Page 14 of Forever Yours
CALLIE
Callie entered the large warehouse that housed The Dance Space. The ground floor held a small lounge with tables and chairs set up around a dance floor and a live music area. On the left were signs pointing up a steep staircase to the second floor where the dance lessons took place. Floor to ceiling mirrors covered one entire wall, reflecting soft golden light from antique crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Callie was early to arrive, and the room was just beginning to fill with patrons. She noticed a man and woman dressed in vintage 1920s outfits busily working with the sound system equipment. Callie felt certain they were the group’s instructors. They reminded her of the days of Prohibition when swing dance was in style. The man wore dark pants held up by a pair of suspenders and a red bow tie. The woman was dressed in a coordinating outfit with a drop-waist fringe dress, low heels, and a red feathered headband.
Callie felt a tap on her shoulder. “Isn’t this neat?” said Margaret. “How have you liked all the events this week? I’m having a much better time than I thought I would.”
Callie could see that was true–Margaret seemed happier and less self-conscious than when they had first met. She had taken more care with her appearance, and her hair was curled into soft ringlets. “You look lovely,” Callie told her honestly.
Margaret smiled. “Thank you. This is turning out to be a most interesting summer.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Callie said, “definitely out of the ordinary.”
The sound of clapping called their attention to the front of the room, where Thelma, sans Liza Minnelli, stood with a nervous-looking Sarah Jane and the dance instructors. Thelma was dressed in a polka dot ensemble with a tiered ruffled skirt and sequin dance shoes that appeared worn with wear. Sarah Jane wore an understated, simple shift dress in her typical neutral palette. “Testing 1-2-3,” Thelma said into a hand-held microphone, which promptly reverberated loudly. The woman hurried to adjust the knobs on the speakers in the corner. “I’d like to introduce you to Zachary and Jessica. They are professional ballroom dance competitors as well as your instructors for the evening. We will be learning the basics of the two-step swing, the box step, and the foxtrot. Let me demonstrate. Music!” She handed the microphone to Sarah Jane as Jessica keyed up a big-band tune.
Thelma grabbed Zachary by the arm and dragged him, looking slightly flustered, into position. Suddenly, Thelma broke into an energetic two-step, and for a couple of beats, it was unclear which of them was leading the other. However, Zachary quickly adapted, appearing to enjoy his partner’s enthusiasm. Callie had to admit Thelma was quite good, if forceful. The group began to tap their feet and clap to the beat.
When the number was over, Zachary bowed to his partner, and Thelma curtsied in a swoop of ruffles before retaking the microphone from Sarah Jane.
“And that’s how it’s done,” she said breathlessly. “Ladies, if you’ll form a circle around the perimeter, we’ll have the men line up and switch partners after every few minutes when called.”
“Excuse me!” came a yell from the back of the room. It was Tony Rizzoli, whom Callie was surprised to see had an arm draped over none other than Margaret’s shoulders. “What if you don’t want to change partners?” He squeezed his arm around Margaret and looked into her eyes with unabashed affection.
“Well, I’ll be,” Callie muttered to herself. “Talk about no ordinary summer, indeed.” She would have thought he’d prefer a much showier woman more like himself, such as Amberley. But then again, Amberley had been clear about her interest in the math professor. She recalled that Tony had mentioned how Margaret reminded him of his late mother. She surmised the man was deeper than she’d assumed, feeling guilty for having judged a book by its cover so readily.
Callie realized she hadn’t seen Jackson yet. Was he late? She hoped nothing had come up as she’d been looking forward to the evening and planned to be honest about her past relationship and the fact she was now single and could freely explore their mutual attraction.
Jessica’s voice trilled through the speakers as she spoke into a clip-on microphone. She and Zachary demonstrated a few patterns, and the group practiced the steps. As the music played, Callie’s partner whirled her around in a circle with a bit more force than Callie was expecting and she tripped over his shoe, losing her balance. In doing so, she realized her shoes had far too little traction, and she skidded wildly across the room before crashing into someone’s outstretched arms. Looking up, she saw it was Jackson who had caught her. But despite orchestrating the quick save, his expression was almost angry. Callie hoped she hadn’t accidentally hurt him. “Did I hurt you?” she asked worriedly.
“No,” Jackson said flatly.
“Thank you, I apologize,” Callie said, confused by his stoniness. There was an awkward pause.
“Could you be any clumsier?” asked Deborah, rolling her eyes. Her blouse was so tight the buttons looked as though they might pop at any moment. She placed a hand on Jackson’s arm and guided it back around her waist. “Now, where were we?” she asked sweetly, leading him back into the coordinated movement pattern. He glanced back at Callie briefly before hastily turning away.
The evening wore on in a swirl of partners and steps, and by the end of it, Callie was exhausted and more confused than ever. When it was Jackson’s turn to partner with her, he had excused himself to the restroom and didn’t reappear until they were told to change partners again. Callie was sure he was avoiding her. But why? What had she done? She couldn’t think of anything. Would he still be accompanying her and Aunt Fran to church in the morning?
The song ended, and Thelma again took the hand-held mike. “I’d like to thank each and every one of you for coming tonight and for joining us this summer for your seaside vacation. At theForever Yoursmatchmaking agency, we strive to bring you the best in world-class opportunities to meet your future one-and-only. Please don’t forget to fill out your final ratings in your Lookbooks tonight before you leave. There is a bin by the door for you to drop them off on your way out. If you forgot to bring yourLookbookto tonight’s event, you are welcome to bring them to the Harbor Inn and leave them at the front desk before 10:00 am tomorrow. We will be compiling the data tomorrow afternoon and will email you by 9:00 pm to provide your top three matches. Thank you again for partnering withForever Yoursto meet your perfect match.”
Callie realized she had left herLookbookback at the inn but had never actually completed any ratings. It just didn’t feel right to her, like she was judging people rather than getting to know them as fellow human beings. Besides, she knew that there was only one man who pulled at her heartstrings and made her yearn for more. But now, it seemed that man wanted nothing to do with her.
Chapter Thirteen
CALLIE
After rushing out of the dance space, Callie hurried back to the inn, hoping to avoid Jackson. It was clear he had lost interest in her for some reason. Dejected, she changed into her favorite pair of comfy pajama pants and matching t-shirt and went into the bathroom to scrub the makeup off her face. She felt silly wearing it, anyway. With her hair up in a scrunchy, she climbed into bed and tried to read but closed the book when she realized she’d read the same page for a half hour and hadn’t retained a single word. She tossed and turned, but sleep failed to come. She had no idea whether Jackson was still planning to attend church with her and Aunt Fran in the morning. She had to make sure to get up early enough to prepare breakfast for the inn’s guests. Everyone was scheduled to check out Sunday since the matchmaking events had ended. She and Fran would have a few days off until new guests were expected to arrive later in the week. Callie felt a twinge of sadness. She was scheduled to return to Chicago at the end of the month. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Or was that hunger? She’d only had a quick sandwich for dinner before getting ready for dancing. Sighing, she reached over and switched the bedside lamp back on. It was chilly with the air conditioning, and she threw a sweatshirt on over her thin t-shirt and pushed her feet into slippers before leaving her suite for the kitchen.
The staircase was faintly lit by several nightlights placed for safety, and Callie padded down the steps quietly. She knew that Aunt Fran had taken Peanut Butter to her room for the night after returning from their evening walk. She was glad her aunt was bonding with the puppy.
Entering the kitchen, Callie pressed the switch, turning on the lights over the island. It would be sufficient for getting a snack but not blinding, since her eyes were already accustomed to the darkness.
Callie opened the refrigerator and stared morosely inside. The silence enveloped her.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the entrance, startling her. Callie tried not to scream as she leaped back several feet.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Jackson said, walking into the glow cast by the light. He was in a plaid pajama set with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of sneakers on his feet. “I couldn’t sleep and thought I’d raid the refrigerator–looks like you had the same idea, huh?” He ran a hand through his dark hair sheepishly.
“I guess great minds think alike,” Callie said, letting out a breath. “Even if you did scare me out of one of my nine lives,” she half-joked.
“Yeah, I am sorry about that,” Jackson said. “You were so still I wasn’t convinced you were just a figment of my imagination at first.”