Page 6 of Beyond The Barre

“What’s next then?”

“I’d like to take you out to dinner.” The words fell out of his mouth.

Her eyes widened. “Um, that’s really sweet of you to ask, Linc, but—”

Shit. Nothing good ever followed a but. What was wrong with him today? He never got a but. Women were always putty in his hands. He was the one turning them down.

“Are you seeing someone?” It was the only possible explanation.

“No.” She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m just not dating anymore.”

“What? Why?”

Her gaze lowered to study the ground. “I’m sorry. I’m just not up to it. Plus, I’m so busy with the dance recital and work.” She shrugged. “I should go.”

She had a carefully constructed veneer that held him at arm's length. A woman with a mystery was his personal weakness, and there was a hell of a lot more to her story than she was letting on. He was drawn in by the opportunity to discover her secrets, to peel away the layers of complexity that shrouded her.

“Scarlett?” He reached out to touch her. His hand barely skimmed the warm, smooth curve of her shoulder. “I’m sorry for whatever it was that made you feel that way. I can wait until you're ready.”

“Thanks, but please don’t. You’d be wasting your time.” She hurried away from him then and he was left standing in front of the Christmas tree with even more questions about the beautiful ballerina.

CHAPTER 3

The Hinterland Dance Academy's big day had arrived. The annual end-of-year recital was a showcase of all the routines they had been perfecting for months. It would be Scarlett’s first time back on a stage since she’d left the Queensland Ballet. Memories flooded her, and the old thrill of adrenaline that came before a performance lit up her senses.

She peeked out from behind the red velvet curtain that Linc and Wes had erected as a backdrop for the stage. People were gathering on the grassy patch in front where folding chairs, hay bales, and picnic blankets had been placed for people to sit on or against and watch the performance.

Beyond the stage were rows of tables for people to sit and eat at. Potted poinsettias and tinsel adorned them. Fairy lights twinkled from where they decorated trees and the distant strains of a Christmas carol filled the air. Even the hardware store was smothered in tinsel with an inflatable Santa secured beside the front door.

She was nervous. No point denying it, even if only to herself. This was the first time she’d been responsible for the choreography and music choice. What if her students forgot their steps? What if the audience didn’t enjoy it? It could all reflect badly on her and maybe she could even lose her job. Then there was the matter of the teacher dance and her small solo. She knew her ankles weren’t as strong as they used to be—what if she fell on her fat ass and everyone saw? How embarrassed she would be.

Doing her best to push down her growing anxiety, she turned from the audience to cast her gaze over her students. Separated into groups, they were all dressed in colourful costumes with stage makeup on and hair tied tightly back, giggling to each other without a care in the world.

The first strains of the opening scene set the dancers into motion, their graceful forms taking the music and interpreting it into lyrical movement. The teenage girls moved to their well-rehearsed routine, drawing even more people to the audience.

Scarlett kept busy backstage with last-minute wisps of hair and smudged lipstick. She watched each of her groups perform without too many mistakes to a cheering audience of family and friends. The excitement of the concert drummed familiar adrenaline through Scarlett as she changed into her costume and slipped on her old pair of pointe shoes.

“Miss Scarlett?” Aimee’s quiet voice came from behind her. “Will I get pointe shoes one day?” The child’s gaze was fixed on one of Scarlett’s well-worn shoes with its ribbons and squared off toes.

With a smile and a nod, Scarlett replied, “If you keep up with your lessons and practise, you sure will.”

Aimee wrapped her arms around her teacher. The hug surprised Scarlett, who always maintained professionalism with all her students. But this hug, from this child, did something to ease her nerves.

“I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

The sweetness of the child’s words touched Scarlett’s heart. From a distance, her life must have seemed so glamorous. Like she was living the dream.

When she danced, Scarlett left her real life behind. The ache in her knee and the callouses on her toes faded away as she allowed herself to go to that magical place where only the music and the movements mattered. When she was dancing, she wasn’t anxious over her weight or her loneliness. It was the only way she knew how to escape her real life. A life that, when you looked closely enough, really wasn’t all that glamorous after all.

The last group of students exited the stage to a clapping audience.

Scarlett stood, touched her hair, ensuring it was still tightly pulled back, then made her way to the side where she would start her dance.

One at a time, the teachers took to the stage, dancing in their preferred style. To jazz music, Beth danced a funky routine, then Lilly tap-danced, her shoes click-clicking loudly on the stage. The music changed again and Mariah performed her hip-hop routine before Audrey started the ballet section. The music changed to a familiar classic, and Scarlett let herself be transformed into the dancer once again as she took to the stage.

Despite how cute the little kids were when they fluttered across the stage, the red velvet backdrop shimmering behind them, Linc wriggled in his seat. The sun was going down, bringing with it a welcome respite from the heat of the day. But the humidity clung to the air. Rain clouds had formed overhead, and he could only hope and pray that they didn’t dispense their contents until after the show.

The festival was proving as popular as ever. People relaxed in chairs in front of the makeshift stage, enjoying the live music. Lines had formed outside the food venues, and the stalls were barely visible amongst the crowds milling around them.

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