Page 103 of How to Dance

“From the very beginning. Now go.” Hayley waved to Rose. “See you when you come back down, honey!”

“See ya, Hayley!” The women could hear her talking to Nick as Gavin carried her down the front hallway. “What are you gonna do upstairs?”

“Me?” Nick said. “I’ve got a top-secret birthday mission.”

“What is it?”

“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you!”

“Daddy, do you know?”

“Of course I do,” Gavin replied. “I know everything.”

Hayley laughed as their voices trailed off up the steps. “Nicky got her a tent that looks like a princess castle,” Mel said. “I’m sure you’ll be invited in.”

“I hope so.” She turned away from the hall. “Is there anything I can do to help you clean up?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Right now I just want to sit down.”

“I’ll bet.”

Hayley took the recliner in the family room while Mel dropped onto the couch. They surveyed the birthday presents in front of them.

“Rose will never use all this stuff,” Mel said.

“That’s what happens when you have lots of friends.”

Mel looked around. “I mean, she’ll love that doll, and she’ll wear the clothes. But all she really wanted for her birthday was to play with her friends.”

“I’m so glad I got to be one of them.”

“We all are. Which will be a pain because Nicky will be full of himself for thinking of it.”

Hayley laughed. “I love that you call him Nicky.”

“Everybody did, once upon a time,” Mel said. “I like remembering him before he was Nick.”

Hayley remembered searching for a blanket the night before. “He has some really great pictures of you all from back then.”

“In his study? Absolutely. His mom’s got a good eye.” Mel watched her. “Did you see the graduation picture?”

“With you three and a blond girl.”

“That’d be Vicki,” Mel said. “His girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Hayley said. Mentioning Vicki by name brought Nick’s ex out of the past, made her too real. “Okay.”

“He told you about Vicki?”

“Um, he mentioned a high school girlfriend.” Details suddenly seemed like a betrayal. “I didn’t know her name.”

“They were Nicky and Vicki since middle school. King and queen of the senior prom.”

Hayley smiled. “I’ll bet he rocked a tux.”

“Oh, he did. They always looked gorgeous together, but I think it was because they were always having so muchfun. She was in everything—cheerleader, show choir, student council, theater—you name it. And Nicky was her ambassador to the commoners.”

“Really?” Hayley leaned forward, surprised. “That was a good thing?”

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