Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Sophie
The crowd went wild when we perfectly executed our drops at the start of the routine, and the energy level stayed elevated from there. Muscle memory from endless rehearsals guided my every move and I was able to just have fun and lose myself to the beat of the music.
As we moved to the spin poles, I was so excited by my perfectly-executed backward roll, I nearly stopped to do a celebratory fist pump. But thankfully I caught myself. This routine is too fast paced to pause for even a second, and I don’t want to get out of sync.
The high fives as we passed each other on our way back to the static poles elicited another burst of cheers from the crowd. It’s a good feeling knowing they’re enjoying the routine we’ve worked so hard on. I feel sexy and strong and as always, thankful I decided to attend my first pole class four years ago. Aside from giving me a great community of amazing friends, I’ve gained a confidence in my body that I never had before. It’s very empowering.
I fell forward onto my elbows, my forehead resting against the floor. As the last notes of the song faded out, I executed a dramatic hair flip punctuating my final pose. Breathing hard, I caught sight of myself in the mirror, noting the beaming smile on my face.
We hadn’t really planned how we’d get out of our sitting positions, so I waited to see what the other ladies did. Anjannette popped up to her feet, her butt in the air. She wiggled it as she lifted her torso, drawing more cheers. Keera and I did something similar and we wrapped our arms around each other in a group hug. The recital had been a success, and I felt a huge surge of pride.
“That was fucking amazing,” Keera said.
“So much fun!” I agreed.
“You guys make me so proud,” Anjannette added, in full pole mom mode.
After catching our breath, we pulled away from each other, and Eve presented Anjannette with a bouquet of flowers from all of us. The noise level decreased as Anjannette grabbed the microphone and thanked all the performers as well as the attendees.
“You’ve all helped me make Peaches & Pole into the community I dreamed of and I’m so grateful for that,” she said. “Give yourselves a round of applause.”
I held my hands out and clapped toward the crowd, turning to see everyone around the room. None of my family or non-pole friends are in attendance, so I’m not looking for anyone specific. But someone catches my eye. I jerked my head back to the section I just scanned and my heart skipped a beat as my gaze locked on Jamie’s. Then it was as if the rest of the room faded away, leaving only the two of us staring at each other in our own little world. His awkward smile was like a beacon of light, drawing me in with its warmth and familiarity.
But what is he doing here?
We’d decided to cherish our memories rather than pursue new complications. I did agree to leave things open-ended, but honestly never thought anything would come of that. Yet here he is in my city, in my pole studio, looking like a snack.
People had started to move out of their seats and were milling around the room. I looked at Anjannette and Keera and found them watching me. I’m guessing they’re not as surprised by Jamie’s presence as I am.
“Did you plan this?”
I tried to sound pissed off, but my voice came out more excited than angry.
“I may have reached out to Elliott to tell him about the recital,” Anjannette said. “He did the rest.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Elliott and Jamie step out of the row they’d been sitting in.
“Why?”
“Why what?” she asked.
“Why’d you tell Elliott about the recital?”
“Because I think you should give this thing with Jamie a chance.”
Keera chimed in.
“Your face literally lights up when you talk about that man. And now that I see him in person, I understand why.”
At least I know I wasn’t crazy when I thought they were cooking something up earlier. This just isn’t what I thought it was.
“Are you really mad?” Anjannette asked.
“I’m not sure what to feel.”
Keera put her arm around my shoulders and squeezed.
“Anjannette needed a push to give Leo a chance,” she said. “And you know I had no intention of dating Simon until you all talked me into it. Sometimes other people see what you can’t and need to point you in the right direction.”
“When I called Elliott, I figured the worst thing that could happen is Jamie would show up and you’d get another night with him.” Anjannette’s mouth curled into a mischievous smile. “And the best is that you guys fall in love.”
She dragged out that last word and only stopped making kissing noises when Elliott approached, followed by Jamie.
“You ladies rocked it, everyone did,” Elliott said, then turned his attention to me. “And congratulations on your first dance as an official instructor.”
“Thank you.”
That’s about all I could manage to say as my thoughts churned. I looked over his shoulder at Jamie, my heart still pounding at his unexpected presence. He watched me with an intense gaze that set goosebumps racing over my body.
Elliott stepped aside, allowing Jamie to move forward.
“Hi.”
He said the word softly, but somehow I managed to hear it over the crowd.
“Hi.”
The people around us shifted, putting Jamie and me right next to each other.
Jamie gestured toward the poles.
“You were amazing.”
“Thanks.” I nibbled at my bottom lip. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Yeah, I’m still surprised to be here.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his feet before meeting my gaze again. “I’d say Elliott dragged me here, but it wouldn’t be true. I wanted to see you again.”
“Are you heading back to Brooklyn tonight?”
“No, we have rooms at the Lackawanna Station Hotel.”
Rooms.
My face heated and a surge of happiness swelled within me. I may not have time for a long-distance relationship, but I can definitely fit him in tonight. In more ways than one.
Before I could speak that last thought out loud, Eve approached.
“Are we heading out soon? I’m starving.”
The question was still hanging in the air when she noticed Jamie. She shifted her gaze back and forth between us.
“Eve, this is Jamie. Jamie, Eve.”
Jamie held out his hand. Eve's eyes widened, and a subtle smile played on her lips as she shook his hand. Based on her surprised reaction, I’m pretty sure she didn’t know he’d be here.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said. “Is this your first time in Scranton?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” he said.
“Why surprisingly?” she asked.
“I’m a huge fan of The Office . Back when the show was still on, they had a tour here, and I was supposed to come a handful of times, but something always came up.”
Not even trying to hide the fact that she was listening to our conversation, Anjannette turned around and shifted her attention between Jamie and Elliott.
“We’re heading to Poor Richard’s Pub when we’re done here. You have to join us. It’s a must visit for fans of The Office ,” she said.
“Oh, that sounds like fun,” Elliott said. He elbowed Jamie. “Doesn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t want to crash your party,” Jamie said.
Tension rolled off my friends in waves as they waited for me to respond. But I didn’t answer until Jamie looked at me and raised his right brow.
“You should come.”
Jamie
My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting as I followed Elliot through Poor Richard's Pub.
He slowed down and looked at me over his shoulder.
“Is this what you were expecting?”
I shook my head.
“It doesn’t look like it did on The Office at all. Which makes sense, because according to The Office Ladies podcast, the scenes that took place at Poor Richard’s were actually filmed at a pub in Burbank, California. I forget the name of it though.”
“That’s surprising,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Between the podcast and the fact that you watched the entire series at least a hundred times, I figured you knew everything about it.”
He faced forward and walked faster. I kept pace, following him toward the back of the pub.
“I don’t know everything ,” I said. “I didn’t realize it’s located inside a bowling alley.”
Thankfully Sophie had shared that little fact with me or I probably would have driven around in circles trying to find it.
Before Elliott could make some smartass comment, we spotted Anjannette waving at us from a table in the back corner. Actually all the tables. It seems the pole studio has taken over the whole back portion of the bar.
Not surprisingly, the seat next to Sophie was empty and Keera pointed me to it. I sat and Elliott settled across the table.
“Okay, pay attention everyone,” Anjannette said. “This is Elliott Booth. He owns The Pole Experience in Brooklyn, where I, and now the wonderful Sophie, got certified.” She gestured toward me. “And this is Jamie…”
She trailed off and raised her brow.
“Dunne,” I said.
“Jamie Dunne,” she repeated.
Then she proceeded to introduce everyone at the table to us.
I’d seen the man sitting next to Anjannette at the recital and he looked familiar. Now that
I have a first name to put to the face, I realize he’s Leo Marakis, the catcher for the Carolina Waves. He grew up in New Jersey, so even though he doesn’t play for either New York team, we still consider him one of our own. And apparently, he and Anjannette are engaged.
“I hope you paid attention to that because there’s going to be a quiz on names,” Keera said.
Everyone laughed at Elliott’s look of mock horror. Just as they settled down, the waitress approached with four pitchers of beer and a bunch of glasses. After everyone had a full pint, Anjannette stood.
“I know I already gave a speech back at the studio, but now that I have a drink in my hand, I feel the need to do another one.” She raised her glass. “Thank you to all of you for making tonight’s recital a success and for helping create the inclusive, supportive studio I’ve always dreamed of having. Cheers!”
A hearty round of cheers sounded from around the table as people clinked glasses. I turned to Sophie and touched my pint against hers before taking a drink.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Anjannette said loud enough to be heard over the pinging of glasses. Once she had everyone’s attention again, she said, “And let’s celebrate Sophie who passed her certifications up to level four and is jumping right into teaching classes while I head to spring training with my honey next week.” She leaned down and kissed Leo before straightening and holding her glass out. “Cheers to Sophie!”
“Cheers to Sophie,” I said only for her to hear and took a drink.
The waitress appeared again, this time with reinforcements carrying trays full of appetizers. They set down three platters of wings, a plate full of assorted fried items, and two different kinds of square pizza.
My confusion must have shown on my face, because Sophie leaned closer and said, “We ordered a bunch of things to share before you got here.”
“I didn’t realize we were that far behind you.”
“You weren’t, but Anjannette gets hangry, and she’s way past her mealtime. So she placed the order as soon as we got here. She doesn’t mess around.”
The food was passed around and soon the trays were emptied as everyone, including Elliott and me, filled their own plates. It’s past my dinnertime too, so I dug into the food and listened to the friendly banter being tossed around the table. Occasionally laughter erupted as they recounted highlights of the recital, reliving the energy of the performances as well as all the mistakes and mishaps that happened during the practices leading up to them.
“Jamie, did you know that Leo plays baseball?” Elliott asked.
I shifted my gaze between the two men as I finished chewing and swallowed the big bite of pizza I’d taken just before he asked the question.
“I did,” I said to Elliott then looked at Leo. “It’s nice to meet you. Despite the fact you don’t play for either New York team, I’m a big fan.”
Leo nodded and chuckled.
“I get that a lot from people in the tri-state area, including my family.”
“Which makes up most of the tri-state area,” Anjannette said.
“That’s a true statement,” he said.
She smiled and gave him a quick kiss, then went back to the conversation she’d been having with the woman across from her. Sad to say, I don’t remember her name, so if I got quizzed, I’d fail.
“Jamie played baseball in college,” Elliott said.
“Where’d you go?” Leo asked.
“Dominican University.”
“He played third base.”
I glared at Elliott, silently begging him to stop telling last year’s catcher of the year about my glory days of college ball.
“The hot corner is tough. I played it often in high school.”
“When did you start catching?”
“Senior year in high school,” he said. “Our starting catcher got hurt, so I’d catch the second game of double-headers to give the back-up a break. And I liked it, so even though I was drafted to college as a position player, I let it be known I could catch if needed. By junior year, I was the starting catcher.”
“Seems like it was fate,” I said.
“I can’t complain. It’s worked out well.” He nodded, then shifted his attention to Sophie. “Before I forget Sophie, Tyler didn’t have to give me anything for catching for him.”
“That was all him,” she said. “He wanted to do something to thank you.”
“He’s a great kid,” Leo said. “And I’ll wear my Scranton High Baseball T-shirt proudly. Most of my teammates are big fans of The Office , so they’ll be super jealous.”
“You say that like you’re not a fan of the show,” Anjannette said.
“I’m a fan, but not like Monte. I swear he has the shows memorized.”
“Do you know if he listens to The Office Ladies podcast?” I asked, before I could overthink it.
“I haven’t heard him mention it.”
“It’s an interesting podcast,” I said. “Pam and Angela from the show host it. They break down every episode and give behind-the-scenes information. Sometimes the writers or directors, or even some of the other actors show up. It’s interesting to listen to.”
“I’ll have to check it out,” Leo said. “And I’ll definitely tell the guys. Thanks.”
The waitress approached and set down two more pitchers of beer. Since I’m driving, I’m done drinking for the night and asked her for a glass of water instead. Sophie asked for one too, so the waitress said she’d bring over a pitcher.
“Baseball and a fan of The Office ,” Sophie said. “The things I’m learning.”
Before I could ask if those things are good or bad, a woman with long brown hair yelled to her from across the table.
Amidst their animated conversation, my eyes stayed on Sophie. When I first met her, she was nervous about her pole certification test. Once we spent time together, she was more relaxed, but not like she is now. And as the night progressed, the stories around the table painted a vivid picture of their friendship. And in their fragments of laughter, shared experiences, and teasing, I discovered the depth of Sophie's connections.
And oddly enough, despite the fact I just met everyone tonight, I feel welcome. A part of things. Which isn’t normal for me. Aside from when I’m with Elliott and his family, I usually feel like I don’t belong.
During a lull in the conversation, Sophie's hand brushed mine on the table. Our eyes met, and in that moment, the pub faded away, leaving only Sophie and me in our little bubble. Any doubt about coming here disappeared as I felt that familiar connection.
My heart pounded as she leaned closer, her whispered words echoing my thoughts.
“I'm glad you came tonight.”
“Me too,” I said. “Are you free for breakfast tomorrow? I’d love to spend time together before heading back to Brooklyn.”
“What about tonight?”
I looked around the table.
“I figured you’d want to hang out with your friends.”
Her eyes followed the path mine had just taken before meeting mine again.
“I’m sure they’ll understand if I leave early.” She chuckled. “In fact, after everything Anjannette did to get you here, she’ll probably kill me if I don’t.”
“I’ll follow your lead.”
We hung out for a half hour more, then Sophie caught Anjannette’s attention.
“I’m going to head out.”
“Oh, okay.”
The two women stood and hugged. When Anjannette settled back next to Leo, I got up and held Sophie’s coat so she could slip into it.
“Are you coming back to the hotel?” I asked Elliott.
“I’m going to hang here,” he said. “I’ll grab an Uber.”
“We can drop you off,” Anjannette said.
“They’re gonna drop me off,” he said with a big smile.
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sophie grabbed her purse and said her goodbyes to everyone else.
“You kids have fun,” Elliott said with a wave as we made our way around the table.
I followed Sophie out of the bar and to her car. She was preoccupied with her phone, so I didn’t say anything as we walked across the parking lot.
She stopped at a white SUV, her attention still on the phone. A smile spread across her face and her fingers moved across the screen.
“Sorry about that.” She held up the phone. “I texted my kids to let them know I wouldn’t be home and they’re sending me drinking memes.”
I barely caught the last half of that sentence as I focused on the first part.
“Where did you say you’re staying?”
“At Anjannette’s,” she said. “I’ve slept there before when we have girls’ nights.”
This night just keeps getting better and better. I opened her car door and her clean, beachy scent surrounded me as she slid past me and settled behind the wheel.
“I’ll follow you,” I said, then closed her door and jogged over to my truck, thankful the hotel isn’t far.