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“Of course you can. Look, I know you’re nervous, but–”
“No,” she said. “You don’t understand. This isn’t the sort of thing where you give me a pep talk and I realize I can do it. I don’twantto do it.”
“Right, but…”
“I don’t want to do it. I’m terrified. I don’t want to.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to force the issue. She didn’t want to do it. She’d been alive sixty-two years and she sure as fuck knew her own mind. “Okay, that’s fine.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “It’s not. I’m letting Linda down.”
“Have you told Linda yet?”
“She said…she said it was okay, but…but she really wants to do this.”
“Can she do it solo?” I asked.
“It’s not the same without two people.”
“I know, but could she?”
Mom sniffed hard. “She told Donna to cut our number.” Tears slipped down her cheeks, and that did me in. I couldn’t stand to see my mom cry.
“I’ll do it.” Part of me wanted to look around for whoever had spoken those words. But most of me knew I’d said them.
Mom’s watery eyes widened. “What?”
“I’ll dance with Linda. God knows I rehearsed this thing fifty million times with you the other night.”
“But you only know Linda’s part.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “It won’t be the same. But at least I can do the same steps Linda’s doing at roughly the same time she’s doing them.”
Mom stared at me, eyes shining with what I hoped was awe and not just tears. “You’d do that? Really?”
I managed a small smile. “I don’t think I’ll fit into your dress, though.”
She gave a choked laugh. “I’m sure that’s okay.”
My gut jolted. “Shit. I don’t have shoes.”
“Oh! Jake’s are in my car.” Mom wiped her eyes again. “He came with me to the studio the other day, and we danced together, finally.”
“Seriously? Did he like it?”
“He said he wasn’t in a hurry to do it again. But he liked making me happy.”
“Wow. Good old Jake, coming through. I take back what I said about him being bland.”
Someone cleared their throat behind me.
It was Jake, because of course it was. “Hi Jake,” I said.
“I, uh…” He cleared his throat again. “Kathy, I just wanted you to know that if you don’t want to dance tonight, I’ll dance with you anytime. Anytime at all.”
“Awww.” I turned back to Mom. “See, the magic of Christmas. Now, about those shoes…”
Another voice behind me said, “If you give me your keys, Kathy, I can get the shoes out of your car.” I turned to see Cass watching us.
