Even then, I decide I’m not totally happy with the flooring in here, so I decide to grab some mats from the studio while I’m getting the other stuff I need.
I want this lesson to be perfect. I’m pretty excited, and not just because it’ll give me an opportunity to spend nearly two hours up close and personal with the hot couple. I’m excited to be teaching something other than the same six steps I’ve been teaching multiple times a week, every week, for the last six years.
Although I can’t say I dislike the idea of spending more time one-on-one with the two of them just for the eye candy factor. I’m only human, after all.
I’ve been thinking about the two of them almost non-stop since the mixer, honestly. And while I barely know them, it had felt a little weird not seeing them yesterday, so I was looking forward to not only seeing them again, but having them all to myself.
I make my way down to the studio, quietly moving around Brianna’s class to collect some mats from a closet in the back along with my speaker. Brianna acknowledges me with a quick flash of a smile, but doesn’t miss a beat.
I lug everything back to the event room and get it set up properly, and when I pull out my phone to test the music on the speaker, I check first to see if I’ve gotten a response from the mystery number.
There’s still nothing, and I’m not quite sure what to think about it. For all I know, it’s just some scam or something, a random company that had gotten my legal name and was going to try and sell me something.
Or, another possibility occurs to me, maybe there’s some mix-up and they’re trying to reach my father and somehow got my number by mistake. It’s registered under my legal name, after all, which again makes me think that maybe I should go about legally changing it.
But the more I think about it, the more that scenario makes sense. They’d been trying to get ahold of Dear Ol’ Dad, and when they found out it was just Little Ol’ me, they stopped responding because I wasn’t the right Charles Bailey.
Content with that explanation, I put the weird text out of mind and get back to work setting up for my class.
Chapter Ten
Hazel
“So where are we supposed to meet him? I thought there was another class going on in the studio right now,” Brendon remarks as we’re in the elevator heading down for our private lesson with Chip.
“He said to meet him in front of the studio, but I think he’s gonna be taking us to one of the event rooms, he said he was gonna try and get one set aside for us,” I explain, fidgeting excitedly.
Yesterday’s ballroom dancing class had been kind of fun, but I’ll admit, I definitely preferred the salsa, so I was excited to learn more.
I’d never really been much of a dancer, truth be told. I’d taken a beginning ballet class as a kid, but it was short-lived, and beyond that the extent of my experience was prom and a few nights out clubbing in college.
It’s not that I was clumsy, per se, but I’d never quite felt like I moved my body with the grace I should. I felt like I could never move with the same fluidity I saw in other women, but when I’d been in Chip’s class, I found I wasn’t worrying about that, I was just having fun moving my body.
“How’s the sunburn?” I asked.
While we’d been on the boat tour the day before yesterday, Brendon had forgotten to apply any sunscreen, so he’d taken on a bit of crimson color and his skin was definitely a little bit tender. His face had largely been spared, though, save the end of his nose.
“Not too bad, just enough to sting and make me feel stupid,” he says with a sheepish smile.
“My poor baby,” I stand on tiptoe and press a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose.
He smiles and coils his arms around my waist. “Absolutely worth it to sail off into the sunset with you,” he told me.
The elevator dings and we arrive on the first floor. He relinquishes his grip on me and I slip my hand into his, leading him to the dance studio. Chip’s waiting for us outside the door, leaning against the wall and scrolling through his phone.
I tell myself it’s just excitement for the class when my heart does a weird little flip in my chest. After all, I like Chip and all, and sure, he’s a good-looking guy, but I’m a happily taken woman.
He looks up and his face lights up. “Hey, guys,” he says brightly.
“Hey, we’re not running late, are we?” Brendon asks, looking down at his watch.
“Not at all, you’re right on time, I just got here a little early,” Chip replies, “You guys ready to rock and roll?”
“Absolutely,” I tell him, my excitement brimming.
“About as ready as I’ll ever be,” Brendon laughs.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you,” Chip tells him playfully, “Come on with me, I’ll take you to where we’re set up.”