Page 31 of Planning on Happily Ever After

Unfortunately, Holly had been born with two left feet and no rhythm, and unless you counted the wild flailing that Holly often did in her bedroom or car, she simply couldn’t dance. Though surely this basic formation wouldn’t be too difficult.

Twenty minutes later, Holly’s hypothesis had been proven quite incorrect. She had stepped on Tom’s toes a ridiculous amount and had lost count of what she was doing so often that they needed to start over. Mercifully, Fritz called for a break and Holly couldn’t wait to run from the studio.

She flashed her partner a contrite expression. “I’m so sorry about your toes, and for my general lack of coordination. I didn’t realize I was such a horrible dancer.”

Holly had thought she’d known exactly how horrible she was, but as with so many other things, she’d been a little too optimistic. “That’s okay.” Tom’s assuring words were nullified by the pained look in his eyes. “I think I got enough from this lesson anyway. It was nice meeting you, Holly.” Without another word, he grabbed his coat and fled the building.Probably to go ice his toes,she thought glumly.

Holly sighed and walked over to her coat, prepared to grab it and say her farewells to Ben and Trish when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning toward the increasingly familiar touch, her eyes landed on a rather grumpy looking Ben, his charcoal gray eyes staring intently. Holly loved how his eyes seemed to always change color to match his moods, like a silent signal to let her know where his head was at.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Her cheeks warmed with a bit of shame at what had undoubtedly been an awkward display of skills on her part, but she waved off his concern. “Oh, I’m completely fine. My partner on the other hand,” she said with a chuckle and a shrug. “I think I should probably just take off.”

“Oh, no. Don’t leave, dear.” Trish was insistent as always, though Holly didn’t mind it, knowing Trish’s intentions were always in the right place. “You just need the right partner and I need a break, so you and Ben can take a turn while I get some rest.”

The instructor clapped for them to regroup and Ben held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”

Holly smiled tentatively, placing her hand in his. “Are you sure you want to risk the safety of your feet?”

Ben tilted his head toward the dance floor, taking her hand and leading her into the middle of the room. “I’ll take my chances,” he said with a wink.

Holly rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as Fritz started the music again. Ben led her in the dance, but Holly kept getting lost in her count and ended up stepping on his toes within the first two minutes. Annoyed at her extreme lack of coordination, her face pinched in displeasure and she shook her head, ready to call it a night. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just really bad at this.”

Holly turned away but didn’t get far. Ben tugged her back toward him and tucked his finger under her chin until she met his gaze. “You aren’t really bad at this.” His expression was soft and his voice was steady, but she couldn’t help but look at him sardonically. He chuckled. “Okay. I will concede that you might have room for improvement, but the problem is you’re in your head too much. Trust me, I know all about living up here,” he said tapping his temple. “But sometimes, you just have to trust your body and your partner. Do you trust me, sunshine?”

As Holly looked into his stormy eyes, she realized she did trust him, not only to lead her through the dance, but with her heart as well. “Yes, I trust you.”

Satisfied with her answer but perhaps not recognizing the seriousness of it, he beamed at her. “Great. Just look at me, and move as I move, okay. No counting in your head or thinking too much about what comes next. Just follow my lead.”

“Okay,” she whispered before he started them moving again.

It was still a bit shaky at first, but soon the two of them were moving as one. Ben held onto her tightly as he steered the two of them around the room, Holly moving her feet as she kept her eyes on him. His face was alluring, there was no denying that, but it was his expression Holly couldn’t stop admiring. Bright eyes and a carefree smile displayed a lightness to him she was seeing more often. There was no trace of the grump she ran into all those weeks ago, and while she still liked that side of him too, it was wonderful to see him finally looking unburdened.

The music came to an end and the instructor called for the end of class, but Ben kept them on the dance floor a moment longer, the two of them swaying gently as everyone else moved around them. When it became obvious that they were the last ones there, Ben took her hand in his as he pulled her to the side of the room to their coats.

Holly looked around and saw no sign of Trish. “Where’s your mom?”

Ben’s eyes roamed the nearly empty space before he grabbed his phone from his coat pocket, his thumb flicking over the screen. “She texted to say she needed to take off. Something about Marvin calling her to come home.” Ben sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, the carefree expression she’d been basking in moments ago gone and his shoulders looking as though they carried the weight of the world once more.

Needing to soothe him in any small way, Holly rubbed her hand up and down his back. “Hey. Everything will be okay.” It wasn’t an empty platitude, Holly truly believed that things worked out for the best, but she knew Ben had a hard time thinking that way and she wanted to throw a little optimism his way.

He opened his eyes, a sad smile appearing on his face. “I’m glad one of us thinks so.” He held open her coat for her and once she had it on, they made their way to the studio door. Holly wanted to get that carefree look back on his face and she racked her brain trying to think of a way to do it.

After they left the building, Holly pulled him aside believing she may have the perfect stress relief activity. “I have an idea that might help you feel better, at least for a little while.” She wiggled in place, both anxious and excited to take him to one of her favorite childhood spots.

Ben raised a brow. “Oh, yeah. And what would that be?” His gaze was heated as he watched her body move, his hands gripping her waist and pulling her closer. Holly was all for moving their relationship to the next level, but she wasn’t quite ready for that at the moment.

Her face felt warm and she was sure she was beet red, but she managed to press on with her plan. “I want to take you somewhere that always used to cheer me up when I was a kid.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes, begging him to be patient with her as she navigated the changing dynamic between them. “Please? Trust me this time, okay, handsome.”

He nodded slowly, his thumbs circling the front of her hips lightly. “Alright. Lead the way, sunshine.”

Holly struggled to get her mind focused on her plan when he was touching her like that, but eventually managed to grab his hand and start walking toward the Sunset Cove pier, determined to get that happy-go-lucky smile back on Ben’s face. Hopefully, he was a good sport and would go along with her plan. Otherwise, she may just be setting herself up to look like a fool.

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