They increase their time at the studio and gym, making sure they don’t look like a bunch of washed-up has-beens when they perform at the show. The time spent at the studio is invigorating and a welcome change away from their outside lives.
When they arrive in Freemon, both are famished and decide to go out for dinner. It’s the first time in several months that they’re sharing a meal without wearing sweaty work-out clothes having just come from the studio. They’re also celebrating the end of Hailey’s finals and the completion of Jude’s training. She’ll be taking the remaining courses to complete her degree, and he’ll be a probationary member at the fire station.
Over a bottle of wine and delicious food, they have a wonderful evening. Hailey’s booming laugh warms Jude down to his toes, especially when he gets to talking about one of the guys from the fire station who started taking cooking lessons with him.
“… So Joey has one foot on the open oven door, because, you know, that’s the most sensible place to put it, and he’s leaning way over the counter trying to grab the spoon at the opposite end, and then I smell something burning, and I look over, and the idiot’s shoe is melting. Melting!”
Hailey’s laughter makes him get more animated, spurning him on.
“And he just leans back, sees what’s happening and starts kicking the air like this -” Jude pokes his leg out and waffles it around. “Now keep in mind, this guy is huge. Six feet. And he’s pirouetting around the kitchen squealing, ‘Take it off! Take it off!’”
At this point, Hailey has forgone regular laughter for the silent, breathless kind that brings tears to her eyes, shoulders shaking.
“Before I can get over there, his shoe finally comes off and goes sailing across the room and hits Madame Le Croix (the cooking instructor) in the shoulder.”
Holding up her hand, Hailey starts shaking her head, begging him to stop long enough for her to catch her breath. But he can’t stop. It’s too good.
“And Madame turns and gives Joey this spirit crushing look and says, ‘Zat shoe is ze best thing you’ve taken out of zee oven all night! Next week, you wear no shoes.”
Actual tears are dripping down her face, and her cheeks are red, and her chest burns from the lack of oxygen. Jude leans back and watches her, loving everything about this moment, from the wine to the crappy weather to the way her hand clutches the table as she regains her composure. Mostly.
“I can’t believe she let him come back. There’s no way.”
“Oh, just wait. I haven’t told you about the next week -”
They start trading stories and talking about Hailey’s upcoming trip to Australia to visit her sister in January before classes resume. Her face lights up as she gets more animated, telling him she’s going to try surfing. Jude demands photographic evidence and expects her to be semi-pro by the end of her trip. When the waiter politely informs them that the restaurant is closing, they bashfully rise and then duck into another place for dessert and continue talking for another hour.
Not once do they mention dancing.
When they come together on the dance floor for the show, it’s like they never missed a day. Their movements are perfectly timed, all seamless transitions and deep edges. Hailey silently wishes the rest of her life could be this easy, and Jude enjoys the familiar comfort and sense of strength he gets from being with her. Their combined presence produces such an incomparable sensation that it leaves viewers breathless. They’re ethereal and magical and everyone remarks on their obvious mutual adoration.
While they’re in town, they do a couple of radio shows and interviews, then they fly to Corden for two days to attend a gala and be guests on The Walker show. Everyone asks the same questions: Are you finally together? What have you been doing? What’s next? Do you miss it?
Their answers provide just enough information to keep people wondering. What the general public doesn’t know is that when Hailey and Jude leave the studio, he stays in town that night with the leggy blonde sports analyst and Hailey attends a charity dinner for underprivileged children. Jude enjoys a romantic dinner and late-night dancing. Hailey, on the other hand, enchants a player with the Otters who is there as a major donor to the charity. He asks for her number before she takes her leave and calls first thing the next morning, asking to meet for breakfast before she catches the train home to Lakesville.
A couple of days later, Hailey and Jude exchange gifts at the studio. They barely spoke to their families on Christmas day the previous year, every conversation fraught with tension and the ever-present reminder of their competitors.
Hailey reaches over and grabs Jude’s hand, leaning her head against his shoulder as she sighs. Jude turns and kisses the top of her hair and grips her hand tightly in his, thankful for what they have, but sorry for what they lost.
Chapter Four
When Hailey returns in January, she’s sporting quite the tan and impressive bruises on parts of her body. This is displeasing to Jude.
“Holy hell, did you get in a fight with a bull?” Jude pulls up the sleeve of her fleece, checking to see how far the bruise extends. She swipes at his hands, then continues her morning stretch, going into a lunge.
“Let’s just say the Pacific Ocean won that particular battle when I was surfing.”
“Did you get up on the board, though?”
“Yeah, by the end of the trip, I was doing pretty well, but I got my ass kicked. Several times.”
Jude nods as he rolls his eyes. “Perhaps you should just stick to dancing; it seems more like your thing. Not too many surfers up here.”
“Too late. I’m already planning on going back for more.” Hailey smiles brightly. “Besides, I’m thinking of tennis lessons, getting a little more serious about it.”
“Tennis, huh?” Jude leans back, stretching his groin region. “You know, I still haven’t seen any pictures of this infamous surfing adventure.”
Hopping up, Hailey reaches for her phone in her bag. “I’ve got more at home on my computer; these aren’t great quality.”
Jude scrolls through the pictures, smiling at the shots of Hailey and her sister out in the water cutting through the waves. “This is a good picture,” he admires, “you should frame this one.”
They actually look pretty good, though Hilary looks a more at ease on the board. There are also pictures with many other people, probably friends… very attractive male friends. There are male friends in many pictures with Hailey, arms slung over shoulders - occasionally looking a bit too cozy.
“Wow, did you meet half of Australia?”
“It felt like it,” Hailey nods. “The guy she’s been seeing works in government there and used to be in the special forces. He’s like,” Hailey holds out her arms for height and then shoulder breadth, “he’s huge. He knows tons of people. He’s very friendly and charming. He reminds me of you a bit.”
“Would your brothers approve?”
Hailey smirks, her eyes narrowing a little in delight. “Not sure. You know how Aussies are. I doubt he’s in it for the long haul.”
“Do you think your sister is aware of that?”
Hailey steps out on the floor. “Oh, I’m not too concerned about her. She’s quite the heartbreaker.” Hailey turns as many of the kids spot her and start coming over, excited about her return.
“Must be a trait of all the Morgan women,” Jude calls out, receiving a raised eyebrow and mock glare in return. When he moves up beside her, they welcome everyone back from Winter break and commence their lessons.
During lunch in the snack lounge, they return to the past few weeks’ activities. Jude details his first official week at the fire-station as more than a student and Christmas with the entire Jennings clan, which was mass chaos from start to finish. He loved every bit of it.
“So have the boys at the station delegated you as the chef yet?” Hailey asks, leaning back in her chair.
“It’s looking more and more like it.” Jude takes a swig of his water. “Being a probie is fun,
but it sucks too because I’m basically getting hazed the whole time. I kind of thought it would let up once I passed the test.”
Hailey’s eyebrows draw together. “Well, I’m no expert, but from my extensive television research, being a probie is something you are until you earn your place in the food chain.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He leans down and slaps the boot of her crossed leg. “So there are a couple of kids I need you to see this afternoon.”
Hailey turns and surveys her partner for a couple of moments. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. They…” he doesn’t even finish what he’s saying but just gives her a look.
“Really? That good?”
“Yes. Really.”
“I’ll be on the lookout. I will let you know,” she says as she stands, pushing back from the table. “Oh hey, Tony left a message while I was gone. Do you have any idea what it was?”
“Tony, our agent, Tony?”
Hailey nods, holding the door open while Jude tosses his trash. “I think there’s some fashion event coming up. He wants to send you. Hey, why didn’t you say anything about the makeup people trying to recruit you?”
Hailey quirks her head in confusion, then she realizes. “Oh. I don’t know about all of that. They’re doing a campaign for some new product, but the last thing I was at kind of didn’t sit well with me.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugs as they approach the benches, setting her water bottle on the side. “Lots of drugs and back-stabbing, really petty things. I appreciate and enjoy fashion for the aesthetic, but not the industry.”
“Didn’t your last paycheck pay for your trip to Australia?”
She sighs. “That’s the problem… I don’t know. I’ll talk to him and see what’s up.”
At the end of the afternoon, Hailey’s cheeks are red from laughter, and Jude nearly has tears in his eyes from combined mischief. He just got done showing an older couple how to properly convey ‘romance’ on the dance floor, by using Hailey in a rather handsy fashion.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Hailey grips his arm, catching her breath.
“You told me to show him how to do it right, so I did!”
“But you didn’t have to use me to get the point across!”
“Of course, I did!” Jude laughs. “You gave as much as you got, might I add, Ms. Morgan.”
They grab their things and close the studio, waving goodbye to the weekend manager. When they slide into their booth for dinner, they simply wave at the waitress who already has their drinks queued.
“I think you’re right, those two kids were… they were outstanding. But you know neither one of us is in the place to actually start coaching.”
“I know,” Jude huffs, “so who should we send them to?”
“Who’s hurting for dancers?”
Jude frowns. They debate for the next ten minutes which coaches would be the best fit, finally coming to a decision as their food arrives. Hailey watches Jude as he digs into his food; he’s quiet as he thinks.
“Don’t be frustrated, Jude. You know I’m right.” She says quietly. “We started teaching lessons so we could do exactly this: identify the ones with potential and to give back to the community. Let’s give them a couple of years to develop and see if they truly want it. When the time is right, we can poach them back.”
Jude gives her a conspiratorial smile. “You’re so cutthroat sometimes. I love it.”
Hailey tosses a French fry at him. “Like you weren’t thinking it too.”
“I was, but you’re the one that said it!”
They spend the rest of the meal talking about Hailey’s classes which start that Monday and Jude’s next guest-hosting appearance the following week. They would be doing these things for the next conceivable number of years. So much certainty. It wasn’t even an 'if'; it was a ‘when,’ and both of them are perfectly okay with that.
Hailey and Jude spend a majority of February settling into the grind, arranging an opportunity for their junior ballroom dance couple to meet with Vivian and Lucian, the coaches they identified as the best fit. The meeting goes well, and the coaches negotiate with the dancers and parents a future for the pair. In addition, Hailey and Jude receive some additional assistance with a program they’ve been developing. They start working their choreography for Dance Off early, primarily because the Fall taught them that time moves much quicker when they aren’t required to be at the studio daily.
Just after mid-terms half-way through March, Hailey learns that one of their mutual friends just got engaged and is having a cocktail party in a few weeks to celebrate. Surprisingly, Jude brings it up at dinner after a Saturday lesson, completely beside himself with shock.
“Can you believe it? Two-hands Jen is getting married. Who would have thought? I can’t wait to meet the poor bastard who thinks he can tie her down,” Jude smiles at Hailey knowing that she agrees even if she won’t say it.
“You have got to stop calling her Two-Hands, Jude. She hasn’t done a handstand on a bar in ages.” Hailey scrunches her nose at the coffee. Not a good batch. “Anyway, I think he’s a great guy. I met him once at her birthday party back in December. He seemed smitten.”
“Of course, he did! That’s because her boobs,” Jude gestures far out from his chest, “are two very good reasons.”
“Jude!”
“Hey, it’s true.”
“I can’t take you anywhere.”
“And yet, you have,” Jude smirks at her while she ignores him, peering at the menu. He watches her as she does so, noticing that her eyes seem overly green today. Perhaps it’s her sweater. In doing this, he misses what she asks, causing her to look up at him in confusion.
“Hmmm?”
“I asked if you are you taking that girl you’ve been seeing to the engagement party?”
“Laura? Yeah, I guess. I haven’t given it much thought, actually.”
Hailey bites her lip in contemplation. The waitress arrives and collects their orders, bringing Hailey a fresh cup of coffee.
“Are you bringing anyone?” Jude doubts she will. She doesn’t like to stay long at parties unless it’s for very close friends. They exhaust her.
“I was going to see if I could just be your plus one and not have to deal with it.” She shrugs. “I guess I will.”
“I thought you were dating someone? That Shawn guy?”
“Steve. You know his name.” Hailey rolls her eyes and gives him a coy smile. “Anyway, I don’t know if I want to bring him to this.”
“Why are you afraid to bring him around?” She gives him a long-suffering look. “I feel like we have this conversation every time I’m dating someone.”
“Probably we do. Look, I’m just looking out for your best interests here. As are at least three of my friends. Two of them, not so much. Which is why -”
“I am forbidden to ever date them. Yes, I know.”
“Right. So you’re going to bring him?” Jude leans forward, elbows on the table.
Hailey leans back, crossing her arms. “Not if you’re going to act like that.”
“What,” Jude immediately turns innocent, “like the charming individual I am?”
“Like my brothers when they met him. It was bad enough when they -”
“Wait,” Jude holds up a hand. “He’s met your family?”
Hailey waves her hand like it’s inconsequential. “Yeah, it wasn’t planned. They showed up early to my place, and he was leaving late because of… reasons.” Her face turns slightly pink, and Jude tries to ignore all the possible scenarios he can conjure.
“Ha, smooth, Morgan. Way to get caught by the fam. Such a rookie.”
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. He took it like a pro. Even came golfing with us.”
Jude’s eyebrows shoot up. “Was he any good?”
“Yeah,” Hailey frowns. “He beat all of us. I should’ve guessed that, though.”
“Why? Is he semi-pro or something?”
As they rise to leave, Jude turns back to Hailey. “Hey, if you really don’t want to bring that Shawn-”
“Steve”
“Steve guy, whatever, let me know. I can always tell Laura that it’s a smaller party or something.”
Hailey quirks her eyebrows at him, a knowing smile on her lips as she reaches her car. “Don’t worry about it, Ju. I’ll be fine.”
“Good,” Jude replies as he reaches his truck. “Can’t have you cramping my style.”
Chapter Five
It’s three weeks later when the party rolls around. Preoccupied, Hailey fidgets with her earring as she sits in the passenger seat of Steve’s car. She’s a little concerned about the fact that he seems genuinely interested in getting to know her friends. It’s not that she doesn’t want him to; it’s just that she’s not sure how long this relationship is going to last.
This stems from a dinner party she suffered through with Steve, a bunch of his teammates, and their significant others earlier in the week. For the first time in her life, she found herself as the ‘football player’s hot girlfriend’ and was relegated to the land of arm-holder and trophy wife. There was also an unfortunate incident in the ladies’ room when she overheard some of the other women referring to her as a ‘gold digger’ and other unkind names.
Obviously, they didn’t know who she was as an athlete, but what truly irritated her was they didn’t even know her as a person. She thought she left that kind of backstabbing pettiness behind in locker rooms. Granted, Steve has always been very proud of her accomplishments and has never treated her like the others, but most people don’t have Steve’s inherent sense of decency either.
Regardless, she’s starting to narrow down exactly what she wants in a man, and playing second fiddle to his career is certainly not an aspect she can tolerate well. Then again, she has so many aspirations; she’s not sure she’ll ever find someone who will be willing to suffer through her desire to explore and excel. Because that’s what she does - work relentlessly and excel to the point of making it difficult to maintain relationships. Now she’s working herself in a circle.
The Starting Line: Friends To Lovers Page 3