Page 68 of Up All Night

And the word balcony had me thinking about our almost kiss again.Dang it.

Had she thought about it at all the last two days? Or was it just me who had been obsessing over it?

She didn’t look like using the word balcony had stirred up any thoughts for her, so she must not have. For all I knew, the feelings between us were one-sided. Although she had leaned into me that night, closing her eyes as if she was waiting for me to make a move, our hands intertwined. I didn’t think I was wrong in assuming we both felt the attraction between us, that some type of feelings were forming.

We started out with a light jog to get warmed up, neither one of us talking. Soon we were running at a good pace, and I dared to break the silence.

“Any updates with your dance studio?” I asked, hoping to get her talking about a topic she enjoyed to get her mind off how much she didn’t want to be running this early in the morning on a Saturday.

She let out a heavy sigh. “Not really. I’ve tried thinking of what to call it but haven’t figured out anything amazing. All my brain can come up with is Halle’s Dance Studio. Very original.”

“I’m sure it will come to you.”

“I hope so.” She looked out at the road ahead of us. “I also talked to my boss at the dance studio where I work now, Encore Dance, and told her I would be leaving to pursue my own dream of running a dance studio.”

My brows rose. “How did that go?”

“Really good, actually. Maria is great and has been such an inspiration to me. She’s sad to see me go but happy I’m pursuing my dream. She says I remind her a lot of herself when she was younger.” She tucked a piece of hair that had come free behind her ear. “I told her I would stay until the big recital in three weeks and be done after that. I can’t leave my little dancers. They’ve worked so hard on their routines. But I’m also looking forward to having more time to work on my business.”

“Sounds like a goodplan.” It was a cheesy thing to have said, but I couldn’t help it.

She rolled her eyes but smiled. “I’m not anti-plan, I just don’t think you need to plan every minute of your life.”

I gave her a self-confident look. “I still have the rest of the day to convince you.”

We finished the run, parting ways so we could both shower and get ready for the day.

She seemed in better spirits now that she was fully awake and the run was over. She might not have liked our run, but I’d never enjoyed a run more in my life. The miles flew by as we talked, and if I hadn’t known I would be spending the rest of the day with her, I would haveaccidentlymade the route longer.

Once I was showered and ready, I headed to the kitchen to start making breakfast. My phone had buzzed several times since I’d gotten back from the run but with some effort, I ignored it. I wanted to focus on my planned day today and not be constantly bombarded with emails and texts, so I silenced all notifications before putting my phone back in my pocket.

For a second, I felt like a total rebel. I never silenced my phone. I always wanted to be available, always ready to work if someone needed me. But if I was going to win this competition, it would require my full attention. It was only one day, after all.

I was pulling the first waffle out of the waffle iron when Halle’s knock sounded.

“Come in,” I called out.

I spread butter on the waffle and looked up to see Halle walk through the door. I paused, mid-spread.Wow.

I’d thought she looked amazing this morning, but she looked even better now. Her hair was still up in a high ponytail but redone with wisps of hair framing her face. She wore jeans and a white off-the-shoulder blouse, showcasing her neck and collarbones again. Did she know how tempting that part of her body was?

Concern filled her eyes as she looked down at herself. “What? Is this outfit not going to work? I looked at the itinerary and thought this would be okay.”

I swallowed, hurrying to reply. “Uh, no, no. You look great.” I went back to buttering her waffle. I guess I hadn’t been very subtle with my staring. “I made waffles, so I hope you’re hungry.”

She let out a small moan. “I love waffles.”

I smiled. I knew she loved waffles because I had done a little recon and asked Kate what her favorite breakfast food was.

What? I was just trying to win her over and convince her that planning was a good thing. It had nothing to do with me wanting to impress her.

I placed the plate in front of her on the table, where all the toppings were set out. I pulled out a second waffle and brought it over to join her.

She covered her waffle in buttermilk syrup, berries, and powdered sugar before cutting into it and taking a bite.

“Mmmm, this is so good,” she said around a mouth full of food.

Chuckling, I said, “Good, I’m glad.”

---