Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
S he’d thought through Luc’s comments a thousand times, but still couldn’t figure out what she could’ve done better. And now, she had to create a contemporary routine and a sexy but not too sexy tango, and do her best to sell them as a couple, all without making her dad upset.
Her parents had called after last night’s performance. And while her mom had been pleased and had understood about the dress mishap and Luc’s clumsy moments, her dad, as suspected, had not. She hadn’t shared what he said, with either Luc, or with Coco. That he was disappointed in Luc, disappointed in her, hated to see his daughter dressed like that, dancing those moves on national television like that…
And now she didn’t know what to do. Coco was no help, she was fully focused on making her own routine as powerful as it could be, which was fair enough. Poppy, too, had her own ideas, considering how it had basically looked like Luc had groped her on TV.
“He didn’t,” Bailey insisted during their phone call. “He touched my décolletage, not anything lower. Anyway, it was an accident.”
“Yeah, he tried to kiss you. We all saw that.”
She’d closed her eyes. “Isn’t that what you suggested? That we should somehow sell the idea that we are a couple, that that would get votes?”
“I know I said the audience will eat up the idea of a showmance, but you need to be careful. I don’t want to see you ending up hurt,” Poppy said.
“But I’m not. We’ve talked about this. As soon as the show is done, then we’re going to go out.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. He likes me, Poppy, and I like him.”
“But just be careful, okay? Remember what happened last time.”
With Mark. When she’d lost herself in trying to please a man.
“He’s a Christian, Poppy. He’s not going to ask me to do stuff that’s inappropriate.”
“You and I both know not all Christian guys practice what they preach.”
But she knew Luc was different. He’d always been respectful, kept his word.
She shook it off. Told herself to focus. With two dances to perform at the final so she could get her ten grand and clear her debt, they had no time to lose.
Ella and the crew arrived at the studio, and she said hello. Then Luc arrived, dressed in a tight black tee and pants, looking no worse for wear despite their one AM departures from the celebrations at the restaurant. Maybe it was because he’d already had a few sips from one of the coffees he held, before giving her the other to-go cup.
“Hey Bailey. How’d you sleep?”
The gravelly tone in his voice made her wonder what he looked like first thing in the morning. Whether he wore PJs or—Stop! God, forgive me. She needed to be careful. This was exactly what had happened before, letting her imagination go where it shouldn’t. She took a giant slug of coffee, then started sputtering.
“Hey, don’t drink it all at once.” He gently patted her on the back. “Are you okay?”
She glanced across. Ella had the boys filming. Of course she did. She straightened. Coughed out the last of it, then forced a smile. Focus! “I’m okay now. I was so excited last night I don’t think I slept as much as I could, but this is helping.” She sipped. “Thanks.”
“It’s almost as good as Max’s at the Coffee Haus in the Peg.” He winked, as if aware of this shameless promotion. Max hadn’t minded Bailey’s leave of absence, nor Luc’s plugs, some of which had made it on TV.
“You two getting started anytime soon or have we got time to grab one of those ourselves?” Ella called.
“Nope. We’re starting.” Lord, help me focus .
She clapped her hands. Luc smiled, and her heart fluttered some more. Stop it! “Okay, now we’re into the final”—the final!—“we have to perform two dances. And those are the contemporary and the tango.”
His eyes lit at that last, his lips twisting to a smile that sent a shiver to her bones.
“And that means we need to work extra hard this week to nail both performances. But the good news is the contemporary is pretty open to what we want. Remember, it’s about telling a story. Of course, it will need to be guided by the music we pick.”
“We get to pick this time?”
“It’s more like a choice between two songs chosen for us. So I’m going to leave that to you. The first song is a modern version of ‘Wonderful Life’ by Smith they were partners, equal. He understood the story being told now, but was sorely tempted to turn the nose touch into something more. But he couldn’t. Not with Ella and her posse standing guard. He’d just have to wait until Sunday.
They finally finished, and Ella and the crew left, and he took another drink. “Did you want to rehearse the contemporary again?”
“Oh, good idea. Yes, we should.”
“Want to get something to eat first?”
Her nose wrinkled. “I think I’d rather eat after. I don’t like dancing on a full stomach.”
She had zero stomach to begin with, her abs more impressive than his. For a moment he wondered how much her previous eating disorder had affected her, whether it still did, but he’d seen her eat food. He should probably talk with her and to her therapist and see how he could support her. Ballet wasn’t the only sport where athletes abused their bodies, which was why he’d made it his personal mission to make sure she ate well. After all, she had to keep her strength up. “Grab a snack then, and we’ll do the dance, then I’ll take you out for dinner.”
“Okay.”
It was fun switching up the intensity of the tango with the more languid movements of the contemporary. To feel almost effortless as they worked to create poetry with their bodies working together. At least, that’s what it seemed like to him. Bailey was still noticing details, finding things to fine-tune. She wondered aloud whether the starting sequence was too much for a family-friendly show, and he’d assured her it was fine.
“It’s not like we’re rolling across the floor in each other’s arms.”
Her eyes widened, and part of him was tempted to ask her to tweak the dance and include that. But she was already conscious of their nearness. Just as he was.
“I think my dad would have a heart attack if that happened.”
“Is he really that concerned?”
Her gaze left his. “Let’s just say he had some friends contact him about the samba, and when I spoke to him, he was not amused.”
Luc winced. “I’m sorry. Did you explain the dress thing was an accident?”
“Of course I did, but my father has always been a little funny about things like that. My costume probably didn’t help either.”
“It sounds like this week’s costumes will be more tame.” She had a white floaty number for Midnight, and a gold slinky dress with a thigh-high split for the other.
“At least there’s less chance of a wardrobe malfunction.” She winced. “Did I tell you the wardrobe assistants were so apologetic?”
No, she hadn’t. There were a few secrets this woman kept. But that was part of his reasoning in taking her out for dinner. He loved everything that he knew so far, and wanted to get to know more about this beautiful woman who fascinated him. It seemed weird to think there was a time not so long ago when he hadn’t known her at all.
After a few more tweaks they completed the rehearsal, then took a cab to a quiet restaurant Dan had mentioned as having good seafood. But Luc hadn’t shared his plans with anyone. He wanted now to be between them, without observers. And just like other times when they’d gone out in their hoodies, nobody recognized him or her.
Which meant they could relax. Could laugh and smile, and he could stare across the candle and drink in her beautiful eyes. They might not have kissed yet, but it would be soon. Like, maybe Sunday. The second the show finished.
He broke the connection, glancing down at his plate of seafood ravioli. He’d normally be bulking up at this time of year, getting in the reserves needed before the hockey season began. Despite what Luc had said to Dan a week or so ago, he didn’t think his trainer would be too impressed by how much Luc was shredding. Next week he’d go back to Winnipeg, back to real life, and this would be over. His stomach tightened. How could he lose this?
“Luc? Are you okay?”
He loved her sweet concern. Loved how she always looked out for others. Loved her bright and enthusiastic joy and playfulness. Loved that she loved God. In every way they seemed a great match. And he was itching to get to Sunday night—after the final performance—and finally show her all that lived in his heart.
“What are you thinking about?”
“You.” His gaze lowered to her mouth then up again. “Wondering what we’ll do when this show is done.”
She nodded. “I can’t believe that this time next week we’ll be back at home.”
“And figuring out how we’ll make this work.”
She bit her lip. “How are we going to make this work?”
“Like this,” he said. “Spending time together. You still promised to come to one of my games, remember?”
“Only one,” she teased.
“The first of many.”
She smiled. “We’ll see.”
Oh, he loved this sweet tease of hers. Loved her smile, and the way it seemed to light sparkles in her eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” he blurted.
“Luc.”
“What?”
“Why did you have to say that here?”
“Where would you prefer me to say it?”
She studied him, a smile tweaking her lips, and he exhaled heavily. It still seemed amazing that someone like her seemed to enjoy hanging out with him. And though it might make him sound egotistical, he really wanted to know why.
“One day, very soon, like maybe Sunday, I’m going to tell you, and the rest of the world, exactly how I feel.”
Her smile widened. “And how is that?”
“Uh-uh. Don’t go getting ahead of things now. You’ll have to wait for Sunday.”
“Can’t wait.”
He exhaled heavily again. Oh, this was going to be a very long few days.