Page 19 of Lucky Dance Date
He nodded. “They’ll definitely set a theme.”
I grinned and hopped down from a stepladder to grab a green garland from the box. Then I started taping it to the wall.
“I can’t thank you and Scott enough for all the help,” I said as I reached to tape up another part of the garland rather than move the ladder. “And Dom’s uncle for donating the space for the night.”
“We all want to see you succeed.”
“It means a lot. I didn’t think I’d have so much support.”
“What about that new man of yours?”
I paused, turned to Sean and blinked. “Huh?”
He gave me a sly grin. “Scott said that he saw you with a handsome alpha outside the new studio space.”
I tried to think about who Sean meant, then laughed. “Oh! Cam? We’re not dating.”
“What do you mean you’re not dating?” Scott asked as he carried in another load of decoration. “He’s hot.”
I licked my lips. “We’re just friends. My parents tried to set me up with him, but we both realized right away that we weren’t right for each other.”
“Damn, probably the only good choice your parents have ever made for you.”
I sighed. “Honestly, he’s not José. But we’re still friends. In fact, he’s the one who found the location for the studio. He’s a realtor for commercial spaces.”
Scott walked over and held up a paper shamrock. “Don’t you think José would have come for you by now?”
I taped the decoration at the high point of the garland then climbed down from the ladder and sat on the top step.
“I don’t know…”
“What do you mean?” Sean asked.
“It all hurt him too. Alphas need to protect their mates, right?”
Both Sean and Scott nodded.
“He came to my house that night. I couldn’t stop crying, but I heard a commotion downstairs. When I got out of bed to look, I saw him walking back to his car.”
I paused. “He looked… broken. He blamed himself that night, and I think he still does.”
“Damn.”
“How do I tell him that it wasn’t his fault? He was just a convenient excuse. I might not have realized it at the time, but the older I get the more I understand that my parents were never going to let me go to opening night. They knew there were people from performing arts colleges in the audience, and they had no intention of letting me think I had a future on stage.”
“Joke’s on them,” Scott said. “The Valle Granja Community Theater got way better once you joined.”
“I can see why it’s complicated now though,” Sean said.
I nodded. “It was a no-win situation either way. The only winners were my parents, who seemed to relish the way it all turned out.”
“Why do you keep putting up with their shit?”
I sighed. “Every time I try to get away, they make my life hell. It’s easier to stay.”
“You know they’ll just keep trying to wear you down.”
I leaned back against the barn wall. “I know.”
