“Wait a minute,” I say. “Did our little cynic just experience the sparks she claims don’t exist?”
“Ha, ha,” Jody says, but she doesn’t stop smiling.
I glance over to see Ollie chatting with Eliana and the young woman he danced with. Eliana glances at me and then keeps talking to him more urgently, leaning against his arm. Ollie looks over at me after a moment. It’s hard to meet his gaze, and hard not to.
His own final competition is soon, I realize: the Champion Jack & Jill. That’s the one the crowds seem the most excited for this whole weekend. It’s the dance with the most surprises and unexpected pairings. We are already in the main ballroom where the Champion-level event will occur, so we find places to watch as more people begin to filter in.
Helen was right. The room is buzzing with excitement. This is the biggest drama of them all, with all its forced pairings and painful histories. Will Connor Yung have to dance with the partners he scorned? Will Dion and Paula claim a victory in not only the choreographed routine but also the Jack & Jill? Are Eliana and Ollie falling in love again?
I watch as Ollie and Eliana take their seats far from each other in the two separate rows of chairs. He gazes around the room until his eyes find me and stay there.
Why does he keep doing that? I remind myself that I’m the one who rejected him this time, but it doesn’t feel any better.
Our pretty teacher Maria from Manhattan Swing has volunteered to help run the event, so it is she who is going to pick names out of a hat, putting together random couples and unexpected songs. The whole room vibrates with anticipation.
“First up,” Maria says, “we have Dion….” Dion stands up grinning, “and Jaana!”
Jody grins next to me at Jaana’s name. The room is abuzz. Dion and Jaana walk up to each other and hug, then face each other smiling, and their first song starts. It is a classic 1950s bluesy tune, and Dion clicks right into what I know is some solid East Coast Swing training, his footwork perfect. Jaana responds in kind, doing the moves with polish, grinning with delight.
As I watch them, I am reminded of what Hank told me in one of my training sessions with him: top-level competition dancing is different than social dancing because you get to shamelessly use large amounts of space. If you’re in a crowded room, you need to stay in your little area so you don’t knock into other couples by accident. But in competition, you can take advantage of the whole area, playing to the crowds on different sides of the room and extending your arms as far as they can go. Dion and Jaana are pros at this, and they end with a long slow slide that leaves Jaana doing a split on the floor.
When they finish, I turn to Helen and whisper, “How can anything beat that?”
She smiles. “Wait and see.”
Soon Hugo is up—Yukka’s former partner, paired with the Belgian woman Marianne who is also popular with the crowds. She has a mercurial flow and a bending quality that remind me of water being poured over rocks. Then a British man dances with Sarah, and I watch Connor’s eyes as he watches his old partner: nothing but friendly support.
“Have we gotten Connor wrong?” I ask Helen. “Maybe he’s just a nice guy who occasionally switches partners.”
Helen looks him over. “Nah,” Helen says. “There is ice in those veins.”
Then the next couple is up. “Connor,” cries Maria with enthusiasm in her voice. “And… Eliana!”
A murmur rushes through the crowds. This is drama. What will happen when Connor has to dance with the woman he just cast aside? They approach each other slowly as Connor gives her an amused, apologetic look, one that Nick has given me often enough that I can recognize it:I know I let you down, but you forgive me, right?
There is a determined look on Eliana’s face as she takes his hand.Oh, I think.She’s going to kill this. I don’t even like Eliana, but I already know she’s going to be great before the music begins. I glance at Ollie, whose face is impassive. Connor gently positions her close to his shoulder. They have been dancing together for years now, and it shows in every movement they make, every sexy turn, every little slide where he brings her close and then back again. When they finish, I genuinely wonder if they are going to kiss.
My eyes go back to Ollie, who has the same neutral expression on his face as he applauds politely. I look away from him toward the door, and that is when I see someone else staring at Ollie even more intensely than I am.
It is a man with red-brown hair, close to Ollie’s coloring but more ruggedly handsome, his arms muscular and tattooed, his skin tanned. He could easily be a fashion model or a movie star in a 1960s Western. He is Ollie’s brother. I know it at once.
It feels impossible. Coming here? Right when Ollie is about to perform in his first big competition in years and will be completely distracted if he notices his brother?
“Our next lead is…Oliver MacCormack!”
I am on my feet before I have time to think about it, crossing the room to him. To Sean. The name pops into my mind.
“Excuse me,” I say. “Are you Sean? Ollie’s brother?”
The man glances at me, then back at Ollie.
“Yeah, why?” he asks. His Australian accent is more noticeable than Ollie’s, and I vaguely wonder if the older brotherkept the accent on purpose. I suspect he must have, that it must be part of his charming, unruly auctioneer persona. Of course he’s pulling the Crocodile Dundee thing, like he didn’t grow up in a fancy suburb. His boots are artfully scuffed.
“Can I talk to you outside?” I ask.
“I want to watch him dance first.”
“Well, this is a really big deal for him and if he sees you, it could distract him.”
