Date and Dash

by Susan Hatler

  “Maybe. I just really want to win so I can get my Grammy’s bracelet,” I said, feeling like a broken record. Maybe with the bracelet, I’d feel strong again and find a way to stand up to Elliott. Now I also needed her bracelet to get through the heartbreak of Trevor hooking up with Wendy after the competition ended because that was obviously where it was heading. So depressing.

  Ginger never understood my weaknesses. Trevor wouldn’t get them either. He had been strong when his life’s circumstances dictated for him to be. But I’d needed the bracelet to feel strong and secure. Super pathetic.

  “Couples, we’re starting our next couples competition, Love and Romance!” Brandon Baker announced clapping his hands above his head.

  I rolled my eyes. Blah and blech.

  Our host’s smile beamed above his microphone. “Each couple will be judged on the way they dance together. It’s all about chemistry and also how well you couples can handle outside instruction in your relationship.”

  I blew my bangs up. Little did he know that outside influences on my relationship were exactly my problem.

  “There will be an instructor who will demonstrate a variety of dances, and then you’ll have a few minutes to practice before the judging starts. After each round, you’ll be given a score. The couple with the lowest total score of the night will be eliminated. Ready, set . . . dance!”

  At first the dances were kicking my booty. The rumba made my brain spin, but Trevor was a quick study, and he led beautifully. “Evie and Ross look like professionals,” I murmured as we ended the first dance. Sweat was dripping down my back, making me feel as sexy as a gorilla, but Trevor didn’t seem to notice.

  “Wendy and Chase are pretty good too,” Trevor said. My heart squeezed. So he was paying attention to her. It hadn’t just been my imagination. I pushed the heartbreak aside, reminding myself to focus on the task at hand: winning.

  By the time we got to the waltz, I felt like I was finally getting my groove on. I knew that Trevor wanted to win just as much as I did, so we were both concentrating on our dance moves quietly. We didn’t talk, but there was a certain sense of camaraderie that we shared and we made a good team.

  “The judging will now begin for Love and Romance.” Brandon Baker’s voice came over the speakers above the music.

  As we started officially dancing for the competition, I vowed that I would throw everything into this dance. Now was our chance to impress the judges right from the start. Trevor spun me around. Adrenaline pumped through me and I did a spur-of-the-moment fancy leap as I came back to him, which had so not been a good idea.

  A sharp jolt sliced my ankle as I landed, my ankle turning in a way that no ankle should ever go. I cried out in pain, losing my balance, but Trevor steadied me in his arms.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concern evident in his tone.

  “I’m fine.” My teeth were clenched as pain radiated up my leg. “Let’s just keep going. We need to win.”

  He looked at me doubtfully but said, “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  As he turned me for a spin, pain exploded everywhere, sending stars dancing in my peripheral vision. I stifled a squeal. “See? I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Trevor stopped in his tracks, then suddenly lifted me up into his arms. He walked me over to one of the velvet chairs as the orchestra continued to play. Gently he eased me onto the seat, then he crouched down and slipped the heel off my foot. With gentle fingers he probed my ankle. The touch of his skin against mine sent shivers skittering up my leg. I swallowed hard.

  He looked up at me with regret. “Your ankle’s starting to swell.”

  “Maybe a medic can wrap it all supportive or whatever and then we can get back in there.”

  My words spilled over each other as my heart raced. “We’ll lose points if we aren’t dancing and we have to win. For Grammy’s bracelet. For your charity.”

  “It’s not worth it if you’re hurt.” His voice was low and firm. “The swelling’s growing, muffin. I’m sorry, but I need to take you to the emergency room.”

  I wanted to protest, but the pain was getting too intense. I could barely breathe at the moment. “Fine,” I said shakily. “Let’s go.”

  “Hold up a minute,” Trevor said. “You can’t walk on that. It’ll only make it worse.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Trevor scooped me up into his arms, and cradled me gently against his chest. It was so heroic the way he took charge. The realization that I had fallen for him hard and fast settled over me as Trevor quickly explained the situation to the approaching medic. Then he carried me out of the ballroom.

  As we walked outside toward Trevor’s rental car, my throat tightened. We couldn’t finish the competition so we’d have the lowest points for sure. And we’d been so close to winning. I wanted to kick myself for trying to show off. My impulsiveness had struck again. But this time it hadn’t just ruined things for me, but for Trevor too.

  Chapter Eight

  I slumped into work the next morning. Never before had I felt so low. Losing the competition was bad enough, but losing Trevor felt even worse. Oh, yeah. I also had a sprained ankle to boot.

  Trevor had been sweet taking me to the doctor but all I could think about in the emergency room was him with Wendy.

  He’d noticed something was up because he’d asked several times if anything was wrong, but I’d just voiced some non-committal response each time. I’d asked him casually what he’d done for lunch and he’d looked me in the eye and told me “errands.” That had been the perfect opportunity for him to mention his lunch with Wendy if it really had been casual, but he hadn’t.

  Tara was on the phone when I walked into the office. I gave her what I hoped was a halfway decent smile, then I headed to my desk. Setting my lunch bag down, I wished the day was already over and I could crawl into bed. Eight more hours and counting.

  “Oh, Mary Ann!” Tara hung up the phone then scurried over to my desk carrying a local newspaper in her hand. She pointed to a large photo on the front page. “Look, it’s you. The article says you’re going to be on a reality TV special called Romance Revealed next week. Is that true? Who’s the hot guy you’re dating?”

  Tara’s litany of questions broke me out of my negative spiral of thoughts and I glanced down at the photo of all five of us couples in front of the gold miner statue downtown. My gaze dropped to where Trevor’s arm draped around my shoulder. We’d tilted our heads together, smiling proudly as if we belonged together. Fat chance.

  A stab of pain speared my chest and I grimaced. “I’m not dating him for real. It’s all pretend.

  He’s seeing someone else anyway. The show is just for fun, you know?”

  Her face fell, but she recovered quickly. “Well, I want to watch it anyway. I mean, how often do you actually know a celebrity?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Probably less often in northern California than if you lived in Hollywood. But I’m not a celebrity.”

  “Well you’re on the cover of a newspaper. Pretty cool stuff,” she said, then headed back toward her desk.

  Just as she was leaving my cell phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my jacket pocket and pressed the green button to answer the call. “Hello?”

  “Mary Ann? This is Theodore Rollins.”

  I sighed. Theodore Rollins was the producer of Romance Revealed. When would this nightmare of reality TV end? Did they really have to officially call me to boot me off the show?

  It’s a no-brainer that we’d been eliminated. “What can I do for you, Mr. Rollins?”

  “Well, you might’ve guessed that you and Trevor received the lowest score from the judges at the Love and Romance couples competition.” His deep voice sounded matter of fact with no hint of sympathy. So cold, but whatever. “Well, we’ve had a new twist to the show. As it turns out Evie and Ross have been cheating throughout the competitions. We caught them in the act last night, and reviewed tape from the previous episodes. They’ve been disqualif
ied as a result, which means you and Trevor are back in the competition.”

  Chills vibrated through me and I clutched the edge of my desk. We were in again? That meant that we could still win. “Does Trevor know?”

  “I’m calling him next. We’ll see you tonight.”

  “Thank you so much.” I hung up and leaned back in my chair. I should be excited that we were back in the running, but losing Trevor had made me spiral so far into my pit of sadness that it was hard to climb back out.

  How had I not realized how great Trevor was right from the beginning? So he was a bit uptight when it came to insurance claims. His homeruns certainly outweighed his strikes.

  Besides, I really needed to stop thinking about guys in terms of baseball metaphors because I didn’t even like sports.

  I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. Images of Trevor flickered through my head like a movie gone wrong. In hindsight all the evidence was there that Trevor was potentially the perfect guy for me. My ankle throbbed slightly as if to remind me of how many mistakes I’d made with him.

  “Mary Ann, can you come into my office for a moment?” Elaina called from down the hall.

  My stomach clenched. I hoped she wasn’t upset about my extended break yesterday morning when I’d met Trevor at Bernie’s Bakery. She was usually flexible since she knew I often stayed late at the office and worked through breaks more times than not.

  I trudged down to her office. “What’s up, Elaina?” I asked, infusing my voice with as much enthusiasm as I could.

  “Have a seat.” Elaina shut the door behind me then went back to her desk. After I sat down, she gave me a serious look. “I wanted to let you know that I’m being transferred to another location. It’s a promotion.”

  “Congratulations,” I said, relieved that I wasn’t busted for anything. How cool that she was being promoted at another location. Wait a minute. If she was leaving this location then that left her current position available. A buzz of excitement fluttered in my stomach. Could this mean what I hoped it meant?

  She laced her hands on the desk in front of her and leaned forward. “You’re the assistant community director. I know you’ve been with NGN Properties a long time and we really value your work. So I wanted you to hear it from me first.” She paused a moment, giving me an unreadable look. “I’m promoting Elliott to community director when I leave.”

  The buzzing in my ears grew louder ending with an explosion as hope shattered all around me. “You’re promoting Elliott ahead of me?”

  “I know you’ve been here longer than he has, but you mentioned you work well with him so I hope this will be a smooth transition.” She nodded as if to agree with her annoying little speech.

  “As you’ve told me yourself, he’s doing an outstanding job. He’s also shown such initiative and creativity over the past few weeks that I know this is the right decision.”

  “I understand completely.” I sucked in my breath, and hoped that the tears in my eyes would hold until I could get out of her office. I couldn’t let Elaina see me cry.

  When I put my hand on the door to leave, I paused. Trevor’s story about how he had taken his fate into his own hands when he was just a kid ran through my mind. He’d sounded so sure at the park yesterday when he’d told me that I didn’t need Grammy’s bracelet to be brave. I hadn’t believed him. But what if he was right?

  Taking a deep breath, I turned around. “Actually, Elaina? There is something I should’ve told you already. Elliott didn’t do any of those things that you think are so creative and great. I did and he took credit for my work.”

  A frown puckered her face. “I know that you’re disappointed. But you shouldn’t damage Elliott’s reputation just because of that.”

  “I’m telling the truth.” I swallowed, feeling the despair rise up. Thinking of Trevor buoyed my spirit, though. “Elliott says he put together the neighborhood watch program but I did that.

  And how he claimed to have rescued the cat? That was me again. In heels and a super short skirt to boot.”

  She gazed at me skeptically.

  “All Elliott did was come upstairs to give me a message from Tara about who owned the cat.

  I’m the one who climbed over the balcony railing to reach the cat, then I had to wrap my black blazer around him so none of its white hair would fall in the apartment because the tenant who reported the cat on his balcony was freaking allergic.”

  Her mouth fell open a little. “I’ll be honest, Mary Ann. I’m really floored by this. Maybe you should take some time and rethink things.”

  I shook my head adamantly. There was no way I was backing down now. “Ask Elliott. Ask him how he got the cat out of the apartment without poor allergic Mark needing a trip to the emergency room. I wrapped it in my black jacket, which is still at the cleaners by the way. He never even saw the cat so ask him what color he is, because he’s white and fluffy like a giant puffball. His name is White Russian. You can call the girl in 6C to confirm.”

  When I stopped talking I saw that Elaina’s frown had deepened, but she pressed the intercom and asked Elliott to come to her office. Moments later he arrived smiling all bright and cheery and she said, “Elliott, I was trying to remember what you’d told me about that cat you rescued from the balcony. What color was the cat again?”

  Elliott’s face paled and he looked from me to Elaina. Finally he said, “Oh, well, it was black.

  Yeah, black as night. Probably unlucky, you know?”

  Elaina nodded. “Thank you both. I’ll talk to you later.”

  He gave me a nervous look as we left Elaina’s office, and I guessed that she was going to call the tenant in 6C to confirm our stories. It still irritated me that she would believe him over me, but I knew I had to let it go. He was her nephew so of course she felt inclined to believe him.

  I sat and stared at my computer, unable to get any work done until I saw Elaina come out of her office. I watched as she walked over to Elliott, and talked to him softly. They retreated into her office then the door shut. When he came out his face was as white as a sheet, and I realized that she must have confirmed my side of the story. Then he started packing his things and I wondered if she’d fired him.

  “Mary Ann, can you come in here for a moment?” Elaina called.

  I took a deep breath and braced myself for whatever was in store next. I mean, I was just telling the truth so she shouldn’t kill the messenger. When I went back to her office and sat down again, I saw her face pucker and she looked . . . apologetic.

  “Mary Ann.” She pressed her fingers against her temples. “I’m so sorry for not believing you when you first told me. You’ve always been honest and that was unprofessional of me. I just have to ask, why didn’t you ever say anything before?”

  “Well, I thought it was more important to get the work done, and not worry about who got credit for it,” I said slowly, realizing that was how it had started out. “Then I’d praised Elliott because he was your nephew and I wanted to make you happy. But I should have been straight with you.”

  “You had good intentions, though, which I appreciate.” Elaina’s smile stretched across her whole face. “That’s exactly the kind of loyalty to the company we are looking for at NGN

  Properties and at this apartment complex. So . . . I’d like to offer you this position of community director. You may take the evening to think about it and give me your answer tomorrow.”

  “All right I will.” I smiled, even though I already knew what my answer would be. I mean, hello? Big pay raise. And I had a maxed out credit card that needed attention.

  My mood lifted as I went back to work. I looked over my shoulder, and Elliott and his belongings were all gone. I had stood up for myself. The safe and secure feeling I’d known as a child suddenly enveloped me, only this time I wasn’t wearing the bracelet.

  I’d been brave all on my own.

  What if I could be brave in other aspects of my life as well? Melinda told me I should ask Trevor
about Wendy but I’d been too scared to do that. I needed to be brave, to confront Trevor tonight at the final competition, and find out for sure if he really did like Wendy or if maybe we still had a chance.

  In the back of my mind I heard Grammy saying she was proud of me.

  ****

  When I arrived at the studio, I was rushed into make-up and hair before I’d had a chance to see Trevor. My nerves were jumping as the gal touched up my blond curls, giving my hair new fullness I wished I could achieve at home.

  I knew Trevor was in the green room down the hall because I’d asked. Despite all my misgivings, I was going to tell him how I truly felt about him, and why I’d been so distant. Lay all my cards on the table.

  Taking a deep breath I swung the door open just in time to see Wendy throw her arms around Trevor’s neck. My heart dropped into my stomach as I stared at them in disbelief.

  “I am so glad we met on this show,” she said, squeezing him hard.

  Trevor gazed down at her with a huge smile on his face. “My parents are going to be so excited.”

  What? He’s introducing her to his parents already? I’d just been hoping to declare I was head over heels for him. I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. Maybe they could have a special Romance Revealed episode of them picking out their china pattern soon. The thought made me want to throw up. Ugh.

  I’d wanted to declare my feelings to Trevor but what would be the point now?

  I cleared my throat. The only thing more humiliating than witnessing this little lovefest was being caught eavesdropping, and my new motto was to be brave. They both turned my way, looking startled at getting caught. Wendy glanced up at Trevor with a small frown and seemed to be asking him something. He shook his head in answer.