“What kind of dance is this? Ballet?” That’s the only thing I can think of that would require some serious time with a teacher, although it’s unrealistic to learn ballet in five days.
“No. Waltzing.”
“Waltzing?” He’s worried over a waltz?
“I’m supposed to dance one in a scene in a movie. Well, when I’m cast, I’m supposed to dance it.” He says it with confidence, like he’s pretty certain he’ll be cast.
Guess he’s just worried about not being able to dance. But then, a leading man has to be good at everything. Otherwise he wouldn’t be the leading man, but a secondary dude who’s there to make the leading man look good.
“Don’t they teach you how to do things like that after you’re cast?” I ask.
“This director’s peculiar. He likes to work with actors who require the least effort. Says it creates better movies.”
“Ah. Like Michelangelo. Do you know he supposedly looked for the perfect hunk of marble first, then cut out the unnecessary bits until he was left with only what he wanted? Like the David. Or the Pietà. Although I wonder about the Pietà because that’s a big, complicated chunk of marble, if you ask me.”
Declan looks at me like he isn’t sure what to make of my explanation. “Yeah, um…okay. So, the waltz instructor?”
“If you want, I can teach you,” I say.
“You?” Both his eyebrows jump up.
“Don’t look so shocked. I know how to do some simple dances, like waltzes, the cha-cha-cha, foxtrot and tango. I had lots and lots of lessons.” Mom made sure so I don’t stand around like an idiot at parties. “Did the director say anything about the kind of waltz? Do you need to do the Viennese or the slow version?”
Declan looks a bit lost. “I don’t know. My agent didn’t say.”
Of course not. That would’ve been too easy. “Do you know where the movie takes place?”
“In the States and Europe.”
I sigh. That doesn’t help much, does it? “Let’s do both, just to be safe.”
“Do we have enough time?”
“Sure. You can master both by Friday. They aren’t hard. Once we do the slow one, we can tackle the Viennese. And I’ll have you know I’m an excellent teacher.”
Chapter Fifteen
Declan
Yuna winks, her lips curving into a grin. And all the irritation I’ve been feeling melts away like a snow cone in summer.
But this does mean a minor adjustment to my plan. Last night I was thinking about having Nancy teach both Yuna and I how to waltz, so I could practice with my hands on her. I could lead smoothly and dazzle her.
Well. The dazzling won’t be happening, since Yuna’s obviously better at this stuff than I am…but the dancing together will. I’ll settle for that.
“We can do a regular waltz today and tomorrow and try the Viennese after that. Once you get the hang of the main one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm, it’s super easy,” she says, coming toward me.
I wait for her to put her hands all over me, to show me how to lead and move. It should be fun. Maybe it’s just luck—or a fortunate alignment of the stars—that Nancy ended up in jail.
Yuna’s hands are slim, but her fingers are long and oh-so supple. I’ve been getting turned on watching her play the piano. Anticipation sizzles at the idea of those clever fingers wrapping around my hand and stroking my back.
But instead of taking my hand or having me put my arm around her, Yuna pulls me to the wide area in the living room, stands next to me and starts showing me how to do a basic box step.
Seriously?
I guess she wants to make sure I don’t step on her shoes, but still… I’m barefoot. It’s not like I’m not going to scuff her heels.
She doesn’t seem to notice my disappointment. “All you have to do is count and imagine tracing the outer edge of the box. That way you aren’t thinking, ‘Should I use my left leg or right leg now?’”