by M. E. Carter
I pull into the gravel lot and park in my normal space in the middle. It’s not at the front but has the best lighting for leaving in the middle of the night. It’s also right next to a giant black truck which is odd.
“Why are there a bunch of cars here? How many people did he call in to help?”
Nicole shrugs but doesn’t answer, likely as confused as I am. Once again, I question how truthful Paul was being when we talked about my shift change today. Not that it’s a bad thing to have more help. I just don’t understand what’s going on.
My sister doesn’t seem to be having the same existential crisis I’m suffering from. She’s halfway through the parking lot before I’m out of the car, which is yet another odd thing. Normally she’s stuck by my side like glue. What is with everyone today? Am I overthinking literally everything?
Shaking off my random thoughts, I hustle through the door only to find well over a dozen people inside. They’re all women, many with familiar faces, and they’re all congregating on the dance floor, smiling and laughing as if they’re anticipating the start of something. But what?
I approach the bar my boss is standing behind as he dries some freshly cleaned glasses.
“How many people did you recruit for inventory and why are we using customers to help?”
“I have a confession.” He chuckles lightly and puts the glass away, tossing the towel over his shoulder. “I didn’t call you in for inventory.”
“I kinda got that. Then why am I here?”
Paul taps his fingers on the bar for a split second and then tosses the towel on the counter to make his way underneath. “Follow me.”
Intrigued by what was clearly a set up on his part, I do as he instructs. I glance at my sister when we pass by but something in her expression has me looking twice. My jaw drops as it dawns on me.
“You helped set me up, didn’t you?”
She shrugs again, a sweet and innocent look on her face but she’s not fooling me. I’ve seen it before. She used to give it to me on Christmas and birthday mornings when she pulled off an unexpectedly thoughtful gift. Now I’m really curious.
“Ladies,” Paul claps his hands together. “Thank you for waiting an extra few minutes before we begin. You guys know Kiersten.”
He gestures to me and they all cheer. I respond with an awkward wave. I’m not one who normally minds being put on the spot, I’m pretty quick-witted, but the more they look at me with the expectation of something I’m in the dark about, the more concerned I become.
“She doesn’t know why she’s here,” Paul admits to the crowd. “Some of you are privy to why. Others of you are just now finding out this information, but let me assure you, from what I know, Kiersten is the best and she will rise to the challenge. Your money will be well spent, I promise.”
“It better be,” Lauren shouts making the other women laugh, but I see it on her face. Whatever is happening, she’s in on it too. And she has full confidence I will rise to this challenge.
Paul turns to me and takes a deep breath, nerves written all over his face. My heart responds by beating faster. For whatever reason, this moment feels huge. Life-altering huge. Or again, maybe I’m reading into things that aren’t there. Either way, I find myself holding my breath.
“I made a huge mistake keeping my feelings for you private.”
I blink multiple times. Of all the things I expected him to say, which wasn’t many considering I have no idea what’s happening, that wasn’t it.
“It wasn’t because I was embarrassed or ashamed or because I was keeping you my dirty little secret. It just felt like something really important and delicate and I didn’t want anyone getting in the middle of it and screwing it up.”
A few of the women react with sounds of awe and I’m sure more than one of them clutches their chest. But I’m focusing on Paul as he takes a step forward and grabs my hands, like he’s anchoring himself to me as he bares his soul.
“I’m so in love with you it makes me stupid. But it also makes me scared. I’m so afraid I’m going to fail you and Carson that I tried to push you away to protect you both. I don’t want to do that anymore, Kiersten. That’s why I’m saying it in front of all these ladies here. Because I know if I screw up, if I get even close to failing you, these ladies right here will have something to say about it.”
“Damn straight!”
I’m not sure who calls out, but it makes everyone laugh, including me. It’s a welcome feeling and narrows my eyes just enough to squeeze out the tears I’ve been trying to hold back.
“I know it’s going to take some time for you to trust me again, but I’m going to woo you, Kiersten Willoughby. And I’m going to do it publicly so there’s never any doubt in your mind that you’re worth all the embarrassment and humiliation the men these ladies are attached to will no doubt give me every night.”
I have no response, completely speechless. Instead, I wipe the tears off my cheeks and sniff, overcome with the emotion he makes me feel. For the first time, I understand the depth of his feelings for me and I’m not afraid.
“I love you, too. So much. And I look forward to being wooed by you.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger smile on Paul’s face than right now.
“Really?”
“Really. Now kiss me and make it official.”
He doesn’t hesitate, just grabs my hips and steps into my space, kissing me like his life depends on it. He nips and sucks on my bottom lip and I’m fully invested in the feel of his lips on mine, I barely hear the hoots and hollers surrounding us. After a few minutes, or hours, or seconds because what is time?, he takes a step back, but keeps hold of my hand.
“Before we embarrass ourselves any further,” he says making all of us chuckle again. “I need to introduce you to your first dance class.”
Everything comes to a screeching halt. “My what?”
“I know how much you loved teaching dance classes before you started working here. And I know you’ve always wanted to open your own studio.”
I know Lauren shared that information. I glare at her, and she responds by shrugging like she thinks my feelings are irrelevant.
“I don’t really have the money to front a whole new business so with the help of a few friends,” he makes a point of looking directly at Lauren and Nicole individually, confirming my suspicions. “We decided this might be a good place to start.”
“I… I don’t understand.” I really am lost. The words all make sense but this is such a huge endeavor, I can’t wrap my brain around it.
He smiles, seeming to understand how hard it is for me to comprehend. “All these ladies want to learn how to dance. They’ve seen you taking a break on the dance floor at night and know you’re the perfect person to teach them.”
My head whips over to look at the crowd of women again. “Really?” I’m answered with a chorus of nods and smiles.
“They’ve each paid thirty bucks for an hour and a half lesson today. And all that money is yours to pocket. No fees or anything since I’m already here and getting ready to open. I even got you some business cards.” He licks his lips and pulls something out of his back pocket. “I took a guess on the logo. We can change it, of course. But it has the office number on it so you can bring in more customers.”
He hands me the small card that says “Willoughby Dance” in large script letters with a picture of a willow tree covering the side. It’s beautiful and classy and exactly what I would have chosen if I was creative enough to think of it.
“I wasn’t sure about the willow tree, but it reminded me of the way you move on the dance floor, all graceful. Plus, it seemed like a fun play on words with your last name. If you hate them, we can throw them out and start over from scratch.”
A blush covers his face as he shares his thought process, obviously not used to sharing so much about his feelings in public. I’m still having a hard time following though.
“Hold on. Let me make sure I understand. Ev
eryone is here for me to teach them how to dance and I’m getting paid for it?”
He nods, his lips quirking up on the side. “I wasn’t really sure how much to charge. I just guessed this first time. Should I have charged more? I can pay the difference if I got it wrong,” he adds quickly.
“No. No that’s about right. I just… why?”
A slight shrug ripples through his shoulders. “Because it matters to you.”
All the breath leaves my lungs. This sweet man coordinated the beginning of a new venture for me in my chosen industry. He believes in me enough that he’s allowing me to use his own business to front mine.
Turning to the ladies who are waiting patiently, I ask, “Can you guys give me just one second?” and then I drag Paul off to the side, out of earshot.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he begins before I have time to say a word. “Lauren and Nicole assured me you would love it. I never thought—”
I cut him off by pressing my lips to his, trying to convey how grateful I am. It takes a moment for him to realize what’s happening and then he’s kissing me back. But I’m determined to talk this through. We haven’t done enough of that lately.
Allowing myself to fall back down on my heels, I keep my arms around his neck. “I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time. I was just too scared to let you in. I’d like to say things would be different if I didn’t have Carson, but I’m not sure. I think I’m a little gun-shy still.”
“Justifiably.”
“No. No I don’t think so. The part of this whole story that I seem to have forgotten is that Spence was the life of the party. Always. He loved attention. He loved walking into a room and being greeted with slaps on the back and being handed a beer.”
“Sounds like a douchebag,” Paul says dryly.
“It depends on whose opinion you’re getting,” I say with a laugh. “But the key should have been how he loved attention but kept me secret. Do you know he told me he didn’t have any social media? That’s why he never posted any pictures of us.”
Paul’s brows furrow. “Is that weird? I don’t have social media.”
“It’s not weird for you, because you’re a private person by nature. It was weird for him because he was a social butterfly. I found out later he did have social media. But if he’d shared that little tidbit with me, I would have figured out his game long before I did.”
Paul closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. I know he’s trying to calm himself down from thinking about all the ways Spence treated me like trash.
“Hey.” I nudge him. “My point isn’t to make you angry about Spence’s behavior. My point is I screwed up. I should have recognized you wanting to keep our relationship quiet was because you treasured it, not because you were playing me. Instead, I jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry for that.”
Paul rests his forehead against mine and breathes me in. “Say it again.”
“What?”
“That you love me. Say it again.”
The smile comes before the words do. “I love you. So much. And I’m excited to see where we go from here.”
The sigh that comes from him is one of true contentment. I know, because I feel the exact same way. But we can’t stay like this forever.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have paying clients who came for some dance lessons.”
He kisses me on the tip of my nose. “Knock ‘em dead.”
Turning back towards the group I fly by the seat of my pants and get this class started.
“Okay ladies, since I didn’t have a lot of time to plan, what do you say we work on some line dances today?”
The response I get is overwhelmingly pleased and I can’t help how big the smile on my face is. I love dance. I love teaching dance. And I love the man that gave it all back to me.
Spence, who?
TWENTY-SEVEN
Paul
6 months later
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
Nicole looks around the small room, hands shoved in her back pockets, before looking back at me. “I promise I’ll be fine, Paul. It’s exactly the right size for just me and fits right in my budget.”
I chuckle at her joke. “Yeah, that zero on the rent line of your budget looked pretty good.”
“And really,” she continues, “I have the best landlord. He’ll be here every day. I’m sure if there are any maintenance problems, he’ll take care of them.”
I roll my eyes at her continued use of the word “he” when I’m standing right here.
Over the last few months, I’ve gotten to know Nicole pretty well. Physically, she’s all healed up and you would never know by looking at her that she had such a significant trauma at the hands of someone she loved. Emotionally, that’s a different story. She still struggles with nightmares and is nervous around new people, especially men, but she’s also determined to push through it all and get her life back.
Step one: move into her own place. And since my old place is vacant as of yesterday, it seems like a great option for her.
Handing her the key to my old apartment, I take a second to confirm one last time. “Are you sure? It’s not too late to move in with us.”
“And share a room with my nephew? No thank you.” She snatches the key out of my hand. “Now if you’ll please go to work, I have some boxes to unpack.” She pushes me toward the door, and I let her. If I dug my heels in, there’s no way all five-foot four-inches of her could move me.
“Okay,” I say over my shoulder as I go through the doorway into the hall. “But if you need anything we’re just in the front and don’t forget to set the alarm—”
The door slams in my face, effectively cutting off the conversation.
“I don’t hear any beeps!” I yell, eliciting what sounds like a muffled, “Oh for shit’s sake.” But then I hear the alarm set so I leave her alone.
The closer I get to the front, the louder it gets. It’s a packed house tonight already. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s a packed house pretty much all the time now. Word of mouth meant all the professional sports teams in the area started coming here and while their seasons overlap a bit, their off seasons don’t, thank goodness. We’d probably be over capacity otherwise.
“Who do we have here tonight?” I ask Kiersten as I climb under the counter and head to the back of the bar to help her.
She gestures to a row of tables that have all been pushed together. “The Steer and some of the Slingers showed up about ten minutes ago. Tammy’s getting orders, I’m just prepping.” She starts tossing ice inside the metal buckets for bottles to go in as needed. “How’s Nicole doing back there anyway?”
I snort a laugh as I begin shoving beer bottles in the buckets she already filled. Worst case, we can store them in the cooler for a while. “She kicked me out.”
“Good. I’ve been telling you for months that you’re too overbearing with her.”
“Kiersten.”
“Paul,” she says mocking my stern tone.
“She went through a terrible trauma.”
“And she’s doing well.” Kiersten stands up straight so we can see eye to eye. “I know you’re nervous about her living on her own.”
I grunt and cross my arms. Nervous is an understatement. I don’t like the situation at all.
“But even her therapist says this is good for her. And she’s right here on the property. She won’t even technically be alone overnight except for a few hours. And you upgraded the security system. She’s fine. Let her have her independence back.”
It’s not like I have a choice. Despite my continued attempts to get Nicole to move in with us in our new apartment, she resisted. These Willoughby women are more stubborn than I give them credit for.
Kiersten sidles up to me and wraps her arms around my neck. It’s my favorite thing.
“You’re not playing fair. You know I love it when you hold me like this.”
She chuckles lightly. “Yes, I do. I also know my sister
is going to be fine. She’s ready. And she needs this.”
I drop a light kiss to Kiersten’s lips and pat her backside just because I can. “I don’t like it, but I’ll try to let it go.”
“Think of it this way,” she kisses me again. “Now that she’s out of my house and Carson has his own room, we don’t have to sneak around anymore.”
Her comment completely derails any reservations I have. For the last six months, we’ve gotten closer. All of us. I’ve bonded with Carson, who I love more than I can even describe, I’ve gotten close with Nicole who is like a little sister to me, and most importantly, Kiersten and I are madly, sweetly, sickeningly in love. I can’t remember what life was like before she came along.
I also can’t remember what it was like to try and have sex quietly so a toddler doesn’t wake up, or quickly so she can get home at a decent hour. Overnights have been few and far between. The thought of having a bed we share every single night where we can take our time and be as loud as we want?
“Well, I suppose Nicole will be fine on her own.”
Kiersten laughs against my lips before giving me a quick peck and getting back to work.
“Listen you two,” Tammy demands as she drops her tray on the counter, her signature move whenever she has something she needs to say. “I’m just as excited as you are that you finally moved in together…”
“I highly doubt that,” I mutter making Kiersten laugh.
“… but I need you to focus long enough to serve up some booze. I need three buckets of Shiner, two tap IPAs, a margarita on the rocks, and something called a Sazerac?”
“Heath’s here already?” I’m surprised he’s not home resting from helping Kiersten move again. Poor guy always seems to get suckered into doing all the heavy lifting around here.