She sashayed back into his arms as if she were thinking the same thing, but was then cruel enough to take his hands in the dance position again. The arm’s length position, not the closer one, to his disappointment.
“Just a few more,” she said coaxingly as the next song came from her little boombox. At least, Wrench assumed it was the next song. They all blurred together, since he couldn’t understand a single word they were singing.
They did the front and back thing, then she talked him through switching to the side-to-side, then they went back to the first step, and Wrench actually felt remotely competent at it for the first time as Lydia praised him and she twirled away and then back into his arms where she belonged.
“See, you’re getting it,” she said breathlessly, smiling up into his face. “But you’re supposed to let me go, now.”
Wrench realized that he hadn’t let go of her to return to the dance position. “Do I have to?”
“Salsa is about the courtship, not the catch,” Lydia said with mock reproach.
He was bending to kiss her when someone behind them cleared their throat.
“Sorry to break up the moment,” Travis said apologetically. “But I also know that it’s all moments during the honeymoon, and we’ve got some work to do.”
Wrench froze, but Lydia rose up on her toes and brushed her luscious lips against his. “I have to go lead a mediation class anyway,” she said regretfully.
Wrench knew what he’d be spending the next several hours meditating about.
Chapter 30
Lydia was toweling her hair off after her shower, listening to Ally prattle about… she honestly wasn’t sure what most of it was actually about and had to keep reminding herself that Ally didn’t have anyone else to talk to. It was unending, though, and breathlessly exciting to the little girl.
“And I had to EAT the lunch ANYWAY because otherwise I would have had to buy HOT LUNCH and… UNCLE WRENCH!”
Wrench had stopped at the buffet on his way up to Lydia’s courtyard, and he had a tray with two plates heaped in food. “Told ‘em I was bringing you a picnic,” he said sheepishly to Lydia as Ally squealed over the offerings.
“I’ll get a PICNIC towel!” Ally suggested, disappearing swiftly into Lydia’s room. “We can sit in the GRASS!” she called from inside.
Wrench grimaced in what Lydia had learned was supposed to be a smile and put the tray on the small table by the house. He looked like he wanted to bend down and kiss her, and she tipped her face up invitingly, but he hesitated, and then Ally was back with a beach towel, spreading it onto the grass imperiously.
“You sit HERE, Uncle Wrench,” the girl directed. “I’ll sit next to Lydia, here. There are only two glasses of lemonade!”
“I have a bottle of water,” Lydia chuckled, realizing she was going to have to steal her own kisses if she wanted them.
We want them, her swan assured her with a sigh of regret for the missed opportunity.
She settled into the place that Ally pointed out for her once the food was laid out to the girl’s satisfaction, and raised her bottle of water to toast with. “To picnics,” she said.
“To PICNICS!” Ally agreed. She turned and did it again with Wrench. “To PICNICS,” she repeated.
“To family,” Wrench said, and he tapped his glass against Lydia’s bottle with a thoughtful look.
Ally fell into her food, while Lydia and Wrench did the same more sedately and reminded her repeatedly not to talk with her mouth full.
“But I think of things to SAY when I’m eating,” the girl protested, around a bite of sandwich that Lydia wasn’t even sure she could chew.
Then Ally’s mouth fell open and she struggled to say something, eyes wide in alarm.
“Swallow first,” Wrench growled good-naturedly.
Lydia glanced at him, then screamed, “Look out!” as the snake behind him coiled up to strike.
Chapter 31
Wrench dived to one side at Lydia’s shrieked command without hesitation, and heard the snap of strong reptile jaws just missing his neck.
He rolled to his feet and crouched, facing the giant cobra that had been lurking behind him.