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Inexplicably, Violet was disappointed. In not-Chuck for beingthat guy. And in herself for wanting her handsome cowboy to be as dateless and single as she was.
“Kelcie. Long time, no see.” Shakespeare gave off no aura that said he’d done the deed with the hip hop cardio instructor. In fact, his demeanor projected a friend-zone vibe that Vi wanted to believe. “How’s that crowd performance anxiety coming along?”
“Say what?” Grandma Dotty did a double-take, nearly losing her balance since she had one foot in the air and had been on her way to a seat inside the Town Car. “You used to have stage fright, Kelcie? Me, too.”
Violet contained an eye-roll. Her grandmother had never had a problem stepping into the spotlight. Or stealing it, for that matter. All in good fun, of course.
“I can confess to you, Kelcie.” Grandma Dotty lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Being a runway model is on my bucket list. I’m afraid my hippity-two-step won’t be good enough to model for Xuri. You know, she’s sending over a coat for me to practice my runway moves with.”
“O.M.G.!” Kelcie gushed, finally ripping her eyes off not-Chuck. “Is Xuri looking for hip hop dancers? I heard she was in town. I totally qualify.”
“Not to mention, you’ve conquered your stage fright,” Vi mumbled, gesturing for her grandmother to get in the car.
Not-Chuck caught her eye and mouthed,“Behave.”
He might just as well have cautioned her not to misbehave because Vi couldn’t stop looking at his lips while Dotty and Kelcie gushed over Xuri’s fashions, runway shows, and cutting-edge promotional stunts.
Vi was no better than Kelcie, the cardio instructor!
“My eyes…” Not-Chuck leaned closer to Vi and wiggled his fingers in front of those brown orbs. “…are up here.”
Violet’s cheeks burned hotter than they had during her work out.
Shakespeare handed her a bottle of water. “You look like you need to cool off.”
Vi gritted her teeth. She chugged down half the bottle and then nudged her grandmother, interrupting her conversation with Kelcie. “Time to go.” Before Chuck’s constant scrutiny and mischievous smile got to her and she made like a starfish and attached her limbs to his body.
“I’m sure if Xuri saw you dance, you’d be next in line,” Grandma Dotty told Kelcie, inching to the car once more. She tapped a thumb to her chest. “You’d be next in line after me, of course.”
“Of course! We have to talk more about this, Dotty. Say two p.m. today during our lesson?” Kelcie toggled screens on her phone. “I’ve got another class to teach now but you’ll find my private lesson pricing quite fair.”
Violet heaved a sigh. So much for keeping her grandmother’s bucket list aspirations in check. Hip hop was going to be the theme of the week.
“Water, Dotty?” Shakespeare handed her grandmother a water bottle. For someone who’d practically kidnapped Vi on horseback and knew he had sex appeal to spare, he could be a nice guy. “Time to get going.”
“Yes. I’ve got work to do,” Vi added, reminding herself that Harvard professors didn’t have Hampton flings. Plus, the motor was running. She could feel the cold air from the limo’s air conditioning teasing her sweaty mess of a body with the promise of a refrigerator-like climate. She hopped in.
Once they were settled and on their way home, Shakespeare was back to charming them. “I was serious about that ride, ladies. No charge. I exercise horses over at the Beeswax Farm. You’d be doing me a favor.”
“I’ve always wanted to race horses on a beach,” Grandma Dotty said in a faraway voice. Her head was tipped back. Her eyes closed. She snored softly.
Violet caught not-Chuck’s gaze in the rear view mirror. She pressed a finger to her lips.
“Anyway,” he whispered. “Riding with you would be no problem. Single this time.” He flashed her that lady-killer smile of his. “Or double if you prefer.”
“Pass,” Violet whispered back. “I’m not here to soak up the sun.” Or indulge in flirtations with reckless strangers. “I’m writing a book on Shakespeare, and I have a deadline approaching.” A looming one in August. “I’ve got to be diligent with my time because I imagine there are more hip hop cardio lessons in my future.”
“Speaking of lessons…” Not-Chuck glanced at her in the rear view. “I’d like to talk to you about Shakespeare. Maybe a little tutoring in exchange for a horseback ride?”
“Not interested.” Besides, she didn’t believe he was sincere about Shakespeare. In her experience, no man she’d met outside of academia found the works of William Shakespeare to be a titillating topic of conversation.
“I have legitimate questions, Vivi, about specific quotes I’m interested in.”
“Right. LikeTo be or not to be?” Violet shook her head. “Don’t tease me about my life’s work just to get a date.”
“I’m not teasing.” But not-Chuck didn’t discount the date aspect of such a conversation. He turned into their driveway. “At least, listen to the quotes I want clarity on.”
“You’re persistent. I’ll give you that.” But Vi wasn’t going to let him corner her. She woke Grandma Dotty and hustled her inside the house without looking back.
