Page 55 of Dancing in the Rain

Chloe was immersed in the movements, smiling but focused, her body in tune with the music.

“Yeah,” Peyton agreed. “I know why Sara wanted her to keep going to classes. To keep things kind of normal and do something she loves.”

“Sara’s a good mom.”

“Yes, she is. The best. Okay, she might be a little overprotective at times, but that’s understandable since she’s raising Chloe on her own. And…” She sighed. “She may have sacrificed her career ambitions and her own social life because of Chloe. She had a few relationships over the years, but she always felt guilty leaving Chloe and so she never really tried very hard to find someone.”

“No Matchmaker dot com for her.”

Peyton smiled. “No.”

“Does she regret that?”

“Funny you should ask. We talked the other day, and she said she doesn’t.”

“I’m glad she doesn’t.” Drew looked down. “Because it would be terrible to be dying and have regrets.”

“I guess that’s something we should all think about. Life can be short.”

Silence surrounded them, in spite of the other parents chatting and the music coming from the studio. She looked at Drew’s hand resting on his thigh. His very muscular thigh. She remembered yesterday when he’d driven her home and had held her hand. It had felt so good. Big and strong and reassuring.

Her fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and hold his hand again. To feel that muscled thigh. Heat slid down through her body and she licked her lips.

Oh, God. She was so attracted to this man. The more she got to know him, the more he captivated her. What a disaster.

She stared through the window, not really seeing the dance class happening now, just trying to mentally smack herself in the face for feeling this way about Drew, about Chloe’s father. Jesus. What kind of person was she?

She guzzled down her cooling tea and tried to slow her thudding heart.

It had been a long time since she’d had these kinds of feelings. She’d pretty much given up on finding someone she could have a relationship with. She’d been optimistic when she’d joined the dating site, thinking that eventually the law of averages would win out, and if she went on enough dates surely she’d meet someone who would make her laugh and tingle and want to be with him.

She’d met a few nice guys, but in the end, she had more fun at work than she did with them, so nothing lasting had ever worked out. So she’d accepted that was the way it was meant to be for her.

Meeting someone now was the height of bad timing, with everything else that was going on in her life, not to mention that the man giving her those tingly feelings was Drew…her niece’s father. Even though Sara and Drew had never had a relationship, it still seemed like exceedingly poor judgment to have those feelings for him. How could there ever be anything between them?

She needed to ignore the tingles and concentrate on the things she needed to focus on—her sister, Chloe, and her career. And probably in that order, right now, to her boss’s frustration.

They emerged from the dance studio to find it pouring rain.

“Oh, no. I don’t have an umbrella.” Peyton stared at the wet pavement in dismay.

Chloe danced out onto the sidewalk, turning her face up to the rain and doing a pirouette.

Peyton and Drew exchanged glances.

“Chloe! You’re going to get wet!” Peyton called. “Let’s just wait a few minutes until this passes.”

“So what if I get wet?” She did a grand jeté, landing gracefully. “I’m not afraid of getting wet.”

Peyton glanced at the sky, hoping there was no lightning.

Drew smiled. “She’s having fun.”

She was. And maybe dancing in the rain was what you had to do sometimes.

—

Thursday night Peyton tried to push aside her guilt as she went out with friends. Nik had arranged everything, and she didn’t have the heart to tell her friend she didn’t feel like going out. But things were settled with Sara, Chloe’s homework was done, and the hospice worker was there so there really wasn’t any reason not to go.

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