He didn’t need to be distracted by how good a person Susan was. He also wasn’t interested in talking about the failed attempt to connect with his son. She’d said she called to thank him. “Thank me for what?”
“I thought a lot about what you said Friday night. About passion and pursuing what matters. I made a bunch of phone calls, and I’ve got an appointment lined up. I may be teaching dance at a studio down in the valley soon.”
His smile grew, and an unfamiliar bubble of warmth spread through him. “That’s fantastic.” What he wanted to say next was best of luck. What came out instead was, “We should celebrate.”
“It’s a little premature for that.” She laughed.
Fuck, he loved that sound. “This is a big deal, because it leads to more. I’m buying you lunch. Where can I meet you?” So much for keeping his distance. Though right now, that was the last thing he wanted to do.
“I can’t do lunch. My interview is in Salt Lake, and I won’t be back until this afternoon.”
“Dinner then. Pick you up at home at six?”
“I can’t wait.”
How did such a simple conversation make his day? He didn’t care to analyze it too far. The fact that it did was good enough for him.
* * * *
Susan whirled through the kitchen, pivoted, then leaped the distance to the cupboard for a glass. She’d fretted all weekend—far more than seemed reasonable—over whether or not to call Andrew. She was wounded he’d more or less turned her in to Mercy, but it meant she wasn’t stranded. Whatever dragged him away from the hotel so early, he still looked out for Susan.
She decided this morning she couldn’t be upset with Andrew unless she had a reason for his leaving. She wasn’t going to make another mistake, like throwing herself at him, but asking what was up and making polite conversation was okay. When he invited her to dinner, the giddy little girl inside resurfaced, and she forgot about getting answers.
The interview this afternoon went wonderfully. She observed a class, hit it off with the studio director, and was going back later in the week, to help teach a beginner group.
Dad was working late, so she didn’t have to answer any questions about her day. She had another interview tomorrow. She wasn’t too proud to admit she had a charmed life.
Someone rang the bell, and she skip-twirled to answer. She stumbled when she found Andrew on the other side of the door. “You’re early,” she said.
“I finished work, and this was the most important thing on my calendar, so I put off everything else.” And he had her flustered again. With a single statement. It had a little to do with the way the damp tips of his hair curled against his neck and the faintest hint of body wash that drifted from him.
She tugged him into the house. “Let me grab my purse, and we can go.”
“I’m not the only one who’s early.” He followed her.
Her bag sat on the bar separating the dining room from the kitchen, her phone next to it. She swiped the screen out of habit, and saw she had a new message from Ballet West Institute. Her heart dropped into her stomach, and she hesitated with her thumb over the Listen prompt.
“Who’s it from?” he asked.
“One of the studios I called over the weekend. It’ll wait.” She resisted the temptation, despite the pleading in her head to see what they wanted. To tell me no. She didn’t know that.
“We have time. It’ll kill you if you don’t hear it now.” He settled onto one of the stools next to the counter. “Besides, if you ignore it, you defeat the purpose of tonight.”
“I do?”
“If we’re celebrating that you’re doing this, you have to actually do it.”
She didn’t want to argue with that, and was pulling up the message the moment the words were out of his mouth.
“Susan, this is Grace, with Ballet West. I saw you reached out to our Park City academy, to discuss a teaching position. I definitely want to talk. I’m only here until six tonight, or you can call me in the morning.”
Susan didn’t know if she wanted to scream in excitement or cower from anxiety. She should probably get more information before she chose. The clock on her screen read five fifty-seven. She redialed the last incoming call, her pulse hammering in her ears with each ring.
“This is Grace.”
“This is Susan Rice, returning your call.” Stay cool. Stay calm. Resist the urge to react, because nothing has happened yet.
“Thank you for getting back to me. I heard you’re looking for an instructor position.”