Page 22 of I Wanna Dance

Oh yeah, he looked like a completependejo! Like, a straight-uppayaso. A total clown.

“Leah.” Kevin’s voice was overly jovial. “You made it. And this must be...”

“Marco Cabrera.” I offered my hand, which he shook.

Leah had told Davis she was bringing a plus one.

Kevin stepped away to let us in. “Your name seems familiar.”

I put an arm around Leah and pulled her into me. Anyone who saw us would know we weretogether.

“I doubt we’ve ever met.” I used my pleasant-but-go fuck yourself tone.

Brittany came running and stopped when she saw me. “Oh, hello.”

Leah all but scoffed at that. Brittany was looking me up and down. I’d decided to go casual for the evening with jeans, a T-shirt, and slip-on shoes. Leah was dressed in something similar. The others I noticed were Spring casual chic, as Sofia would describe it.

“It’s dressing up in high-end stuff but low-fashion things like jeans.”

My jeans came from a Levi’s store at an outlet mall. Kevin’s came from Phipps Plaza.

“Marco Cabrera,” I extended my hand again.

Brittany looked at me coyly and shook my hand. “And who are you?” I think she fluttered her eyelashes.

Before Leah could speak, I replied, “I’m Leah’s boyfriend.” I then paused to look Leah in the eyes, noticed she was fine, and continued, “But at our age, we need another term, don’t you think,cariño?”

Brittany sidled up to Kevin. “Well, at my age, we say boyfriend,” she tittered.

“Yeah, but maybe not at Kevin’s,” I laughed as if I was cracking a joke.

Kevin didn’t think it was funny. Leah smiled wide.

Brittany looked just as I’d imagined she would. She was younger than Leah by at least a couple of decades, with sleek blonde hair and a figure that screamed Pilates classes and green juice diets. She was the kind of woman I could never find attractive.

Brittany gave Leah a once-over, her smile thin and sharp as a knife. “Leah, you look...nice.”

“Thanks, Brittany. You look lovely.” Leah wasn’t nervous any longer. She knew how to reel herself in, and I respected that. It probably came in handy as a lawyer.

Kevin’s smile faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly. “Well, let’s go in.”

As we moved into the apartment, past the spacious hallway, tension followed us like a shadow.

Then I heard a voice call out, “Mom!”

A young man in his late twenties who owned the voice made his way toward us. He had her blue eyes and her soft smile, and when he reached Leah, he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Davis,” she gasped, her voice soft with surprise.

“Hey, Mom.” He took a step back to look at her. “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too,” said a voice behind me. I turned to see a young woman in her mid-twenties, tall and graceful, with long dark hair. Her daughter. “Hi, Mom.”

“Presley,” Leah breathed, her voice thick with emotion.

Presley stepped forward, hesitating only for a moment, before hugging Leah. “I love you,” she whispered.

Leah’s face crumpled for a moment before she pulled herself together.

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