“Oh no.”
The two words were whispered so softly that Erma almost didn’t hear them. She turned to the young woman who’d said them and watched the color drain from Olivia’s face.
Chapter8
Kingston searched the room for his mother, who strangely enough stood in Bubba Norton’s arms. He stopped in front of Sunny, who was poised between Erma and Jasper—huh?—and Senior and Myrtle. “I’m sorry,” he said, not daring to look at Mom. “I lost track of time.”
“Better late than never.” Sunny smiled, but it wasn’t as bright as her name. Not even close.
Kingston heard the familiar clicking sound of his mother’s low-heeled pumps approaching. He’d recognize those angry footsteps anywhere. He forced a smile and turned to her just as she reached his side.
“Kingston,” she said tightly, then turned to Sunny. “This is my son,Dr.Kingston Bedford. He’s my dance partner for tonight.” Her chin tilted up in triumph, as it usually did whenever she let anyone know she’d birthed a physician. But that didn’t fully cover her agitation with him.
He figured he’d be in the doghouse for being late, and for good reason since he didn’t have a decent excuse for histardiness. He’d started searching for vacation destinations after lunch and had become frustrated with his inability to decide. It was a vacation—he could go anywhere. So why couldn’t he figure out a plan?
The next thing he knew, he was waking up with his head on his desk in front of a dark computer screen. When he moved it came to life, and he glanced at the time. He’d immediately realized how late he was for the dance lesson, and he’d considered not going at all. But while his mother might forgive him for being late, she wouldn’t abide him ducking out altogether.
He cleared his throat. “Nice to meet you...”
“You can call me Sunny.” The annoyance in the woman’s eyes disappeared.
“I’m so glad you’refinallyhere,” Mom ground out, threading her arm through his and guiding him to the floor.
“I was—”
“You can tell me later.” She squeezed his arm. “Right now we’re in the middle of our lesson.”
He glanced around the room, shifting on his feet as the couples looked at him with varying expressions. Senior Jenkins had his hands on Myrtle Benson’s waist, his raised eyebrows questioning. Myrtle smiled and nodded hello. Erma waved, while Jasper... Well, the old man looked annoyed as usual. As for Bubba, now that his mother had abandoned him, he stood there awkwardly, dropping his hands to his sides. And Pastor Jared stood with—
Oh no.
“Looks like we’re partners again, Bubba.” The willowy dance instructor moved in front of Bubba. The man looked like he’d just been given the key to Maple Falls.
Sunny gestured. “Karen, you and Kingston can go over there.”
He winced and followed his mother to the empty space on the other side of Jared and Olivia. He couldn’t recall a time when he’d seen Olivia enjoy dancing. This had to be out of her comfort zone. Yet here she was looking stunning in a hot-pink dress with a flared skirt that reached the top of her knees, making his own knees turn weak.
When he and his mother were in position, Jared grinned at him. “Never would have guessed you’d show up here, Kingston. But I’m glad you did. Things going well with you?”
How was he supposed to answer that question? He was late, and he’d brought unwanted attention to himself. His mother was putting on her best social smile, but he could see she was simmering underneath the ruse. The woman considered punctuality the eleventh commandment.
And Olivia wouldn’t even look in his general direction. Add that to his sabbatical and the fact that he couldn’t do something as simple as book a vacation or be on time to a dance lesson, and he was doing great. Peachy. “Things are good,” he mumbled.
Sunny was instructing the students to go back to their initial position. His mother put his hand on her waist and held up her right hand. “We’re getting ready to learn the rumba, dear. You remember that dance, don’t you?”
He nodded, although it had been a long time since he’d done any ballroom dancing. He figured it would come backto him. Unlike his sisters, he hadn’t minded cotillion, and he hadn’t just learned how to dance. He’d learned manners and etiquette—two things that had helped him in his career. At least until lately. The bad reviews came to mind. He shoved them off and clasped his mother’s hand and smiled. She finally gave him a sincere one in return. Hopefully all was forgiven.
He couldn’t help but glance at Olivia, who was looking straight ahead at Jared. She wouldn’t pardon him so easily.If ever.
Sunny commenced instruction on position and footwork. He and his mother fell into a natural rhythm as they practiced the rudimentary rumba steps over the next fifteen minutes. That gave Kingston the opportunity to watch Olivia and Jared.
“Sorry.” Jared regained his balance after nearly tripping Olivia for the third time. “I’ve never done this before, and I can’t seem to get the footwork right.”
“Me either,” she said, her hand slipping from his.
Her sweet voice tickled Kingston’s ears, and he tried to keep his attention on his mother’s face. They had danced on and off over the years, starting with his first cotillion party when he was in third grade. He and the other students had practiced their new skills and then danced with their parents. Tonight, he could tell his mom was getting a little bored with the basics. She wasn’t a dancing maven, but she did know the fundamentals.
“All right, one more time,” Jared was saying. “Step forward. Then back.”
