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“Of course, you can, but I think it better if I take my car with me.”
“You can always UBER.”
“Tonic water with lime, Codrin.”
He chuckled. “Yes, Miss Jasmine, as you wish.”
He headed for the bar. I surveyed the room, which was getting crowded. That was when I spotted her from across the room, sitting with several HR employees. I marked her seat. I would give her fifteen minutes. Then, I would make my move, no matter who else arrived.
“Here you are.” Codrin placed a glass in front of me. “There’s more where that came from.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Do you dance?”
“I’ve been known to.”
“I asked the DJ to play something slowish. Would you like a spin?”
I stood. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Dancing had never been a strong suit for me. I could manage a few dances without making a fool of myself, but I was no threat in a dance contest. I knew I wouldn’t step on Codrin’s feet. That would probably be good enough.
I didn’t have to worry. Codrin was a wonderful dancer. I should have known he would be. He didn’t press too hard, yet, he guided me around the wooden dance floor as if we had rehearsed the steps a hundred times. More importantly, I felt safe in his arms, protected and warm. Wayne had been a capable dancer, but he didn’t possess the grace of Codrin. With Wayne, I often had to catch up a step or two. Not that it mattered. I would have danced with Wayne if he had two left feet. I was beginning to think that it would be the same with Codrin.
“You are easy to dance with,” he said.
I looked into those eyes. Damn, if the fire started inside.
“You’re doing all the work,” I said. “I’m just following.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Surprised? In what way?”
“Surprised that we fit so well together. I’ll tell you the truth. I’m not surprised in the least. I knew it would be like this, easy and…right.”
“I’ll tell you a secret,” I said. “In eighth grade, I went to the annual Spring Fling, a dance to celebrate our graduation. As you might guess, the boys were lined up on one side, the girls on the other. No one had the courage to walk across and ask someone to dance. We were all chicken except for Billy. Billy, who was average, walked over and asked the prettiest girl in the class. She turned him down.”
“You turned down Billy?” Codrin teased.
“I was no match for Crystal Thorp, trust me. Billy wasn’t deterred. He chose the homeliest girl in the class and asked her. She said yes. They went out on the gym floor and danced. They were having the time of their lives. That was when another boy asked a girl to dance. A third boy, and a fourth, I found myself dancing with Cory Anselm. It was a thrill. We were both bad. Didn’t matter. It was enough to be out there.”
“Is this better?”
I smiled. “So much better. You can dance, Codrin.”
“So can you.”
I glanced at the table I had marked, and sure enough, the other person I was looking for had arrived.
“I need a favor,” I said.
“Anything,” he replied. “Within reason. I’m not going to rob a convenience store for you.”
“Why not? I bet you’d be good at it.”
He laughed.
