Dread knotted my stomach as I stood there staring at the place setting before me. Finally, I cleared my throat and lifted my head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to the dinner on Thursday.”
Everyone froze. Even my mother stopped fussing over the stove and turned to stare.
“What do you mean, you don’t think you can make it?” My father’s voice was calm. Too calm. Like the calm before a storm.
I tried not to notice the way Chrissy’s face paled as she hovered at the counter behind him.
“I told you about Coach Reynolds’ punishment, remember?”
My father’s brows drew together in abject confusion, like I was suddenly speaking Greek. “What does that have to do with you? You didn’t get into trouble at that party.”
I cleared my throatagain. “No, sir, but Coach still expects me to go to that dance academy since I’m the captain and?—”
“That’s horse hockey!” My dad didn’t believe in swearing so ‘horse hockey’ was about as harsh as it got.
I shrugged. “I don’t like it either, Dad.”
“Did you talk to him about it?”
“I did.”
“And?” My dad planted hands on his hips like he was about to face off with my coach right here and now.
“And…I couldn’t get through to him.”
The silence was deafening. This was just about the worst sort of failure on my part. My dad was a big believer that everyone in this family ought to be a leader. But unlike Coach, my dad’s idea of being a leader didn’t mean taking a punishment along with my teammates. It meant being able to persuade and command.Persuade the powers that be and command the underlings, that was one of his mottos.
“I tried, Dad,” I said when I couldn’t take the silence any longer.
“You tried.” He shook his head. “Well, you didn’t try hard enough.”
I swallowed down a protest. It wouldn’t do any good to argue. If anything it would make things worse. I focused instead on the way Chrissy was fidgeting with the forgotten and empty water glass in her hands, anxiety making her pale features tighten.
“I’ll try talking to him again,” I said, already dreading this conversation.
My father ignored this. “You’re a Morrison,” he said, as if I’d forgotten my own last name. “Morrisons don’t take no for an answer.”
He turned away, moving over to the refrigerator, no doubt to grab a beer for himself. I flashed Chrissy a reassuring smile but she still looked stressed.
Still facing the fridge, my dad droned on. “Morrisons don’t give up,we get things done.”
That was another one of his famous mottos. I mouthed the last part along with my father behind his back, and finally got Chrissy to smile. She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing just as my father turned around to face me. “If Coach Reynolds won’t listen to reason, then talk to someone else.” He frowned. “Your time is valuable.”
And he should know. My dad had every second of every day planned out for me, and had for as long as I could remember.
“Yes, sir,” I said, relieved when my father turned to ask my mother about what we were having for dinner, officially putting an end to the conversation.
But one thing he’d said had gotten me thinking. If Coach Reynolds wouldn’t listen to reason, maybe there was someone who would. Sure, the lady who ran the academy was equally terrifying in her own way, but it had seemed like she was just as unhappyabout us being in her class as we were to be there. Maybeshewould see reason—maybe I could get her to talk some sense into our coach.
It wasn’t much of a plan but it beat the idea of wasting two evenings a week in a dance studio. I didn’t tell the others what I was planning to do because I didn’t want to get their hopes up, but the moment practice ended the next day, I took off for the academy.
I roamed the halls until the last of the girls filed out of the classroom and then I headed in, hoping I could find the teacher on her own.
I found someone all right…but it wasn’t the teacher.
What I found when I walked into that studio—it took the wind right out of me. I had to reach out and steady myself against the doorframe as I watched her—this vision of grace and beauty as she glided across the floor, spinning and turning, her eyes closed like she was lost in thought.
Lost in a beautiful fantasy, judging by the way a smile turned up the corners of her lips and her expression turned dreamy.
