to lean with him. "There," he whispered back, "in the corner can you see those big chunky things with braces on top?"
"Big, chunky things," she repeated to herself, "with braces on... Oh. I think I see it. The big things of wood?"
"Those are the stilts that Mother Ginger stands on. The straps go around 'her' calves and then Mother Gingers takes hundreds of side steps onto stage with those kids under a skirt big enough to be a circus tent."
Ruth was trying to wrap her mind around what he'd said. "Hundreds?"
"Well, maybe that was overstating things."
She turned slightly and reached up her outside hand to give him a few reassuring pats.
"You don't have to worry. I like dramatic stories every now and then.
I hardly get out these days between work and baking at home.
" Ruth lifted her chin toward the mirror, where the director was getting the children back in place to start over again.
"I bought a ticket for opening night. As soon as Katie told me about her part in the show, I knew I'd have to see it. "
"You got a ticket?"
Nick stepped away from her, and she instantly missed the warmth he'd given her.
"I would have gotten you a ticket."
She smiled at his assurance. "I'm a working woman. I can buy my own ticket."
She laughed a little at that. "It's nice of you to offer, though."
"Maybe," he shrugged, "we can see if they can put our tickets together on that night."
Ruth was sure that all the blood had drained out of her face and there may have been a vacant look on her face as she looked at him. "You... you'd want to sit with me?"
Her question seemed to hit a kind of a wall and the smile on his face seemed to stall.
She wanted to kick herself for saying anything at that moment.
Then his expression changed to one of confusion and then a little bit of surprise. "Yeah?"
His answer wasn't all that convincing phrased as a question.
Nick dropped his chin down and crossed his arms over his chest, rocking back on the heels of his boots before he looked back up at her.
Those eyes.
She drew in a breath and let it out.
His eyes were incredible.
Warm and alive.
"I mean, if you want to sit with me. It's... it's up to you."
She wasn't sure she was hearing him correctly. It seemed like he was... unsure?
"I don't have a problem sitting with you. Unless," she tilted her head a little, lifting an eyebrow, "you're going to talk through the ballet."
"Talk?"
His forehead wrinkled and his eyes narrowed a little at her as if he was trying to look inside her head to read her thoughts.
"No. I don't talk during the ballet." Then he lifted an eyebrow. "I'm kind of a pro at these ballet shows... In case you were wondering."
"A pro, huh?"
His arms were still folded across his chest and when he shrugged, it looked like he was getting even bigger and broader in the shoulders than she'd seen before. "I've got my frequent sitting points in some cramped chairs."
"And I'm pretty much a newbie. So, I could probably use some guidance to make sure I don't make a fool of myself and embarrass Katie."
"Embarrass her?" Nick shook his head. "Hardly." He unfolded his arms and gestured toward the room on the other side of the mirror. "She'll be over the moon. I know she wanted to ask you to come and see the show. It's been a while since she's had someone coming to see the show besides me."
There was a sadness in his voice at the end of his words, and he looked away for a moment.
Ruth's heart went out to him.
She didn't know the details of how they'd lost Katie's mom. The subject hadn't come up before, and she certainly wasn't about to bring it up.
The last thing she wanted to do was upset Katie.
She was so sweet and wonderful.
The last thing she wanted to do was bring Katie any hurt or harm.
The door to the room opened up and the director in the room leaned out and smiled at Nick.
"I know you're not our Mother Ginger this year," she said with hope in her voice and eyes that seemed to say the door was open for the future, "but you know what she does and the kids are having some trouble imagining what it'll be like with a person in the middle, do you think you could. .. come in and help?"
He winced. "I'm afraid of those stilts. I don't want to fall on the kids."
Ruth saw the look on the other woman's face. It was like she was a happy shark smelling blood in the water. She wasn't scary to her, but to Nick?
"No stilts. Just walk in sideways, little steps."
She smiled with her teeth pressed together and her eyes blinking quickly.
Ruth tried to smother her laugh and ended up coughing instead.
Nick turned to glare at her, but Katie leaned out of the door, her own hopeful smile on her face. "Please, dad!"
Ruth knew it before Nick did that he was going to say yes.
Katie didn't even give him a chance to say no.
She stepped out of the room in her dance wear, her pointe shoes making these hollow clip clop sounds like a dainty pony and grabbed her father's arm. "We just need to try it once with you."
Nick started to follow her, his steps hesitant at first, but he picked up speed and entered the room.
Just before the door closed, Katie turned around to look at her dad with a big grin. "Or twice."
The door closed before Nick could turn around and leave, but Ruth knew he wouldn't disappoint his daughter.
He might have seemed gruff and distant with her, but he was always paying attention to his daughter and taking care of her.
There was a moment when Ruth thought of leaving, but as soon as she saw Nick take his place in the middle of a bunch of giggling little girls, her heart and her ovaries exploded.
He'd always looked manly and yes, sexy, but at that moment when the music started and he began to sidestep right along with that group of little girls across the back wall of the dance studio, Ruth knew she'd completely lost her heart.
Oh boy, she shook her head. You're in trouble now.