Chapter 26 #2
AB turned to Luca and gave him a high five, but then Sophie wanted one too. A chain reaction started, and all the girls lined up for a high five from him as he laughed and then shepherded them off stage toward Olivia.
They ran to her in their bobbling leaf costumes.
The buzz of dopamine Olivia always got from applause in the audience hummed through her veins as she congratulated each dancer.
“Good job, Harper. Good job, Sophie,” she said as they all passed her.
“Annabelle, I am so proud of you for finishing, even though you were nervous.”
“My dad helped me,” Annabelle said, beaming up at her dad, not embarrassed in the slightest.
Luca’s ears turned pink.
“You did a very good job, too, Luca,” Olivia said in the same voice, trying to hold back her giggles. “Really nailed that last pirouette,” she said with a wink.
Her heart could have melted at the fact that he didn’t think twice about being ridiculously cute in front of the entire town when his little girl needed him.
He lifted AB up into his arms. “Your grandparents are here.” AB gasped. “Let’s go say hi.”
“Yeah!” AB said loudly.
“We’ll see you after?” Luca said to Olivia.
“Yeah,” she said with a quiet smile. She could feel herself and him holding back from the quick goodbye kiss they could usually sneak in.
The older girls in their leotards and graceful autumn-colored gauzy skirts lined up next as they waited to go on. Someone on stage was playing a guitar and singing some fall song about sticks.
They all held baskets of leaves in hand and smoothed down their ballerina buns. Olivia hairsprayed flyaways as they stretched in line, keeping their muscles warm.
“You are going to be great,” Olivia said, trying to hype them up and calm their nerves. “Everyone’s got their leaves?”
They all nodded enthusiastically.
The festival chair introduced them, and the girls prettily dance-walked across the stage. Olivia sighed, feeling proud.
A familiar clanking of bangles and bracelets came up behind her.
“The kiddos did marvelous, darling.” Georgia enveloped her in a crushing hug.
“This was always my favorite part,” she said, with an arm around Olivia as they watched the girls start to dance.
“I love seeing the dancers’ progress. Maddie was terrified of toe shoes last year, and look at her now.
She’s really blossomed with you. Sure I can’t coax you to stay past December? ”
Olivia sighed, looking at the girls doing an excellent job pirouetting, jetéing, and then the gasp in the audience as two girls went en pointe.
Yes, she was proud of them, but it didn’t fit.
Didn’t feel like it was what she was destined for. “I don’t think I’ll be a teacher long term,” Olivia said with a sigh.
“You miss being in the corps?” Georgia asked.
“No.” I miss having potential. “I want to be a success, still. At something.”
At least one time in her whole life.
But maybe the time for success has already passed me by.
Maybe it was time to just be happy.
Georgia hummed in understanding. “I loved teaching dance. It’s why my classes always ran over; I was having too much fun. Wherever you lose time, that’s what you’re meant to do, I say.”
Olivia considered the idea. Where did she lose time?
Her eyes scanned the handsome face making his way through the crowd while he held a happy little leaf.
She lost time with Luca and AB, in just being happy.
Maybe it’s okay that I don’t know what else is next, but I do know I want to be happy, whatever I do.
After the performance, she found Annabelle and Luca in the spun-sugar-scented crowd. They stood in line at the face-painting booth, talking with two older people. AB’s grandparents were cheerful, smiling, and petite.
Uh oh. Maybe she shouldn’t bother them. AB rarely got to see her grandparents, who were usually in Florida.
As she started to change course, however, AB saw her before she could pivot away. “Come get your face painted, ?Livia!”
Luca’s eyes met hers, and he nodded her over. “Olivia, meet Marcy’s parents. Ed and Carol, this is Olivia. She’s—”
What’s he going to say? Nanny? Neighbor? Dance teacher?
“Oh!” AB’s grandmother interrupted Luca, face full of excitement. “We’ve heard so much about you on our weekly calls.” Olivia was wrapped in a firm hug, which she barely registered enough to return. “Our Annabelle is taken with you.”
Olivia breathed out a sigh of relief. “It’s mutual,” she said, running a hand over AB’s hair.
“Those older girls danced so beautifully,” Carol said. Olivia chatted casually with them as they waited in line.
She finally let herself look back at Luca. The wanting inside her body was so bad it felt like a physical ache. She wanted to interlace her fingers with his, rub a hand on his back, and just be together.
It was AB’s turn in line, and she hopped up into the face-painting chair.
Luca leaned past Olivia. “Carol, can you watch AB for five minutes? I need to talk to Olivia about something.”
I really hope it’s what I want to talk about.
Specifically, his face on my face.
AB and her grandparents chattered away about Halloween, not even blinking when Luca stepped away.
Luca placed his hand on Olivia’s back as they navigated through the crowd.
Even just that contact made her physically relax. “Where are we going?”
“Some place very important,” he said into her ear. When they were out of sight of the face-painting booth, his fingers threaded through hers, and her body felt like it was back in the right place, grounded with him.
They beelined from the middle of the festival out to the edge.
“Why, Luca, are you taking me somewhere to have your way with me?” she whispered, smiling wickedly.
“Behave,” he said, but it had come out as a stilted growl, as if he was holding something back.
She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Several food vendor trucks faced a row of trees on the outskirts of the town square. They walked between two breakfast food trucks that had closed up for the night, and he tugged her behind one.
He pulled her to him and—finally—his hand threaded through her hair as his lips met hers. The warm, soothing taste of what felt like safety danced on her tongue as she kissed him back.
Her hands slid around his middle, squeezing him tight against her. She sighed at his kiss, at the comfort of his lips on hers because everything was okay when they were together.
It felt like their souls clicked into place, two puzzle pieces that just fit and felt better together, as he kissed her, slow and savoring.
She buried her face into his chest with a groan. She caught her breath, feeling like she was a fawn who was finally safe after running running running. “There isn’t a strong enough word for how much I needed this.”
He kissed her forehead and squeezed her. “I missed you so much. I know we should get back, but it’s been driving me crazy.” A ragged sigh of contentment in his chest made her nuzzle in further.
“The good news is”—she caught his eye, and his slow, amused smile made her want to turn into a puddle—“no more costumes. No more cold. No more festival prep.”
“No more commute either,” he said, running a thumb along her lip.
“Maybe”—her tone was flirty—“we can play hooky soon and actually, you know…”
You could fuck my brains out, please and thank you?
“AB’s grandparents want to take her to the house they still have in Cooperstown for her long weekend.” Luca’s eyes sparkled.
“You don’t need to join?” Olivia asked, not wanting to get in the way.
Luca shook his head. “They like spoiling her and want to give me a break.”
Olivia kissed him, letting some of the need bleed through at how much she wanted to ride him right here in the open. She smiled against his lips. “Then consider my weekend booked for our very first sleepover.”