“They dance well. Are you sure you don’t want to get out there and try? I’ll be gentle!” Juan promised.
Cora thought for a moment. The music was infectious, the vibe was sultry, and for a change she didn’t want to be a wallflower. The prosecco was already having an effect on her, as she’d downed both her glass and Maggie’s, and she was about to say yes when the song ended and the lights came up.
“Ahhh, we missed our chance. Later?” Juan asked.
Cora nodded. “Sure, I’ll give it a shot. Later, though.”
Eli led Maggie off the floor, laughing and dabbing at the sweat on his temples with his sleeves.
“This little lady is quite the dancer!” he said, bowing to Maggie. She fanned herself and offered a courtly curtsy back to him.
“No, you are!” Maggie answered playfully. She turned to Cora. “C, you gotta dance with this guy.”
Cora imagined herself in Eli’s arms and felt her palms go sweaty.
Eli nodded at her. “Yup, you’re next. You’re not leaving without dancing with me,” he said.
Juan grabbed Maggie’s hand and dipped her dramatically. “The rest of your dances are mine!”
She laughed, and they walked off together hand in hand, leaving Cora and Eli alone at the edge of the dance floor. Just then the lights dimmed again, and the members of the band walked onstage and started getting their instruments ready, practicing scales on the trumpet and tapping the high hat. The crowd roared, and people rushed to the dance floor.
“We’re VIP, let’s take advantage of it,” Eli said and beckoned Cora to follow. He led her to a cordoned-off area of tables right by the edge of the dance floor and flashed his wristband at the bouncer, who moved out of the way and allowed them to pass.
“There you are, darling!” Fran jumped out of her chair and ran to Cora, plating a kiss on each cheek. Cora could smell the wine on her breath. “You look gorgeous! Are you enjoying yourself?” She gestured to Eli. “Did this rake get you on the dance floor yet?”
“Not yet, but it sounds like I have no choice. Fran, thank you so much for inviting me, this is an amazing night.”
“It’s about to get even more amazing, because here comes Santiagoooo!” She screamed like a teenager and clapped as the guest of honor came to the stage.
Santiago Rivera, a large man with a close-cropped white beard and a long silver ponytail snaking out the back of his signature hat, walked out to thunderous applause and clasped his hands over his heart. He moved to the center of the stage, took off his hat, and bowed humbly, as if overwhelmed by the love in the room. He positioned himself behind his congas, then erupted into a staccato explosion of sound, and the band embraced his rhythms and segued into his most popular song, “Mi Ritmica Vida.”
The sound was twice as loud and three times as vibrant as the DJ’s music. Cora could feel the drums pounding in her chest, making her heart beat in time to the rhythm. She surrendered to the music and swayed in place. Looking over her shoulder to give Fran a thumbs-up, she saw that she and Eli were dancing in a small space between tables. Fran was pretty drunk, but Eli was gallantly managing to keep her upright and looking like she knew what she was doing.
Cora checked the dance floor and, sure enough, she could see Maggie in the middle of the action, sashaying around Juan like they’d been dancing together their whole lives. The floor was packed, and though the majority of the dancers were freakishly talented, a few people shuffled off beat and counted their steps as they moved. Cora refilled her glass from an unclaimed wine bottle on a table. A little more lubrication and she might be ready to join the throng in a distant dark corner of the dance floor.
The music changed to a traditional salsa dance, and she felt a tap on her shoulder. Fran wordlessly jabbed her finger at Cora and then pointed to Eli, who stood a few steps away from them. He shrugged, as if powerless about the obvious next step, and offered his hand to her.
“Now?” She looked at Fran, who nodded solemnly. Fran pushed her toward Eli, and he caught her as she stumbled over a chair leg.
“I’ll keep the steps simple, don’t worry,” he said into her ear as they walked to the dance floor. He led her to a small open area directly in front of the stage and right below where Santiago was banging away on his congas. Cora stopped in her tracks with a look of horror on her face at the marquee spot and was quickly trampled by two couples too engrossed in the moment to avoid her. Eli pulled her close, then put his hand on her lower back. She grasped his hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder, surprised by how solid he felt.
He looked in her eyes. “Okay, ready?”
She hoped he couldn’t feel her trembling. She nodded.
He held her confidently, stepped toward her with an exaggerated hip roll and nodded to signify that she should step backward with the same hip roll. Cora trampled his foot. It was a disastrous start, but he smiled and nodded at her. “It’s okay!”
Eli was a strong leader, using his hands to alternately push and pull Cora’s body through the steps. Even though he left a respectable distance between them—far more than what he’d given Maggie—their hips occasionally grazed when she missed the beat. She’d never touched Eli before, except for their first handshake, but here she was in his embrace, with his hand on her back and his pelvis accidentally bumping hers.
Cora stared at her feet to try to stay on rhythm. Eli squeezed her hand to get her attention and leaned in close. She caught a hint of his woodsy cologne again. “Don’t look at your feet. Watch the other dancers, that’ll help you get the beat, too.” He held her gaze for a moment. “Or you can look at me. Just don’t look down.”
Cora nodded nervously and glanced at the other dancers surrounding them, taking note of the way that the pairs seemed to communicate the moves telepathically. She didn’t realize that as she watched the other dancers her own moves were evening out. Her lack of confidence was no match for Eli’s strong lead coupled with the pounding drumline, and soon the two of them were dancing in smooth unison. Eli grinned broadly at Cora, and his joy made her smile back and try harder. She switched her hips like the other women and felt her skirt bounce up, probably exposing her underwear, but she didn’t care. In his arms, she was transformed, as graceful as the rest of the dancers.
The song ended, and Eli surprised Cora by twirling her into a dip. She felt her skirt swirl up around her hips. The inertia of the move nearly pulled her to the ground, but Eli held her in a rock solid grip. She laughed as he helped her up, giddy from their success. Cora leaned in for an impromptu hug, pressing her body tightly against his.
Eli patted her back and pulled away. “You did great! I knew there was a dancer in there somewhere.”
“It helps when you have a good leader,” Cora replied. “Thank you for that, I loved it.”
Maggie and Juan walked over to them, holding hands and laughing.
“I saw you out there, girl!” Maggie said. “You two looked amazing!”
“Give him all the credit,” Cora replied, nodding to Eli. The congas kicked back up and she glanced at him hopefully. “Let’s do it again. Want to dance with me, Eli?”
Eli looked up from his phone. “Oh, maybe in a bit? I’ve got to grab someone who just got here so I’ll be back in a few.” He walked away quickly, and Cora felt her dancer’s high fade.
Juan held his hand out to Cora. “You want to dance? You promised . . .”
She glanced at Maggie questioningly.
“Oh my God, please go dance with that animal! I’m exhausted,” Maggie said, fanning herself.
Cora took Juan’s hand and followed him to the dance floor, weaving through the tightly packed couples. He was a few inches shorter than she was, but it didn’t seem to deter him. He arranged her in his arms and started moving.
Cora glanced across the room and spotted Eli walking toward the dance floor with someone, a pretty someone, trailing behind him. She craned her neck and saw the woman reach ahead and grab his arm. He smiled and swept her up in a da
ncer’s embrace, pausing for a moment to find the beat. They started moving together as if they had done it many times, their comfort level with each other more than just that of two excellent dancers.
She brought her attention back to Juan, who had given up on trying any complicated moves, and seemed resigned to ride out the remainder of the song in a predictable side-to-side holding pattern. Cora looked back at Eli and studied his partner.
She was just a few inches shorter than Eli, with a long curtain of blond hair. From a distance she looked model pretty. Cora wondered what else the woman had to offer besides good looks and the ability to follow his capable lead.
“Are you with him?” Juan asked, nodding across the floor to Eli. “Do you want to make him jealous?” He shifted his shoulder back and forth to signify that he was ready to add some flavor to their moves.
Cora was embarrassed that her stalking was so obvious. “Oh, no, not at all! He’s a friend. I was trying to see if I know who he’s dancing with.”
“Ohhhh, okay.” He gave her an exaggerated wink.
The song ended, and Cora dropped Juan’s hands and smoothed down her skirt. “Gracias for the dance,” Juan said to Cora as he simultaneously scanned the crowd. “Now I’ve got to get back to that Maggie.”
“Yeah, she can do your moves justice. I told you I was a bad dancer.”
Juan focused on Cora. “What you don’t have in steps you have in animo. Don’t stop dancing, okay? I saw the passion when you were dancing with your friend, so just keep practicing.”
“Okay,” Cora said. He kissed the top of her hand and disappeared into the crowd, leaving her alone at the edge of the dance floor.
Cora looked around the room and realized that with Eli and the woman, and Maggie and Juan, glued to the dance floor she had no choice but to retreat to the VIP section.
Fran intercepted Cora as she passed the bouncer. “That’s Paige,” she stage-whispered.
“Who?” Cora asked.
“With Eli. They’ve been ‘hanging out,’ as he says.”
Cora realized that the mystery blonde was probably the date he’d mentioned the night he got Nell. “Oh. Do you like her?”
“She’s nice. Perfectly nice.” Fran paused for a beat. “I hate her.”
“Why?” Cora asked, amused by her boozy candor.
“Because she’s not you!” Fran shouted, exasperated that Cora couldn’t follow her logic. “You and Eli belong together. I’m a matchmaker par excellence, and I know you’re perfect for each other. But you said you weren’t interested, and I let him know. Gently, mind you. He was quite disappointed. Now Paige is on the scene, and he claims they’re just friends, but it doesn’t look very friendly to me.” Fran jutted her chin toward the dance floor.
Cora scanned the room and spotted Eli and Paige on the center of the floor. Paige flipped her long hair as Eli grasped her shoulders and gently led her body from side to side. She managed to look graceful and pornographic at the same time. Eli spun her so that she ended up flush against his body facing out, and they undulated together like snakes. Cora’s jaw dropped.
“Wait a sec . . . he said he couldn’t do that,” she muttered, thinking out loud.
“Mmm?” Fran asked.
“Nothing,” Cora replied, nearly shushing Fran so that she could focus. Eli and Paige looked incredible together, and for the first time she allowed the thought she’d been ignoring all night fully into her consciousness.
She was jealous.
THIRTY-SIX
* * *
“So what do you want Nell to learn? What are your goals for training?”
Cora was trying to stick to her usual training script, but she wanted to talk about the nature of Eli’s relationship with Paige.
Eli paused and looked down at the little dog nestled beside him on his couch. “She’s really good already. I never knew that I could fall in love with a little dog. You know how we all have a vision of what we think we like, and we stick to it without even questioning why?” Cora nodded. “Well, I always pictured myself with a big dog. Little dogs didn’t even register. But then I got to know Nell, and I can’t get over how awesome she is. She’s smart, she’s silly, and yes, she’s even cute to me now. Right? Don’t you think she looks cute?”
“She’s one hundred percent cuter now. I think because she’s so happy.” Cora leaned over to pet Nell, who flipped on her back to allow full belly access.
“Yeah, we both are,” Eli said with a smile.
Cora watched him interacting with Nell and wondered if there was more than just the little dog that was making him happy.
“So why am I here?” Cora asked gently.
“Because I want her to be even better! Plus training is an important relationship step. I read that somewhere . . .” He looked at Cora with a comic intensity, eyebrow cocked.
“Got it, ChienParfait. You’re quite the brownnoser.”
“All my teachers loved me.”
The comment hung in the air. “Let’s get started. How about we focus on coming when called today?”
“Perfect, if we can get these lazy bones off the couch.” Eli leaned down close to his dog and sang quietly to her as she dozed. “Nell, Nell, she’s been through hell, moved on up to Eli’s place and all is well!”
“You already have a song for her?”
“A song? I have about a dozen already. That’s our all-purpose song, but we also have a ‘let’s go poop’ song, a dinnertime song, a sleeping-in-on-Sunday song, and a ‘don’t worry I’ll be home soon’ song. Please don’t tell anyone and blow my cool-dude cred.”
“You’d be surprised how many people have songs for their dogs, it’s not as weird as you think.”
“Yeah, but are they opera songs?” Eli put his hand on his chest, paused dramatically, and began singing in an impressive baritone, “Sweet maiden named Nell, fairest lass in the dell, dancing and playing, I am under her spell!”
Cora stared at him with her mouth hanging open. “Okay, that song was a little weird, maybe keep that one between the two of you.”
“Now that I’ve totally embarrassed myself, it’s your turn. Do you have a Fritz song?”
“Of course! Take any song on the radio right now and sub the word Fritz in it and you have one of my songs. I don’t write my own material for him, I sample. Lots of vintage Michael Jackson, too. ‘Fritzie Jean.’ ‘Fritz in the Mirror.’ You get the picture.”
The stress of trying to figure out what was happening with Eli and waiting for word about the audition made it difficult for Cora to focus. No news felt like bad news, and she was preemptively disappointed. She wanted to take a few days off and surrender to the couch with Maggie, Josie, and Fritz, but her phone never stopped ringing with new client inquiries. She had hoped that her session with Eli would be more chatting than actual work, but it was clear he was going to make her earn her keep.
“Are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself today,” Eli said.
“I thought I was hiding it. How can you tell?”
“It’s one of my superpowers. I can read auras.”
“Seriously?”
“No, not seriously. But I am pretty in tune with people. It’s a safety mechanism I developed from working in an office filled with women.” He paused. “Sorry, no offense.”
“None taken. I get it.” She shook her head. “I’ve just got a lot going on, and it’s hard for me to focus right now. But I’m happy to be working with Nell again.”
“I think she might surprise you today. She’s ready to show off.”
Even though the initial lessons with Beth Ann had been a nightmare, Nell had managed to retain the little Cora had taught her. She was an eager student as they added “down” and “come” to her repertoire, and the hour passed quickly.
Eli looked down at Nell, who stood panting at his feet after practicing recalls. “We can be done for today, I think she’s cooked,” he said.
“Are you sure? We still need to do some leash walking.”
“Nah, you need a break, too. Why don’t you go home and take a nap or something? Let’s schedule our next session and be done for today.”
“Nell might be my least accomplished student this far into my program, but if she makes you happy then I’m happy.”
Eli stopped and looked at Cora. “Right now, I’m happy.”
Cora felt a pinprick of heat on her cheeks. She pulled her phone from her bag and checked her calendar, but not before seeing a text from Charlie that said “Soon . . . XO.” She refocused on Eli. “Next week, same day, same time?”
“Works for me,” Eli replied.
Cora peeked at her e-mail before putting her phone away. She scanned through the messages, and in the middle of her endless inbox she saw it. An e-mail from Mia Nguyen with the subject line “Next steps.”
“Oh my God,” she said involuntarily.
“What?”
“I’m freaking out.” Cora put her phone down and stared into space, then looked at Eli with wide eyes. “I didn’t want to jinx myself by talking about it, but I auditioned for a show. A dog training TV show. I’ve been waiting to hear if they liked my audition. I just got an e-mail from them!”
“No way! You have to open it in front of me. Please.”
“I’m scared.”
“Want me to do it for you?”
“No! Yes! I don’t know!”
“Hand it over,” he said. “I’ll be a good buffer, I promise.”
Cora gave him her phone and buried her face in her hands. He read out loud, “ ‘Hi Cora, so nice meeting you,’ blah blah blah.” He skimmed the rest of the e-mail, his lips moving as he read.
“Tell me.”
He looked at her with no expression on his face and paused. “Cora Bellamy, according to Mia Neg-I-don’t-know-how-to-say-it.”
“Nguyen,” she said, correcting his pronunciation.
“According to Mia Nguyen, you are one of the final three trainers in contention for Everyday Dogs! Congrats!”
“No! Are you kidding? Oh my God! Seriously? Let me read it.” She grabbed the phone from his hands and, sure enough, the message congratulated her for her stellar audition and outlined the next steps. Her heart thudded in her chest. It was happening!
Life on the Leash Page 21