Page 4 of Flirty Dancing

Archer called his parents on the way home. “Don’t get too excited,” he started, once his mom put him on speaker, “it’s totally not a big deal, but I got a small job.”

“Honey, that’s great! What’s the show?”

“Well, it’s a cabaret… for the summer… in the Catskills.”

There was a pause. “The Catskills?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but Stewart Harpham-Lale directs the show, he’s kind of a big deal, and tons of theater people go to the resort and it might actually help me network and stuff, you know. Someone might even see me in the show and remember me.” He was babbling but couldn’t stop. “I feel like it’ll be good for me, then I can come back to the city and give it one last try, after that. Just a few more months.”

He could feel his parents having a silent conversation with their eyes. “That sounds fun, Archer,” his mom said.

“So I’m actually gonna bus up there tomorrow and I’ll be there for about four months, until the end of August,” he continued, blazing through the noticeable drop in their enthusiasm. He forced a laugh. “It’ll be just like camp.”

“Mm-hmm,” his mom said absentmindedly. There was rustling in the background. “What about your apartment?”

“Oh, uh…” His mind whirred. “I don’t know, I’m sure Lynn will—”

“You should get something in writing, so she doesn’t try to scam you.”

“What? Lynn would never…” He trailed off. What was the point?

“Have fun, Arch,” his dad said after a beat of silence. “Let us know when you get there.”

Lynn was much more excited for him—more than she should have been, really.

“That’s amazing news!” she cried, jumping onto the couch, bag of roasted chickpeas flying. “Babe, I’m so proud of you!”

Sasha retrieved the bag from the floor and gave Archer a much more reserved look. “Congratulations.” She tugged at Lynn’s shorts. “Sit down, sweetie.”

“It’s not that amazing,” Archer said, trying to suppress the smile that wanted to unfold across his face.

Lynn flopped back onto the cushion. “It is. It’s a great gig. You’ll have so much fun.”

“I guess so.”

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Then you know what this means…”

He watched her grinning when it clicked. He grinned back. “You’re right. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.”

Sasha looked back and forth between them. “What?”

Archer hustled to the fridge and dug around in the back until he found what he was looking for. He held it up for Lynn with two hands, like Rafiki presenting Simba on Pride Rock.

Lynn cackled while Sasha looked perplexed. “A bottle of gross, cheap champagne?” She squinted at the label. “Jesus, how much did you pay for that? Five bucks?”

“Two ninety-nine,” Archer said proudly. “From the first liquor store I saw when I set foot in Manhattan.”

Lynn jumped up and took the bottle from him, cradling it lovingly. “He’s been saving it to celebrate his first job. Go grab some glasses… Ew, Archer, why is it sticky?”

It was the worst champagne he’d ever had, and the best.

2Shady Queens

It was depressing how Archer’s entire New York life fit into a suitcase and a duffel bag. Just his dance gear, clothes, and toiletries, really, plus a few books he’d been meaning to get to, including his old, battered copy ofThe Hobbitthat he reread every summer. He left his little collection of succulents on the only windowsill in the apartment, which got a pathetic trickle of sunlight around noon. He hadn’t managed to kill them yet and pleaded with Lynn to keep them alive.

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