Page 77 of The Dance Deception
Chapter 40
It’s a balmy evening and we join the others in the garden for a glass of rosé while the barbecue coals heat up. The kids are already in the tent doing a jigsaw, and when the first sausages are ready, they beg to be able to stay in there to eat theirs.
‘Okay, but no greasy fingers on the sleeping bags,’ Dee warns. ‘I’ll be watching you!’
Sarah gets her camera out again. ‘I’ve already got plenty to work with and I think it’s going to look great, but this is too nice a setting not to include as well. It will finish the montage off perfectly.’
‘You haven’t even asked us to do anything daft yet,’ I tease.
‘There’s still tomorrow,’ she warns.
Dad asks her how long the final edit will be.
‘Only a few minutes. But you can pack a lot into a few minutes.’
They start chatting about how she’ll decide what to include and what not to, and Dee turns her attention to Aleksis.
‘So how do you rate your chances for the weekend?’ she asks. But I don’t hear his answer because Mum is already talking to me.
‘You look like you’ve lost weight. You are looking after yourself, aren’t you – eating enough, getting enough sleep?’
‘Of course I am. But I’m dancing eight hours a day, so I’m bound to lose a little bit. Don’t worry, it’ll come straight back whenFire on the Dance Floorfinishes.’
‘I’m so glad you decided to go on the show.’ She smiles. ‘It’s something you’ll remember forever. I love watching you on that screen. You look so beautiful.’
‘Thanks, Mum. I’m really glad I’m doing it too. It’s been so nerve-racking at times – and exciting and terrifying and pretty much everything in between. But there’s never going to be anything else like it. And I got to meet Aleksis, too.’ I lower my voice. ‘I really like him, Mum. I think he might be a keeper.’
Her smile gets wider. ‘He does seem lovely. And he’s slotted right into our madhouse, which must say something about him.’
‘It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but I just love being with him,’ I admit, glancing over to check he’s not listening.
Dee and Aleksis have finished talking and are looking right at us.
‘Oh, hi.’ I feel my cheeks flushing. ‘Anyone need a top-up?’
I reach for the bottle in the wine cooler, only to discover it’s empty. I stand up quickly. ‘I’ll go and grab another one.’
‘Let me help you with that.’ Aleksis follows me into the kitchen.
‘So you think I’m a keeper, do you?’ he asks when we’re inside.
‘You weren’t meant to hear that. I thought you were talking to Dee.’
‘Don’t be embarrassed. It’s a nice thing to hear.’ He pulls me towards him for a kiss. ‘I might just feel the same way,’ he whispers. And I swear I actually feel my heart swell.
I stay on cloud nine for the rest of the evening. Pete supervises bedtime for the kids, who’ve worn themselves out running around all day, then the rest of us chat, laugh and drink into the early hours until my own eyes start to droop. Aleksis and I have been awake for nearly twenty-four hours – it’s time to call it a night.
I stifle a yawn when we’re alone in the bedroom.
‘Exhausted?’ he asks.
‘Yes, but still horny,’ I laugh.
We kiss and start undressing each other, but my sister’s bed lets out an almighty squeak as we lie down on it and wriggle towards each other.
‘We’ll wake the whole household up if we try to have sex on this,’ Aleksis whispers, and as if to prove his point, the bed creaks loudly again as our weight shifts on the mattress.
‘We should have taken the tent,’ I reply in between kisses. ‘We could have got up to all sorts in there without anyone knowing.’
