Dana placed her plate and drink down and shook the mysterious woman’s hand. It was a strong, firm handshake that Dana liked.
“Dana Wilson, I’m an instructor for some of the kids at the school,” Dana said.
Gerri nodded, but Dana had a feeling she already knew that information. She picked up her plate and motioned to a table across the dance floor.
“Would you sit with me and chat? As you’ve said, these events so rarely bear any fruit of a substantial conversation.”
Dana smiled and nodded, genuinely beaming about the prospect.
She followed Gerri through the cascading shades flashed by the disco ball overhead. Men watched her and followed her with their shameless stares, predators with an eye on their prey.
Dana ignored them as any woman with a minute amount of self-awareness had to.
She sat with Gerri, marveling at the way her gray eyes swam in the dim light of their secluded corner.
“So, tell me, Dana,” Gerri began. “What is it exactly that you’re looking for?”
Dana swirled her whiskey in her hand.
“In life? Or romantically?” Dana responded.
“Either or,” Gerri said.
“Certainly not that,” Dana responded, using her thumb to point back at the asshole whose sad attempt at flirting had baffled her. “But it's all I ever seem to get. I’m focused on my career, my musical aspirations, and on top of that, I have this body.”
Dana grabbed her hips, which made Gerri chuckle.
“And for whatever reason,” Dana continued, “that seems to blind every man I meet. So either they’re intimidated or distracted.”
Gerri pressed her fingers against each other, looking like an all-knowing goddess beneath the flashing lights.
“Does that mean you’ve given up on the idea entirely?” Gerri inquired.
Dana crinkled her nose. She hadn’t asked herself that question in a long time.
“Not entirely, I don’t think,” Dana said, holding the whiskey up to her lips. “I don’t think anyone ever really can, as much as they’d like to.”
Gerri picked up her wine glass and swirled it in front of her nose, inhaling deeply. She then took a small sip and held it in her mouth with closed eyes. Whoever the woman was, Dana knew she wanted to be around her.
Once she had swallowed the wine, Gerri opened her eyes, then fixed them on Dana’s, still holding the glass in one hand.
“You’re very perceptive, Dana,” she said. “You need someone who is at your level of intelligence and that awareness. Or at least close enough to it.”
Dana raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“What, are you a matchmaker or something?” Dana replied.
Gerri gave her a small knowing smile again. Dana felt her heart pick up the pace like a loud, ticking clock.
“That is exactly what I am,” Gerri responded. “I believe I can help you find what you are looking for.”
Dana placed her whiskey on the table, feeling abrupt anxiety move through her like a slap to the face. She had the audition to worry about and her entire career ahead of her
Do I want to bring someone else into this mess? My plate is already so full …
“Wow,” Dana said, smiling once more. “I truly wasn’t expecting that. I … I honestly don’t know, Gerri.”
Gerri reached out a hand and touched two of Dana’s fingers. It was warm, the same way her handshake had been.