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‘Fine?’

‘Yeah. Love a boogie. Had fun.’

Sienna had expected her to have much more to say. She wasn’t expecting compliments, exactly. But something. They had danced well together, eventually.

‘Sienna,’ Zoe pressed, leaning forward with an arched brow. ‘The producer told me you went into this saying you were a good dancer. Do you feel you proved yourself correct?’

Sienna took a slow breath. She wanted to say, ‘Yes. I was right. And that’s why I danced like a bloody legend.’ And looking across at Robin, she couldn’t bring herself to play the villain today. She was off. It took the steam out of Sienna’s engine, somewhat.

‘Actually, I was a bit rubbish,’ Sienna said plainly. ‘I overthought it,’ Sienna continued, meeting Robin’s gaze across the console. ‘But once I stopped treating the floor like an exam, I actually enjoyed myself.’

Robin looked up at Sienna, caught off guard, then quickly looked down at her hands.

‘How about Robin?’

‘She had some moves,’ Sienna admitted. She wasn’t willing to say any more than that. ‘She’s a natural.’

‘Well!’ Zoe beamed. ‘The listeners didn’t agree. The votes are in, and for Date Two... Sienna takes the win.’

Robin snapped her head up. ‘Wait, what? Hold on! It’s audio-only format, Zoe! They couldn’t even see the dancing! How did she win?’

‘Because, Robin,’ Zoe said, ‘it was painfully obvious to anyone with ears that you were completely blown away by her out there. The listeners weren’t voting on the footwork. They were responding to the fact that Sienna knocked your socks off.’

‘I did kind of outdance you,’ Sienna was compelled to say now that her confidence was backed by a vote win. ‘Because I listened to the lesson. And you didn’t. Not that you weren’t good. You were.’

Sienna prepared herself for a backlash that she probably deserved.

Robin let out a defeatist groan. ‘Fine. God, I hate admitting this on air, but she earned it. She was brilliant. She deserves the win. She taught me a thing or two. I was just trying to keep up.’

‘And she did,’ Sienna said quietly, not looking at Robin. ‘We had a good rhythm by the end.’

Zoe nodded. ‘But maybe it’s not just about your different approaches and whose way was best. Maybe what the voters liked was that Sienna… sort of… what’s the word for it… She romanced you.’

Sienna’s stomach dropped. ‘I wouldn’t quite use that word,’ she said quickly. She looked to Robin for her response.

There wasn’t one. For the first time, Robin was completely and utterly silent. No comeback, no argument. She was just looking at Zoe like she’d bonked her on the head with a mallet.

‘Which means,’ Zoe announced cheerfully, ‘for Date Three, Robin is legally bound to follow Sienna’s advice on how to date with intention.’

Robin groaned, burying her face in her hands.

‘Maybe we could just get some pointers for her from Sienna?’ Zoe asked.

Sienna felt her old self rise easily back up for a good old gloat. ‘Let’s see. Well, no more pulling a random activity out of your hat five minutes before. You’re going to have to actually sit down, plan an environment that encourages real dialogue, and come prepared with questions that dig into our basic compatibility. Or lack thereof.’

‘Oh, God,’ Robin mumbled through her fingers, her voice muffled. ‘You’re making me conduct a job interview.’

‘A targeted conversation,’ Sienna corrected, leaning forward with a satisfied smile. ‘You’ll need to ask the boring stuff. What we actually want out of a partner, how we handle conflict, that sort of thing.’

‘She’s going to make you build a spreadsheet for your feelings, Robin,’ Zoe chimed in, practically bouncing in her swivel chair with delight.

Robin lifted her head, staring at Sienna with genuine dread. ‘You are evil. Pure evil.’

Zoe turned to Sienna. ‘Do you have any more tips?’ Zoe asked.

‘As a matter of fact, I do,’ Sienna said with a grin.

***