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Stabbing a potato, he glanced at his sister. Never in his life had they invited guests at the campground to eat dinner with them. The only explanation he could come up with for why his sister did so was because Juliette was not only a guest but also a friend of Holly’s. Whatever the reason behind her invitation, he hoped his sister didn’t extend too many more invitations. Switching his gaze, he looked at his mom. When he’d heard her asking if Juliette needed anything, he’d come to a dead stop for a minute. Large resorts and five-star hotels might allow guests to put in grocery orders and have them delivered to their door, but the campground had never provided such a service. And as far as he knew, it wasn’t one his mom intended to start. So why was she offering to pick up food for their guest now? Was it because the woman across the table was Holly’s friend? His mom and Mrs. Lambert were friends, so maybe she felt obligated to make sure Juliette’s stay was enjoyable. Or she was asking because Juliette Belmont came from one of the wealthiest families in the United States, and she felt compelled to bend over backward for her? His mom never struck him as a person who would care about a person’s background. Perhaps he’d been wrong. Whatever the case, he hoped his mom didn’t make a habit of doing their guest’s shopping. She had enough of her own responsibilities. She didn’t need to be taking on someone else’s, especially when the individual was an adult capable of taking care of herself.
“When is there going to be another dance class?” Tiegan asked after she finished filling them all in on her day—a day that, according to her, had been the worst one ever because she had to work with Jeremy Benson on a group project. Aaron didn’t know if she’d always disliked the other student, but at least since she’d been living with him, Jeremy was her least favorite kid in her class.
Candace added another slice of meat to her plate and shrugged. “I’m not sure. Hopefully soon. I left a message with the parks and rec office. They haven’t called me back yet.”
Frowning, Tiegan slumped in her chair and poked at her salad with her fork. “Can’t you try again? Kellie and I really want to dance.”
“If I don’t hear from them by Friday, I’ll call again.” His sister tapped Tiegan on the shoulder. “Please sit up.”
“Isn’t there a dance school in town?” Juliette asked.
“No,” Tiegan answered. Although she no longer slouched, her pout remained fixed on her face as she pushed aside a radish before taking a forkful of salad.
Tonight wasn’t the first time this topic came up over dinner. And until Candace was teaching another dance class at one of the schools’ gyms, it would come up again. Each time, his niece’s reaction would be similar, not that he blamed her. At her age, he would’ve been disappointed too if he hadn’t been able to participate in the sports he loved.
“There used to be. But Merry and her husband decided to move to Arizona after he retired, so the school closed last year after the recital in June. Two of us that worked there now teach dance classes through the parks and rec department. But we have to compete for space with the other programs offered, so it’s not something we can do year-round,” Candace explained.
“That’s unfortunate. There aren’t any dance schools nearby, either?”
His mom shook her head as she buttered a roll. “The closest one is a little over an hour away. A few kids in town go there, but not many. It’s just too inconvenient.”
“My friend Jasmine goes to Premier Dance. She showed everyone a picture of her recital costumes today,” Tiegan added, referring to her friend and classmate Jasmine Pine.
Not that Tiegan knew it, but when his sister and niece moved in, he’d offered to drive her to and from dance once a week because he knew his sister didn’t have the time. She’d refused to take him up on the offer. Her rationale had been that clas
ses were already underway, and Tiegan would be behind everyone else. He had a feeling that wasn’t her only reason for not accepting his help.
“I danced for a long time. I even minored in it when I was in college. My favorite was ballet. What’s yours?” Juliette asked.
Yep, he could picture her up on stage performing a graceful ballet routine with those incredibly long legs of hers. Unlike the first time they met, today she wore dark gray leggings instead of jeans. He’d thought her jeans had shown off her legs well. He’d been dead wrong. It should be illegal for the woman across from him to wear leggings out in public. She’d paired them with a long white sweater that reached almost midthigh. He couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not, since it covered what he suspected was an incredible ass. But if it hadn’t been covered, he would’ve stood there and stared when she walked over to the table earlier. And knowing his luck, Candace would’ve noticed his behavior. She always picked up on those things he’d rather she missed.
“Tap and hip-hop. But Mom only teaches ballet and jazz. And Miss Sandy teaches lyrical.” Tiegan raised her fork toward her mouth, but it didn’t make it there. “Oh, and I really like acro too. I took that with Miss Sandy before Dance Dynamics closed.”
“I never did acro, but I used to enjoy tap.”
He’d always dreaded the tap numbers when his parents dragged him to his sisters’ yearly recitals. It wasn’t so much the style of the dance but the noise. How anyone survived being in a class with ten or twelve students all tap dancing away was one of the world's great mysteries.
“Since we use the gyms in the schools, we’re limited to what we can teach. The tap shoes would ruin the floors, and we don’t have the necessary mats for acro classes.”
He’d never thought much about it, but his sister’s explanation made sense.
Next to him, Tiegan stuffed the last forkful of food in her mouth and pushed back her chair as she chewed. “I’m done. Can I go?”
“Make sure you take care of your dish first.”
His niece didn’t need to hear anything else from her mom. After scraping the last few pieces of lettuce and the radishes she didn’t eat into the trash, she popped the dish in the dishwasher and bolted from the room.
Across from him, Juliette finished her salad. He’d noticed that while she added some roast and potatoes to her plate, she filled the bulk of the space with salad, which she’d proceeded to eat minus the dressing, unlike his sister, who drowned hers in creamy ranch as usual.
“It’s too bad someone who worked at the studio couldn’t take it over when the owner retired,” Juliette commented.
If his sister had been in a position to own a business, he believed she would’ve taken over Dance Dynamics in a heartbeat.
For the next few minutes, Juliette and his sister discussed their favorite memories of dancing and why they believed it was such a beneficial activity for girls as well as boys. Candace retrieved dessert from the refrigerator somewhere during their debate of which was a more enjoyable style to perform, contemporary or lyrical. Contemporary got his sister’s vote, while Juliette’s went toward lyrical.
Juliette accepted the slice of cheesecake covered with cherries from his sister. Perhaps once a week, they had dessert with dinner. Sometimes it would be something either his sister or mom baked. Other nights it’d just be a bowl of ice cream. When they did have dessert though, it was usually on the weekend or for a special occasion, not a random Tuesday night. But he wouldn’t complain. Cheesecake, regardless of whether it was New York-style topped with fruit or the one his mom made using ricotta cheese, was his all-time favorite dessert.
“This might seem like an odd question, and I didn’t want to mention it in front of Tiegan, but have you ever considered letting her do some modeling?”
