CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Holly
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Holly
H olly slipped into the downtown dance studio unnoticed, and after removing her coat, she sat down in an empty folding chair and watched as the instructor flitted around the room, setting up music and clearing away what looked to be props from an earlier class. The dance lessons had been Trish’s idea, one Holly was happy to go along with but didn’t know what to expect. She’d never booked dancing lessons for local clients before, but when Trish had mentioned it had been a long time since she had danced and didn’t want to look foolish in front of her friends, Holly knew she’d be setting something up.
Normally, she would just book them for the couple and stay home, but Trish insisted on having Holly’s opinion and said she would feel more comfortable with her there. Holly was touched by Trish’s honesty, so of course she’d agreed to come. The fact that she also wanted to make a good impression on her since she was dating the woman’s son might have also played a part. Are you even dating, though? Holly didn’t love that they still hadn’t defined their relationship, but she was trying to take things as they came, not push, and remain open to all possibilities, even if it was driving her a little bit crazy.
As more people filed into the studio, Holly kept her eyes peeled for Ben and Trish, finally relaxing when they came in from the cold, laughing and chatting easily with one another. It looked like whatever rift had formed the last time she saw them was repaired, and she was happy to see it. Standing, Holly adjusted the blue, cap sleeve swing dress she’d purchased what felt like a lifetime ago when someone had taken her on a date to a swing dancing bar. That night had been a failure of epic proportions, with Holly stepping on her partners toes countless times and after being thrown around so much, vomiting on him as well. The dress looked great on her though, so she kept it despite the bad memories associated with it.
Ben smiled at her as he approached and leaned down to kiss her cheek once he got to her. “Holly, you look beautiful as always.”
Holly could feel the blush spreading across her face and she smiled shyly at him. “Thanks. You look nice, too.”
Absolutely yummy would have been a much better descriptor, but Holly wasn’t going to say that in front of his mom. Ben had taken off his coat, so Holly got an unobstructed view of gray slacks and a blue button down with the sleeves rolled up enough to expose his sinewy forearms. He was like a business casual dream come true, and Holly was very tempted to put him to work or better yet, get her hands on him, but she managed to restrain herself.
Instead of groping the man in front of her, she stepped over to Trish to give her a hug. “Trish, you look fantastic. Is that a flapper dress?”
Ben’s mom had removed her coat to reveal a vintage, dark green flapper dress complete with beading and tassels. “Oh, this old thing,” she said with a laugh as she did a little twist, the tassels flinging up around her like they were waving hello. “It was a Halloween costume a few years back and I figured, why not? If I’m going dancing, I should look the part.”
“Well, it’s gorgeous, and I love that you wore it.” Holly smiled, hoping she retained her sense of whimsy as she aged as much as Ben’s mom had seemed to.
“Thank you, dear,” Trish said with a smile. “And thank you for coming tonight. I know this isn’t normally your thing, but I love having your opinion on just about everything.”
“Of course.” Holly was happy to be here for her client, and even happier to be back in Ben’s orbit. Even the small periods of time they spent apart were too much, but she reminded herself to take a breath, take a beat, and not push. Ben had quickly become someone very important to her, and she couldn’t lose him.
Before they could speak any further, the instructor was clapping his hands together, calling everyone to attention. “Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I am Fritz and I will be your instructor for this evening. Now, come to the floor with your partner and we shall begin.”
“Have fun.” Holly waved off Ben and Trish as they made their way to the floor and started to sit down, but her head snapped up when she heard a voice calling to her.
“You. You there in the blue dress. Where is your partner?” the instructor called out.
Holly looked around the room, mildly panicked. “Oh, um. I’m just a spectator.”
Fritz shook his head in disgust. “No, no, no. There are no spectators in my class.” His eyes wandered the space for all of two seconds before he walked up to her, grabbed her arm, and dragged her over to a man standing alone in the middle of the room. “You two are now partners.”
“Uh.” Holly’s weak protest was cut off by the man who was now her new dancing partner.
“Hi. I’m Tom.” His voice was friendly enough and when he offered her his hand, she took it, not wanting to be rude. “I appreciate you taking pity on me. I promised my brother I would take lessons for his wedding, but I had no idea I would need a partner.”
Holly shook his hand and smiled politely, wishing she were back in her folding chair. Just because the man seemed like a nice guy didn’t mean she wanted to spend the evening dancing with him, but she was never one to make a stink. “No worries. I’m Holly.”
Tom returned her smile, and as conventionally attractive as he was, it did nothing for her. Holly’s eyes wandered to Ben, the scowl on his face a welcome sight. She wasn’t sure why he was upset, but she needed the familiarity to feel better about her current predicament. Visions of her last foray into formal dancing flashed before her eyes, and she couldn’t seem to blink them away.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Holly.” They didn’t get any further into their conversation because Fritz was back in the center of the room, barking instructions for a basic box step.
Unfortunately, Holly had been born with two left feet and no rhythm, and unless you counted the wild flailing that Holly often did in her bedroom or car, she simply couldn’t dance. Though surely this basic formation wouldn’t be too difficult.
Twenty minutes later, Holly’s hypothesis had been proven quite incorrect. She had stepped on Tom’s toes a ridiculous amount and had lost count of what she was doing so often that they needed to start over. Mercifully, Fritz called for a break and Holly couldn’t wait to run from the studio.
She flashed her partner a contrite expression. “I’m so sorry about your toes, and for my general lack of coordination. I didn’t realize I was such a horrible dancer.”
Holly had thought she’d known exactly how horrible she was, but as with so many other things, she’d been a little too optimistic. “That’s okay.” Tom’s assuring words were nullified by the pained look in his eyes. “I think I got enough from this lesson anyway. It was nice meeting you, Holly.” Without another word, he grabbed his coat and fled the building. Probably to go ice his toes, she thought glumly.
Holly sighed and walked over to her coat, prepared to grab it and say her farewells to Ben and Trish when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning toward the increasingly familiar touch, her eyes landed on a rather grumpy looking Ben, his charcoal gray eyes staring intently. Holly loved how his eyes seemed to always change color to match his moods, like a silent signal to let her know where his head was at.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Her cheeks warmed with a bit of shame at what had undoubtedly been an awkward display of skills on her part, but she waved off his concern. “Oh, I’m completely fine. My partner on the other hand,” she said with a chuckle and a shrug. “I think I should probably just take off.”
“Oh, no. Don’t leave, dear.” Trish was insistent as always, though Holly didn’t mind it, knowing Trish’s intentions were always in the right place. “You just need the right partner and I need a break, so you and Ben can take a turn while I get some rest.”
The instructor clapped for them to regroup and Ben held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”
Holly smiled tentatively, placing her hand in his. “Are you sure you want to risk the safety of your feet?”
Ben tilted his head toward the dance floor, taking her hand and leading her into the middle of the room. “I’ll take my chances,” he said with a wink.
Holly rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as Fritz started the music again. Ben led her in the dance, but Holly kept getting lost in her count and ended up stepping on his toes within the first two minutes. Annoyed at her extreme lack of coordination, her face pinched in displeasure and she shook her head, ready to call it a night. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just really bad at this.”
Holly turned away but didn’t get far. Ben tugged her back toward him and tucked his finger under her chin until she met his gaze. “You aren’t really bad at this.” His expression was soft and his voice was steady, but she couldn’t help but look at him sardonically. He chuckled. “Okay. I will concede that you might have room for improvement, but the problem is you’re in your head too much. Trust me, I know all about living up here,” he said tapping his temple. “But sometimes, you just have to trust your body and your partner. Do you trust me, sunshine?”
As Holly looked into his stormy eyes, she realized she did trust him, not only to lead her through the dance, but with her heart as well. “Yes, I trust you.”
Satisfied with her answer but perhaps not recognizing the seriousness of it, he beamed at her. “Great. Just look at me, and move as I move, okay. No counting in your head or thinking too much about what comes next. Just follow my lead.”
“Okay,” she whispered before he started them moving again.
It was still a bit shaky at first, but soon the two of them were moving as one. Ben held onto her tightly as he steered the two of them around the room, Holly moving her feet as she kept her eyes on him. His face was alluring, there was no denying that, but it was his expression Holly couldn’t stop admiring. Bright eyes and a carefree smile displayed a lightness to him she was seeing more often. There was no trace of the grump she ran into all those weeks ago, and while she still liked that side of him too, it was wonderful to see him finally looking unburdened.
The music came to an end and the instructor called for the end of class, but Ben kept them on the dance floor a moment longer, the two of them swaying gently as everyone else moved around them. When it became obvious that they were the last ones there, Ben took her hand in his as he pulled her to the side of the room to their coats.
Holly looked around and saw no sign of Trish. “Where’s your mom?”
Ben’s eyes roamed the nearly empty space before he grabbed his phone from his coat pocket, his thumb flicking over the screen. “She texted to say she needed to take off. Something about Marvin calling her to come home.” Ben sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, the carefree expression she’d been basking in moments ago gone and his shoulders looking as though they carried the weight of the world once more.
Needing to soothe him in any small way, Holly rubbed her hand up and down his back. “Hey. Everything will be okay.” It wasn’t an empty platitude, Holly truly believed that things worked out for the best, but she knew Ben had a hard time thinking that way and she wanted to throw a little optimism his way.
He opened his eyes, a sad smile appearing on his face. “I’m glad one of us thinks so.” He held open her coat for her and once she had it on, they made their way to the studio door. Holly wanted to get that carefree look back on his face and she racked her brain trying to think of a way to do it.
After they left the building, Holly pulled him aside believing she may have the perfect stress relief activity. “I have an idea that might help you feel better, at least for a little while.” She wiggled in place, both anxious and excited to take him to one of her favorite childhood spots.
Ben raised a brow. “Oh, yeah. And what would that be?” His gaze was heated as he watched her body move, his hands gripping her waist and pulling her closer. Holly was all for moving their relationship to the next level, but she wasn’t quite ready for that at the moment.
Her face felt warm and she was sure she was beet red, but she managed to press on with her plan. “I want to take you somewhere that always used to cheer me up when I was a kid.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes, begging him to be patient with her as she navigated the changing dynamic between them. “Please? Trust me this time, okay, handsome.”
He nodded slowly, his thumbs circling the front of her hips lightly. “Alright. Lead the way, sunshine.”
Holly struggled to get her mind focused on her plan when he was touching her like that, but eventually managed to grab his hand and start walking toward the Sunset Cove pier, determined to get that happy-go-lucky smile back on Ben’s face. Hopefully, he was a good sport and would go along with her plan. Otherwise, she may just be setting herself up to look like a fool.