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‘Sure. Of course.’ He nodded. Liz detected a resigned tone in his voice.
‘Perfect. I’ll do it now, and then everyone can enjoy the evening,’ she said, briskly, and went to stand by the bar, at the centre of the room.
‘Everyone! Can I have your attention, please?’ She used a spoon to tap on the side of a nearby whisky tumbler until everyone had quieted down. ‘Thank you. Welcome to the launch of Loch Cameron Distillery’s new Old Maids range of four whiskies, and also, our joint Easter fundraising event for the mother and baby group! You’ve been so kind to buy tickets to tonight’s events, and the money we’ve raised is going towards a trampoline for the kids, and, if we earn above our target, we’ll also be able to buy them some other much needed play equipment. So, cheers to you!’ She raised a glass and toasted everyone in the room, who returned the gesture.
‘So, please enjoy the free samples of our four new whiskies, enjoy tonight’s entertainment from the children, who I believe are going to sing us some lovely songs before the Easter egg hunt which will happen in the garden outside. Please do tuck into the delicious food, all supplied by Dotty, Eric, Bess, Mina and Kathy. Thank you, everyone!’
There was a round of applause, and Eric turned the music back on.
‘Liz. You look beautiful tonight.’ Paul turned around from where he was standing by the bar and gave her that slow, appreciative grin she had fallen in love with, once. ‘That’s some dress.’
‘Oh, you came. Thank you. It’s new.’ Liz did a little twirl, and then felt horribly self-conscious. ‘You look very nice too,’ she added, shyly.
Paul, in fact, looked very handsome in a sharp navy-blue suit and a crisp white shirt underneath. Liz hadn’t told him it would be a dressy event, and there was a mix of people here already, some dressed up in cocktail dresses and suits, some in jeans and sweatshirts. Some of the children sported Easter jumpers and bunny hats.
‘Thank you. Wanted to make an effort for your big launch.’ Paul smiled, clearly pleased at the compliment. ‘Great party! You organised this?’
‘Oh, well, partly. I had a lot of help.’ Liz sipped her champagne. There was an awkward pause. ‘It was kind of you to come,’ she added.
She didn’t know how she thought about seeing Paul again. Did she really want to go back to what she’d had with him, even if their chemistry was still there? Nothing had changed. He’d asked her to go back to Glasgow and she’d refused. He didn’t want a baby. They were at an impasse.
It was comforting, being around him, and knowing that she was welcome in his arms and in his bed. But she wasn’t sure if that was enough.
‘Would you like to dance?’ Paul gestured to the dancefloor, which was already busy. A popular song from the 90s was playing.
‘Oh, you know that I don’t really dance.’ Liz blushed, feeling like she’d been caught off guard.
‘Come on. It isn’t like you have to know the steps?’ Paul held out a hand for her. ‘Not these days, anyway. I think back fondly to the 1940s and the 50s. You know, when there were actual dances to learn.’
‘I know what you mean.’ Liz laughed, raising her voice to be heard above the music. ‘You know I’ve never gone to a dance class, though. No tango or foxtrot for me.’
‘I took a Lindy Hop class recently. If you want me to show you.’ Paul took Liz’s hand gently. ‘C’mon. It’ll be fun.’
‘Oh, no. I couldn’t,’ she protested.
‘C’mon. I promise, you’ll be great.’ He took her champagne glass from her and set it on the nearby bar.
‘Oh, what the hell!’ Liz relented. It was a party, after all.
‘That’s the spirit.’ Paul led her to the dance floor, and they found a space among the dancers.
‘Okay. What do we do?’ Liz held Paul’s hand as they stood among the dancers. His touch was warm and familiar.
‘Right. You hold my left hand. Then, look, I’m going to do the basic triple step. Then you copy it. Okay?’ he asked, and she nodded, watching his feet. ‘All right, then.’
The beat of the song playing was fast, so Paul took a moment, and then gave a surprisingly smooth demonstration of a forward and back step, followed by three steps to the left, accompanied with a half turn. He did it again, and then held his hand out to her.
‘Okay. That’s what it looks like. So, follow me: forward, back. Then step-step-step to the side, with a turn. Right.’
They practiced the steps for a few minutes, laughing as Liz stepped on Paul’s feet. Slowly, Liz got the hang of it.
There was something lovely about being together again and having fun. For a few minutes, Liz allowed herself not to think about the impasse they were at, and just let herself focus on enjoying Paul’s company.
‘That’s good. Okay, now, we’re going to hold hands. I take your arm back like this.’ He demonstrated, pulling her arm gently, and making her turn by doing so. ‘And when I do that, you do step-step.’ He demonstrated a slightly different step and positioning of his feet.
‘Okay.’ Liz frowned, trying to make her body remember what to do. Concentrating, she made a passable attempt at the basic steps. ‘Oh! I’m doing it!’
‘Good! You’re a natural,’ Paul laughed. Unexpectedly, he picked her up off the ground and swung her effortlessly to one side, landing her expertly on her feet.
