Redmond and Lisa looked at each other. They hadn’t prepared an answer for this, although in retrospect it was the most obvious thing for the programme makers to ask. It was like a job interview, wasn’t it? You wanted to establish motivations, to understand whether you were going to fit together. And Lisa had been so busy thinking about the fit between her and Redmond (she fought back an image of their bodies intertwined) that she hadn’t given a thought to how they’d fit in with the programme.
Finally they both began talking at once.
“You first.” She nodded to Redmond.
“No, you,” he shot back with a satisfied smile, knowing that she would capitulate rather than appear to be arguing in front of the producer.
“I was going to say two things,” said Lisa, who had no idea what she’d been going to say. “For one thing, I never turn down a chance to dance. For another … ” She paused, uncertain whether to mention the practical reason of the dance school needing the money, or the other more personal reason. She knew that mentioning wanting to dance with Redmond would win them points in the cute couple stakes, but for some reason she choked on the words. She faltered, and began again. “For the school … ”
Before she could dredge up the remainder of her failed sentence, Redmond came to her rescue, launching into the story of how Elaine and Mark had approached them to ask them to dance. Cleverly, without lying, he gave the impression that they’d been approached as a couple rather than individually. He talked about the publicity that the show would offer the school, and the chance of an investor coming forward, as well as their hope that they would win and the prize fund would allow them to save the building.
Lisa found herself just a little disappointed. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she’d hoped against all reason that he would mention something about dancing with her. She wouldn’t have believed that was the reason, of course, but it would be nice to hear flattering words come from his mouth. Later, in the quiet of her own home, she would replay them and let herself dream, just a little, about what her life would be like if they were true.
“So you’re doing it for the school?” Tim asked. He didn’t sound terribly interested. It was more as if he was just checking that he’d got his facts straight. His voice had the deadpan quality of a newsreader and she found herself wishing she could say something to evoke the life she’d seen there earlier, when the two guys were talking about football.
Before she could think of anything to say, Redmond had already jumped in.
“Well, that and the chance to spend some more time dancing with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” Redmond gave his dazzling, outrageous liar’s smile.
If he’d said the prettiest, Lisa might have believed him. On a good day, with nicely coordinated clothes, a gently lipsticked smile, and her long brown hair brushed out, she knew she could be pretty. But beautiful? Compared to all the tanned model-types Redmond must see every day in America? That was a joke, and she knew it. In the midst of her pain, though, she had to admire his acting ability. Even knowing better, she’d thought for a moment she caught the ring of sincerity in his tone, and now he was turning his gaze on her as if he was admiring a precious work of art.
She wished that just once in her life a man would look at her that way and mean it. Not just as if he admired the way her body moved on the dance floor, but as if he could see past it to her soul.
Well, until this programme was over, there was no chance of anyone else looking at her that way. Redmond and work and dancing would leave no room in her life for anyone else, and besides, who else was there? The only men in her life for months had been sweet, gay Jerry and slimy ad-man Gary. No, she might as well face it, she was stuck with admiring Redmond from a not-altogether-safe distance for the foreseeable future.
And then what?
At some point he’d go back to America and they’d have to tell the world something about how the supposed romance had ended. Just fizzled out? Somehow she couldn’t believe that. More likely he would storm off in a row. Or she’d just wake up one morning and find him gone. The thought still stung, more than it should, and it preoccupied her throughout the rest of the audition. What would happen once the show was over?
She asked Redmond about it later in the car.
“Will we ever tell people the truth about us?”
“What truth?”
Redmond’s eyes were firmly fixed on the road and his jaw was set tight. She wished she hadn’t said anything. It was too big a conversation to have while negotiating the London traffic, but she’d needed to know. Would she have to spend the rest of her life maintaining a lie?
“That we’re not really going out.”
She hoped it didn’t show how hard it was to get the words out.
A frown flickered across Redmond’s face and now she wished even more that she hadn’t pushed the issue, but it was too late to back down.
“Depends.”
“On what?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but the question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
Redmond shrugged and opened his mouth to say something, and then out of nowhere a car shot out into the road in front of them.
He slammed on the brakes and they lurched to a halt just inches from the offending vehicle.
Redmond swore under his breath and carefully put on the handbrake and sat for a moment while the other car pulled away, the driver waving a jaunty hand in thanks and blithely ignoring how close he had come to disaster.
“Idiot,” Lisa murmured with the vehemence usually accorded to much stronger language.
Redmond slowly moved off again. “Some people.” He shook his head.
The previous conversation was apparently forgotten and Lisa didn’t quite dare bring it up again. They drove in silence for a while and then Redmond asked casually, “So, how do you think it went?”
She hated questions like that. They made her feel as if she was in an exam, knowing there was a right answer but unable to select one from the many possible options. For everything she could have said, she could see a reason why it might be the wrong response.
Finally she shrugged and said lightly, “OK, I suppose. You think they’ll pick us?”
“I think so,” he said, surprisingly confidently. Mind you, that was the attitude with which he’d always approached life. Things would work out — why shouldn’t they?
Lisa wished she had his faith.
Chapter 5
“I wonder who’ll be here,” Lisa remarked idly as they started up the studio steps. She’d been hoping ever since Redmond texted with the details of the first show that they wouldn’t see too much of the Barbie doll receptionists. She wanted to meet the other dancers, and see what the competition was like.
“You haven’t been reading the message boards, then?” Red asked.
“When would I have had time?”
“At work, maybe, I don’t know.”
“I should be so lucky.” Lisa remembered guiltily the letters that were still sitting unanswered at the bottom of her handbag. She wouldn’t be spending time browsing on the Internet until she’d dealt with the pile of correspondence, and that didn’t look like getting done any time soon. In the meantime, she’d just have to rely on second-hand information. “So, I take it you have.”
“Yes. There’s quite a bit of talk about who’s going to be on.”
“And?” Lisa could have sworn Redmond was deliberately stringing out the time before he told her anything, just as the commentators did when announcing the results on dance programmes.
“The boards seem quite definite about four of the couples. Fritz and Kathrin.”
Lisa nodded. She’d expected that. They were one of the most established couples on the British scene, even though neither of them had been born here. She’d come over from Switzerland, and he f
rom Germany, and they’d paired up in their teens and never looked back.
“David and Caroline.” Of course. A married couple with their own studio, they could hardly have been omitted, but Lisa didn’t consider them serious competition. Their presence simply meant one couple less to worry about beating.
“Harry and Tiffany.” Lisa grimaced at that. They were stunning dancers, but Tiffany had a reputation for temperament. Her presence would make for good TV, but it was bound to ensure that the competition was anything but a smooth ride.
“Al and Eveline.” Al was an easygoing American. He’d met Lancashire-born Eveline at an international festival and, to everyone’s astonishment, moved to England to be with her as fast as he could quit his job and find a flat in Blackpool. They were a cute couple, and among the more serious contenders, especially on the Latin side.
“It’s anybody’s guess for the other two places. Except of course that we know we’ve got one of them. So it’s just the sixth couple that we really don’t know about.”
“And I think we’ve just found out.” Lisa nodded to the couple standing just inside the main entrance. They were already dressed and made up, even though it was over an hour before anything was due to happen.
“Oh, hell,” Red breathed.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Xander and Kasia Lebowitz were exactly as over the top as their names suggested. They were stunning performers and technically flawless, and they’d wiped the floor with Britain’s top couples over and over again in the first few years after Red left for the States. There had been a collective sigh of relief when they’d retired for Kasia to have their first child, and there had never been any signs of their return. Now it appeared they were back, with a vengeance.
“Well, that’s going to set the cat among the pigeons. No wonder they didn’t want us to see the lists in advance.” To Lisa’s amazement, Red let out a deep, throaty laugh. “I can’t wait to see Tiffany’s face!”
And in spite of herself, Lisa joined in the laughter as she followed him through the door.
• • •
Lisa been doing her own dancing makeup for years and had got it down to a fine art, but apparently TV was a whole new game, and they weren’t going to trust it to an amateur, no matter how experienced. As soon as they were inside, Red and Lisa were whisked off to be coloured and powdered and costumed, and they didn’t see each other again until they were led into the studio to line up on couches in front of the cameras. Men were on one side, looking sober in their tail suits with just a flash of colour from the bow tie and cummerbund they’d been given to match the girls’ dresses. There they would remain until the couples were called forward, one by one, for their first moment in the spotlight.
Seated on the other side with the girls, Lisa felt like a hummingbird amid an array of tropical flowers, surrounded by the bright colours of all the ballroom dresses. She, like most of the girls, was wearing a dress she’d been given by the wardrobe department, but she noticed that Tiffany wasn’t in the same sweeping halter-necked dress with matching sleeves, but in a longer, fuller dress with a two-tone skirt and diamante bodice. Trust Tiffany to get special treatment.
“Everybody ready?” Tim called breezily when all the seats were filled except the presenter’s spot right in the middle.
“OK. Let’s have a big hand for our fabulous presenter, Phillipa Morris!”
Dutiful applause.
It was the first time Lisa had seen the presenter anywhere except on the cover of TV Times, and she didn’t quite know what to expect. Phillipa seemed pleasant enough, Lisa decided, as she came in, joked with the dancers, and explained that the show would be filmed in two parts. Today there would be the introductions, so the audience knew who to cheer for, and the dancers would get to know the judges who would be deciding, each week of the show, who would stay and who would leave. Then tomorrow all the dancers would get together to prepare their first-round dances, and a group number. Each week after that, there would be a live show, including clips filmed during the week at the various practice venues. Finally, having checked that everyone understood the rules, Phillipa went on to announce that tomorrow’s filming would include both their first-round dance, a quickstep, and a group rock’n’roll number to an Elvis medley.
Lisa grinned at Red across the room. They producers weren’t doing things by halves. She supposed with only six couples in the contest, and five weeks from the introduction to the grand final, they needed to get the big show-stopping numbers in early. Lisa liked rock and roll. She figured they were going to have fun.
“So, without further ado, it’s ON WITH THE SHOW!” Phillipa declaimed, and suddenly there was a hush as all the people who’d been bustling in the background melted away. Only the presenter, camera crew, and lad with the clapperboard remained.
The filming of the first half seemed to Lisa to pass in a blur. She tried to concentrate on what was being said about the other couples, and then, when she and Red were called up, to give intelligent answers to the presenter’s predictable questions: “So where did you two meet? Are you looking forward to the competition? What would it mean to you to win?” All the time, her heart was hammering and she seemed to be waiting for someone to ask, “What do you think you’re doing? Liars! Frauds!” Maybe it would be better when they started dancing.
But there was another long night to get through in between.
• • •
“OK?” Red caught Lisa in the corridor as they left the studio after the filming.
She nodded numbly.
“I thought it went well. Didn’t you? It was fun finding out about everyone. I never knew Fritz used to be a climber, did you?”
“No.” Even though all she’d done was sit on a sofa for an hour, Lisa was suddenly exhausted from the excitement and worry, and she wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.
“Are you sure you’re OK?” Red asked, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her to one side while the other couples walked past them, chatting and laughing.
“Just tired,” she said, and after a moment’s hesitation, she relaxed against him, letting her head sink onto his shoulder. Red turned towards her, leaning over her protectively and stroking her hair, and for a moment Lisa could feel again what it would be like to be loved and protected by a man like him.
What a shame it was never going to happen.
She let herself enjoy the feeling for a moment longer, and then took a deep breath and stood up straight.
“Come on, let’s go and get ready. Where are we going after this?”
“My place.”
Lisa looked at him blankly.
“Did I miss something? I thought you were in a hotel.”
“Not anymore. I thought it would look a bit weird if I was staying in a hotel rather than with you, so I’ve got an apartment — just a short-term let. So we’ll have to get used to the whole ‘my place or yours’ thing now.”
Lisa supposed she should be polite and congratulate him on having a new home — or at least a new place to stay — but her pleasure for him was overtaken by a flood of annoyance that he’d sorted it all out, not only without involving her, but without even telling her.
“What if someone had said something today? How do you think it would have looked if I hadn’t even known where you were staying? Don’t you ever think?”
“Hey,” Red soothed, putting his arm around her again and walking on so that she had to fall into step beside him. “No squabbling in public. I’ll tell you all about it in the car on the way there, how about that? And we can stop at yours to pick up some clothes and night stuff if you like.”
He sounded like a parent humouring a cross child, and Lisa wasn’t impressed, but she had to concede the need for a united front in public. For all that she wasn’t elated about the idea of losing the small amount of priv
ate time she ever had at home, Redmond did have a point. It’d look pretty weird if they never spent the night together. That just wasn’t a prospect she wanted to think about right now.
“OK.” She wriggled out of his grip and fled for the dressing room.
Opening the door, she was greeted with an enthusiastic shriek.
“Lisa!” Tiffany exclaimed with an exaggerated pretence at delight. She fluttered her fingers in a wave which flaunted her huge engagement ring. Lisa was sure it was deliberate. “So good to see you again. I had no idea you and Red were an item. You’ll have to tell me all about it!”
In your dreams, Lisa thought. She wasn’t about to start pretending to be best friends with the horrible woman just because they shared a dressing room.
“Sure,” she said reluctantly, since she couldn’t think of any excuse to refuse outright. “But I have to rush tonight. Red’s not long back from America, so we could use an early night.” Lisa gave a broad grin, inviting Tiffany to form her own interpretation of what they’d be doing when they got home.
Caroline turned from where she was unfastening her huge clip earrings.
“I’m glad for you,” she said quietly, giving Lisa’s shoulder a squeeze. “I hope you’ll be happy.”
Where Lisa had been strong in the face of Tiffany’s veiled hostility, she was nearly undone by Caroline’s kindness. A tear prickled the corner of Lisa’s eye, and she hastily brushed it away with the back of her hand.
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s good to see you. I’m so glad you and David are in the show.”
Lisa meant it. They provided a welcome note of sanity and everyday friendliness in what looked likely to become a hotbed of seething jealousies before the first show was over.
Caroline smiled back and returned to removing her makeup. Lisa did the same, trying to avoid catching anyone’s eye. The less she said, the less chance there was of letting anything slip that she shouldn’t.
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