Page 67 of Before the Encore

“Later.”

Bonnie straightened her spine, taking in her parents’ faces. Nobody spoke for a beat too long. Bonnie found it difficult to steer the conversation now, afraid to hit topics that might cause upset or confusion. Even good days could sour quickly.

Surprisingly, her dad spoke first. “It’s nice to see you.”

Guilt nestled in the gaps between the words. She swallowed it down. “It’s nice to see you too.”

“I did think you’d been a while at dance class.” Her mum raised an eyebrow. “Did Mrs Hanson keep you behind to work on that chaine turn again?”

Bonnie nodded, amazed by the detail her mum produced sometimes. “It’s a tricky one.”

Bonnie hadn’t been to Mrs Hanson’s dance class since she was thirteen, but the bubbly yet firm teacher had had a lasting impact.

“Keep at it, love. Practice makes perfect.” Her mum’s eyes brightened as she turned to Madison. “Have you heard my girl sing? She’s wonderful.”

Bonnie’s breath caught in her throat.

“I have.” Madison cast a gorgeous half-smile at Bonnie. “I could never sing like that and move at the same time without causing several injuries.”

Mel returned with the tea, balancing a full tray of cups, a teapot, and milk, and setting it on the table. “If you need anything, just press your button.” She nodded to the device wired into the chair arm and vanished into the hallway to help a man called Edwin locate his missing slipper.

Bonnie poured the hot tea equally into the cups, then added one sugar for her mum and another for herself. “Do you take sugar?” she asked Madison.

She grinned sheepishly. “Three.”

Bonnie tutted. “It’s a wonder your teeth haven’t all fallen out from the amount of crap you eat.”

“Lay off the girl, Nora,” her mum jumped in. “Not everyone flosses like a regimented army sergeant at eight-years-old.”

Madison laughed. Bonnie’s dad joined in, his thin-wired glasses slipping down his nose. And for a moment, they could’ve been sitting in their bright conservatory at home, drinking tea from grandma’s prized china cups—Mum making jokes, Dad chuckling in his chair, classical music playing from their stereo.

Conversation flowed steadily. Mum glowed about the salon and her fresh manicure; Dad crowed on about tennis, reciting serving and speed stats from Wimbledon. Bonnie answered questions when asked, keeping topics light, always checking Mum’s face for any warning signs of distress. When met with a happy smile, Bonnie did her best not to cry.

Madison joined in too, listening to Dad’s extensive cleaning routine for his golf clubs and making comments that made Mum laugh. Through it all, she stayed a presence at Bonnie’s side, her warm thigh pressing to hers like it always did.

When Mel reappeared sometime later, disappointment curled in her gut. Time had passed too quickly. “Dinner time,” she announced as clinking cutlery emanated from down the hallway. “You’re welcome to stay and wait if you’d like. But it can take a while.”

“Thank you, but we’d better go.” Bonnie tapped her hands on her thighs and stood.

“It was nice to meet you.” Dad shook Madison’s hand again. And the amalgamation of those two worlds colliding had Bonnie’s heart doing a funny little skip.

She hugged her mum, breathing her in as her fingertips rubbed circles on Bonnie’s back. Then her mum hugged Madison too, taking her by surprise.

“I’m so glad my girl’s found someone nice,” she said over her shoulder.

Oh god. Fear and excitement shook up inside her like a cocktail.

But Madison took it in her stride, stepping back to loop an arm around Bonnie that burned hot at her waist. “I’ll take care of her.”

Did she mean that? Bonnie glanced up at that hard jaw, finding nothing but sincerity in her features. With Madison, it was hard to tell. Bonnie knew better than anyone how well she could put on an act.

“So sweet!” Mel clasped her hands over her chest. “Any plans for the rest of the day, ladies?”

“Enjoy a bit of the sunshine before we go through the final preparations for our last show tonight,” Madison answered too quickly.

Bonnie’s heart leapt into her throat. She shared a wide-eyed look with her dad as Mel squealed with enthusiasm. “A show, how lovely!”

Her mum’s brows drew together. “A show? Tonight? But…”