Too Beautiful to Dance

by Diana Appleyard

  ‘Wonderful. Not what I expected.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘You look . . . well, so at home.’ He began to undo his coat, without taking his eyes off her. Sara reached forward to hang it over the back of a kitchen chair, next to Ricky’s jumper. She couldn’t help smiling at the contrast of the luxuriously sleek cashmere next to Ricky’s bobbly wool.

  ‘Did the girls introduce you to Helen and Ricky? They’re staying for dinner.’

  ‘Yes. She’s a friend and he’s a friend of Lottie’s? I couldn’t quite work out how he fits in.’ He looked at her warily.

  ‘Not exactly.’ Sara smiled to herself.

  ‘Ah.’ His eyes were puzzled and Sara could see a hint of anger brewing behind the carefully arranged politeness of his expression.

  ‘He’s a friend of mine,’ she explained. ‘It’s rather a long complicated story. I’ll tell you later.’

  Matt stared at her. ‘I see,’ he said frowning.

  ‘I’m not entirely sure you do,’ she replied, smiling brightly back at him.

  ‘Dad brought loads and loads of presents!’ Lottie burst through the door. ‘And he brought this huge bunch of flowers, for you, Mum. I put all the presents under the tree, Dad, is that OK?’ He nodded. Sara reached for the scissors, and began snipping the ends of the gigantic bunch of pale pink roses.

  The empty plates lay on the kitchen table. Emily said they all had to play charades now and had herded them into the living room, Ricky complaining loudly that he hated charades. Sara said she would clear up first, she didn’t mind doing it on her own.

  She didn’t hear him walk into the kitchen. A CD was playing, and she hummed to herself as she moved about the kitchen. She was bending over to stack the dishwasher, when she felt his hand rest against her back.

  ‘Stop that for a minute,’ Matt said. ‘Please.’

  ‘I want to get this finished.’

  ‘You can do it later.’

  ‘What if there is no later?’

  ‘There’s always a later,’ he said. ‘There has to be.’

  ‘Really?’ she said. ‘No matter how long you have to wait?’

  ‘I love this song.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Dance with me, Sara.’

  ‘When I’m ready,’ she said, closing the dishwasher, with a click.

  THE END