“Paige.” When Christian abruptly stopped dancing, Paige wasn’t able to finish the spin she was halfway through. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong,” she replied, but the flatness of her voice didn’t at all match her words. “You’re hitting the turns and taking the lead in the holds. Your posture is improving, and your footwork is nearly perfect, too.”
It was obvious that she was trying to dodge the issue, dancing around it as effortlessly as she danced around everything else. She wanted him to leave this alone, yet if he did, where did that leave them? What would it mean about everything that had been building up between them?
No, he wouldn’t risk losing that, not even after just a couple of nights.
“I looked for you last night, after you left the rink when the fans were there. I drove back to the studio.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt when I saw you dancing. You looked like you wanted to be alone.” When she didn’t say anything and he knew pushing her would only put a bigger distance between them, he decided to shift gears. “Where did you get that great new choreography for
They All Laughed
?”
“I was just messing around,” she said modestly, “seeing what else I could do with it. It’s not important.”
“It was good. Really good.” It hadn’t just been the mesmerizing sight of Paige performing, although that had probably been a big part of it. It had been the beauty of the way she had blended so many unique elements to create something new. At her slightly doubtful look, he added, “I don’t have to be the world’s greatest dancer to know great choreography and amazing dancing when I see it.”
Finally, she smiled at him. It wasn’t a big smile, but it was
something.
“You should show that sequence to the choreographer on the movie,” Christian suggested. “You told me yourself that this movie was all about blending styles, so I’d bet that’s just the kind of thing they’re looking for.”
He’d hoped he was managing to break through the tension between them, but unfortunately, what he’d just said made her smile vanish as quickly as it had come. “I’m sure the choreographer they’ve hired already has things well in hand. Plus, your co-star Liana is a world-class dancer and will likely have some suggestions of her own to add. Whereas I’m just a dance teacher on a small island.”
Her voice caught slightly on the word
island
, and Christian reached out for her, unable to stop himself. He wanted to comfort her. Wanted to make everything better. But though Paige didn’t step back, she didn’t reach out for him, either. And that hurt. A lot.
“Are you upset with me because we kissed?” He couldn’t think what else it could be. What else had changed between them since yesterday? In the moments right after they’d kissed, he’d been so certain that it had brought them closer. It had been so wonderful that he had never thought about the possibility that it might drive them apart. But then she’d left without even saying good night.
“It’s not the kiss,” she said quickly.
But he could see that it was. “You have to know that I’ve been drawn to you from the first moment I met you, Paige. I just couldn’t help but kiss you last night, even though I knew it was too soon.”
“Too soon?” She looked absolutely shocked by what he’d just said. “Our kiss shouldn’t have happened at all. We both just got caught up in the moment because we were excited with how well you were dancing.” She swallowed hard and looked away. “We both know it didn’t mean anything.”
“That’s not true,” Christian said as he gently placed his hand beneath her chin to tip her face up to his so that he could look into her eyes. “It
was
something. We both know that it was. That it
is
something
.
”
“Why don’t I hear music?” Ava’s voice cut through the thick tension in the dance studio. “Is Paige not working you hard enough, Christian? You should be dancing, not standing around talking.”
Ava looked as spry and vivacious as ever as she walked in, but as soon as she looked from Christian to Paige and back, her eyebrows went up. “Ah, I can see that I’m interrupting. I’ll just go—”
“No, Grams, don’t go. Please.”
Paige actually grabbed her grandmother’s arm to stop her. Was she that desperate to keep from having the rest of this conversation with him? The last thing Christian wanted was to hurt her, but he didn’t want to let go of the chance of a relationship with her, either. Not with the incredible connection that he’d felt between them.
And not when he couldn’t stop remembering how happy Paige had seemed in the moments right before—and after—they’d kissed.
“Will you dance with Christian for me, Grams?”
“So you’re not going to be my partner anymore?” Christian tried to keep his question to Paige light, but he couldn’t keep a note of frustration from creeping into his voice.
“I’d like to see how you dance with a partner you don’t know,” Paige replied, but even to Christian, it didn’t sound like the whole truth.
Nonetheless, he walked over to Ava and held out a hand. She gracefully took it as Paige started the music, and together, he and Ava danced through the steps of the piece he and Paige had been working on. That Ava knew them was no surprise, given that she had been a dancer all her life, and he suspected Ava had been right there beside Paige on the couch watching the Fred Astaire movies again and again throughout the years.
“He’s getting really good,” Ava called out to Paige as they drifted smoothly around the floor. He did his best to add a touch of sweetness and humor to their dance that Ava mirrored effortlessly.
With Paige, though, he knew the dance would have been something very different: a courtship rather than a playful comedy. And he could feel Paige’s eyes on him as he danced, following every movement he made. It could have just been his dance teacher wanting to make sure he did everything correctly, but he knew deep in his heart that it was more than that.
Far more, whether she wanted to admit that to herself or not.
Finally, the music came to an end, and Ava laughed delightedly. “You’ve made me feel young again, Christian. It was like dancing with Fred all over again.”
“Fred?” His mind boggled for a moment. “You danced with Fred Astaire?”
“You never told me that, Grams!” Paige sounded shocked that her grandmother hadn’t already told her something like that.
Ava smiled at both of them, a smile that clearly held wonderful memories. “I’ve been a dancer for a long time, and I danced with plenty of great leading men. I might have even been lucky enough to be hanging around the set of
Let’s Dance
at just the right moment.”
Christian laughed at that. He could just imagine Ava managing to find her way onto the set of a movie where she had no business being. And dancing with Fred Astaire. Probably beautifully. Almost as beautifully as her granddaughter had danced. It was impossible not to like Ava, with her easy charm and liveliness.
“Fred was the lucky one getting to dance with you, Ava.”
“You’re very sweet, Christian,” she said, and he knew that she was assessing him on her granddaughter’s behalf. More than anything, he wanted her to think that he was good enough for Paige...and to know that her granddaughter’s happiness was becoming the most important thing in the world to him.
Because while it had been wonderful to dance with Ava, the truth was that her visit had come at the worst possible moment, when there was still so much he needed to say to Paige.
“I’m sorry to have interrupted your practice session,” Ava said, breaking into his thoughts, “but I didn’t come down here just to dance, I’m afraid. I just got a call from the Walker Island Commission.” Turning to him, she explained, “Every year we have a big tree-lighting ceremony at our Christmas Eve party.”
He had a feeling he knew where the conversation was going, and it seemed Paige did, too, as she said, “They want Christian to light the tree, don’t they? They’ve just assumed that because someone famous is here, of course he should agree to it.”
Ava nodded, smiling apologetically at Christian. “I told them that I would ask you, mostly because I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t. Please feel free to say no. I know how busy you are right now, and it’s unreasonable for the commission to ask on the night of the event like this.” She made a disapproving sound.
“Are you going to be there?” Christian asked Paige.
“We all go over to the tree lighting. It’s a family tradition.”
“Then of course I’ll do it,” Christian said, holding her beautiful blue eyes with his and hoping she could see that he would have agreed to absolutely anything if it meant getting to be with her. “It sounds like fun.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
The tree-lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve, held near the harbor, was a big deal on the island. It had started out as nothing more than the community’s attempt to add a bit of festive cheer by gathering the locals to light up the most iconic area of their town. By now, though, it had become an event that practically everyone on the island attended, complete with music, entertainers, marine biologists who were staying for the holidays, great food and much more.
The
much more
included Paige and her sisters, who were all currently standing in a tent just off the main street while Morgan worked to finish their hair, wardrobe, and makeup with all the care and seriousness that she would have applied to big movie stars.
Movie stars like Christian, Paige thought, and then worked to squash that thought. Just like she’d tried to push away all the other thoughts she’d had of him that day. Not that it had worked, of course, when they’d spent the morning dancing together, as usual. And not that it
could
work when he was just so gorgeous and sweet all the time.
There she went again, when she knew as well as anyone that things couldn’t possibly work between them. Because however much it was impossible to ignore their attraction when they were dancing in each other’s arms, he was still a major movie star, and she was just a dance instructor on a small island. One who had made the big mistake of trying to date a star once before.
When Paige sighed as Morgan applied another flick of eye shadow and then a touch of lipstick, her sister gave her a reassuring smile. “One day, you’ll be used to being the center of attention with all of us one night a year. Might take you a few decades, but you’ll get used to it.”
Morgan might have gotten used to it after all her time spent on TV, but Paige knew she never would. She looked around for something to distract her from the thought of walking out in front of so many people in a few minutes—and from constantly thinking about Christian. Her sisters all looked so beautiful in the red-and-white dresses they’d worn to fit with the seasonal theme. They each had the same dress, but they all managed to make it look so different.
Emily, for example, managed to look rather formal and elegant. Morgan looked as if she was about to attend a film premiere. Rachel looked fit and athletic from her traveling adventures with Nicholas and little Charlotte. Hanna, of course, had customized her dress into something far less formal and was carrying a small video camera to document the whole occasion. Then there was Paige, hoping she would be able to find a spot in the crowd where she could disappear into the background.
Still, it was hard to deny the sense of excitement bubbling up in her. Even if this event involved far too many people looking at her, the ceremony was one of the most beautiful moments of the year. She wondered what Christian would think about it.
Christian again. She worked to shake him out of her head as she turned to Rachel, ignoring Morgan’s attempt to get her to stay still so that she could finish making her up.
“What’s one of your favorite things you have done with Nicholas since you’ve been gone?”
“When we went to Japan, we went all the way up Mount Fuji. The view from the top was incredible.” Rachel looked especially beautiful when she talked about the man she loved. “Although the view we got while we were hang-gliding in Chile was pretty darn spectacular, too.”
Paige still couldn’t believe the change in her sister from insurance actuary to a one-woman adventure daredevil. Actually, not one-woman, because she had Nicholas and Charlotte beside her all the way. Maybe that was why it worked so well for them. Or maybe it was just that this adventurous part of Rachel had been trying to get out for so long. Nicholas had been the one who had finally helped her sister to be who she really wanted to be. He was the loving partner in adventure she’d always wanted, and as far as Paige could see, he was a great father figure for Charlotte as well.
“You’re not the only one who’s been having adventures,” Hanna said. “Joel has been teaching me how to sail.”
The Walker and Peterson family feud had gone on for generations, but just a short while ago, Hanna and Joel had put an end to that. Their marriage would have been almost unthinkable a few years ago, yet now it was impossible to imagine Hanna and Joel apart.
“Once I’ve graduated from the university, we’re talking about setting off on a round-the-world trip in his sailboat. I could turn the whole thing into a documentary about what makes people take on endurance sailing challenges and why sailing still means something in the modern world.”
Paige loved listening to her sisters talk about their passions. “You have so many great ideas, Hanna. It’s just wonderful.”
Paige had had plenty of ideas, too, when she was younger. When she’d gone off to Juilliard, it had felt like her brain was overflowing with dance steps trying to get out. She’d been so confident that, in time, she would end up as a choreographer for a major dance company. Yet now that dream seemed as far away as the younger versions of Hanna and Rachel.
“Please,” Morgan begged, “can you sit still? The one opportunity I get to give you a proper makeover each year, and you’re squirming like Charlotte in the chair. If this takes any longer, Brian will probably be thinking that the rest of you have kidnapped me and dragged me off on one of your adventures.”
“He’d only come looking for you if we did,” Rachel pointed out. “The two of you look exactly the same together as you did in school—still all gooey-eyed when you look at each other.”