“Two hundred and six to be exact. Bella and I finished them up this afternoon.” Robin looked at the cupcakes, a slight smile on her face. White frosting and a sparkling sugar snowflake topped each confection. Just now, under the twinkle lights, the cascades of cupcakes looked like a beautiful blizzard.
Out on the dance floor, couples slow danced to a song Sammy couldn’t put a name to. Something about an enchanted evening. The other chaperones had spread around the room.
A few kids lined up for a treat, and he and Robin worked together to pass them out. Robin loaded each cupcake onto a tiny plate, and he passed the plates to the waiting crowd.
“We’re turning into a well-oiled machine,” he said. Robin flashed him a smile. He could get used to working by her side. “This reminds me of my time in the military. Load, aim, shoot.”
Robin arched her back in a stretch. “Based on what you’ve told me, you couldn’t have been in very long.”
He’d never even had a chance to prove himself. “Nope. Less than two years.” He rubbed his jaw just below his right ear. “I was medically discharged.”
“What happened?”
“I was an infantryman.” He’d scored so low on the exam that the Army had just shoved him in a grunt job. “We called ourselves mortar maggots.” No real action, no real brains—at least, not in the positions he’d held. Just point the gun where the officer told him and shoot. He’d never even made it overseas. “One day while training, we had a short round—a shell didn’t fly like it was supposed to. It landed a few feet in front of the mortar.” He picked up a cupcake and demonstrated the shell landing on a plate a few inches away. “It exploded and I was knocked back. I hit my head. Earned me an early release.” But no commendations.
Robin’s eyes widened. “Wow! That’s terrible.” She put her hand on his bicep. “Do you still have issues from it?”
Issues. Ha. Yeah, he had issues.
But no need to dredge all that up. “Headaches sometimes.”
“I’m sorry. That sounds rough.”
“I know one guy who lost his sense of taste after an injury.” He picked up the exploded ordinance cupcake and took a bite. “Now that would be a tragedy.”
The rest of the evening passed quickly. Pouring out punch and chatting with the kids kept his mind and hands occupied. Hands that itched to take Robin’s and hold tight.
On the stage, the saxophone player leaned into a mic. “All right, everyone. This will be our last song, and then there will be a short break while DJ John James gets set up. Please enjoy the first movement fromWinterby Vivaldi.” The violinist took her place and the music started. The orchestral band had been playing easy-to-dance-to arrangements of popular modern songs, so at this driving and haunting melody everyone stopped.
Sammy leaned over and whispered in Robin’s ear. “How are you supposed to dance to this?”
“I have an idea—come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him out on to the floor.
“Wait—” But she didn’t let him finish.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun. We did this in my Zumba class once. Follow me.”
She kept a tight grip on his hand and stepped forward and back in time to the music. Sammy followed her lead. Then she added a step-behind vine move. Alongside her, Sammy counted out the steps, swaying when she swayed and stepping left and right in time. She began calling out the movements as she made them, and soon everyone on the dance floor was moving together in a line dance of sorts.
When the song slowed in the middle, Robin swung into Sammy’s arms and led him in a kind of waltz. Around them, the kids paired up as well, swaying in time to the music. When the song came to its upbeat staccato crescendo, she called out, “Everybody shimmy!”
He felt the loss of her as she broke contact with him and shook her shoulders in a shimmy. The whole dance floor joined in. Sammy tried to alternate his shoulders but failed to keep the rhythm, so he broke out the one move he did know—the sprinkler. Robin threw her head back and laughed.
As the last note reverberated around the room, the group broke into applause and laughter. Then the gym filled with chatter.
Sammy grabbed Robin’s hand and spun her to himself. “That was something else.”
“I didn’t think you’d be able to keep up,” she teased.
He smiled down at her. “Don’t worry about me. I can always keep up with a pretty lady.”
“It’s hot in here,” she said, fanning herself. “We should take a spin around the school halls. Make sure everyone is behaving themselves.”
He let go of her hand, but tucked it into the crook of his arm. “Lead on, m’lady.”
They wandered into the common area just outside the gymnasium. Students milled around talking and eating cupcakes.
“Looks like your treats are a hit.”
