Page 1 of Lucky Dance Date
Chapter 1 - Wes
~January~
Ismiled at my camera and ring light. “That’s it for today’s mini-lesson. Make sure to subscribe to my channel for access to full lessons. And if you live in Valle Granja, stop in and join our real life dance classes.”
My smile widened and I made heart-hands as I prepared for my traditional send-off. “Until next time, keep those toes tapping. Wes, out.”
I struck a pose and held it for several seconds so that my editor would have plenty of time for a clean outtro. Then I strode to the camera and turned it off.
The sound of small footsteps running up the stairs to the studio filtered in, and I knew that the first of my after-school students had arrived. I quickly carried my recording equipment to the instructors’ office, closed the door just enough to check that my dance belt was still where I wanted it, then headed back out to the lobby.
“No street shoes on the dance floor,” I stated, even though all of my students knew the drill.
“Ok!” Madison, the niece of one of my best friends, said as she sat on one of the benches, kicked off her character sneakers, and pulled on a pair of split-sole dance shoes.
“Can I go warm up?” she asked as she shoved her street shoes in one of the cubbies.
“Go ahead,” I replied as other kids started to filter in.
“Thank you!” she squealed as she bolted into the studio proper.
I smiled as I reminded the others to change their shoes. Madison was one of my most enthusiastic students, and I saw the potential for her to be an incredible dancer. I even planned to talk to her papa about having her audition for the summer musical held by the Valle Granja Performing Arts Initiative.
It would be a step up from the small performances held by our dance association, but I was sure that she was ready.
I waited for the stragglers, checked my messages to see if parents had contacted me about any of the no-shows, then strode into the studio.
“Let’s warm up everybody,” I said, clapping my hands to get their attention. “To the barre for stretches.”
The kids all took their places, and I smiled as they settled from excited chatter to serious practice.
We went through our warm up routine before reviewing our triple-steps. Then I settled into the lesson for the day.
I couldn’t help but smile as the kids tripped over their own feet before learning the new steps.
My life was nearly perfect. I had a job that I loved: teaching dance. Even better was that it paid the bills. I had a cute apartment all to myself. I performed regularly with the local theater initiative, and I was an advocate for local investment in the arts.
There were only two downsides: my parents, who were vehemently against everything I did, and my lack of a mate or children.
Unfortunately I couldn’t fix my parents, and the only alpha I’d ever wanted had been scared off by them more than a decade ago. Even now I dreamt of his sun-kissed skin and black hair.
Still, I was surrounded by small blessings, and I’d long since learned to appreciate them.
Chapter 2 - José
“Until next time, keep those toes tapping. Wes, out.”
I sighed as the video ended and an ad started. Part of me wanted to let the auto-play run and watch the man of my dreams for another few minutes. But I was just torturing myself.
For a while I’d thought I’d managed to get Wes out of my head. His fiery-red hair, green eyes and slender frame had lived in my fantasies for years before I convinced myself that he had to have moved on. Then, last year, I’d gone to our class reunion, and all the old feelings had surged back to the surface as soon as I saw him.
Lowell was with Sean, the man he’d been crushing on since we were teens.
Chase had opened his coffee shop since the reunion, a dream he’d talked about for a decade.
Then there was me. Before the reunion my friends had all joked that I was the one who’d made it. I had a well-paying job with the bank, a large family that made the absence of a mate easier to handle, and new dates on a regular basis as I tried to fit that last piece of the puzzle into my life.
All it had taken was a glimpse of Wes’s sweet smile and I was done. The man I’d spent a decade trying to forget was the only one I could think about again. I was just as in love with him now as I’d been in high school.
