by Raine Thomas
Sure, she was beautiful. But now…good lord. Those tights and that leotard showed him just what her baggy clothes had been hiding. Combined with the refinement of her movements, it had his body responding in a completely unexpected way.
Which was crazy, he told himself, since her poise and control were the two traits he had initially disliked about her the most.
Life could sure be ironic.
He shook off his reaction and returned his focus to the lesson, doing his best to look only at Katie. He pulled out his phone and used his camera, both to take pictures and capture some video. His dad was going to want to see them later.
Jasmine focused on barre work, showing Katie how to do a plié, a tendu, a degage, and rond de jambe. Will asked her to spell all of them so he could make notes and look them up on YouTube, knowing Katie was going to want to practice them on her own. Judging by the beaming smiles he saw on her face every time Jasmine praised her, he was going to have to install a barre in his home gym that very afternoon.
They went over the hour by nearly twenty minutes. Will hadn’t even registered how much time had passed. Having the opportunity to watch Katie learn something that made her happy had the time passing in a blink.
“I know going through the moves and positions is repetitive,” Jasmine said as she and Katie sat to change their shoes. “But these are building blocks to learning routines.”
Katie nodded sagely. It had Will’s lips twitching in amusement, especially when he observed how she was mimicking Jasmine’s posture and mannerisms.
“It seems you enjoyed yourself, huh, kiddo?” he said, walking over to her and giving her bun a gentle tug.
She smiled and nodded.
“Would you like to do this again?” Jasmine asked her.
Another nod, this one more vigorous.
Jasmine also smiled. The genuineness of it made her attractive on a whole other level, he thought. It revealed to him that she wasn’t just polished, poised, and aloof. There was passion inside her just waiting to be ignited.
“Then we need to get you the proper gear,” she said, looking from Katie to Will. “If you’d like, I can take Katie shopping.”
The offer stunned him. Again, she was showing generosity he wouldn’t have previously attributed to her.
“I appreciate that,” he said. “Actually, I’m going to be tied up between now and my upcoming road trip. Would you be willing to go shopping with Katie and Gareth? He’s our neighbor and one of Katie’s caregivers.”
She didn’t immediately reply. Since she was pulling her sweatshirt back over her head, he wasn’t sure if that was because she was hesitant to go shopping with Katie and a stranger or because she didn’t want to talk through her clothes.
“I’d give Gareth my credit card,” he added when she just paused and studied him.
It took her another moment to say, “I’d be happy to help.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“Will we meet here again for the next lesson?”
He reached up to scratch the side of his jaw as he looked around the room. “That’s a problem. We need to get this place renovated, so we won’t be able to use it like this again. I’m thinking we can just use my home gym if it’s convenient for you. We’re in Piedmont Heights. I’m not sure where you’d have to drive from.”
“I’m right across from Steamy Beans,” she said, lifting her gym bag back onto her shoulder. “That should work well.”
“Perfect. Why don’t I help get that barre disassembled and loaded into your car?”
Five minutes later, he locked Giuseppe’s doors and walked with Jasmine to the back of the Jeep so he could load the barre for her. She reached past him to toss her gym bag into the back and he caught her scent, something lightly floral and utterly feminine that once again made his libido take notice. And when she reached up, untwisted her hair tie, and released her glorious dark hair so it spilled down between her shoulder blades, there was even a moment where he forgot how to breathe.
“So, call or text me when you’ve had a chance to talk with your neighbor,” Jasmine said as she closed the Jeep’s door. “We can schedule another lesson once we have some gear for Katie.”
“Sure,” he managed. Then, remembering he hadn’t paid her, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed her the hundred dollars plus an extra twenty for the additional time she’d given them. “Thanks again for doing this.”
“It was my pleasure.” She accepted the money and turned to smile at Katie. “Great job today, Katie. You work on what we learned today and then hopefully we can incorporate some new techniques next time.”
Katie lifted her hand in a thumbs-up gesture.
Will waited for Jasmine to get into the Jeep. She paused in the driver’s seat with her hand on the door. Before she closed herself in, she looked at him and said in a low voice, “I sure hope no one saw us go into that place together and then exchange money afterward. I can only imagine what they’d think.”
Because she grinned and winked at him, he knew she was joking. It provoked a laugh from him as she closed the door. It also gave his attraction to her another hard nudge.
Who would have guessed she had such a warped sense of humor?
He and Katie waved her off and then climbed into his truck to head home. As he started the engine and backed out of the parking spot, he took a moment to reflect on how the lesson had gone.
He had started it with serious reservations about working with Jasmine because he hadn’t thought she would be invested in Katie, and he quite frankly hadn’t liked her very much. Now here he was ninety minutes later, having serious reservations about working with her for the exact opposite reasons.
He wasn’t at all sure what to do about that. When he’d come up with this idea, he’d had some expectation that he’d have to help protect Katie’s heart from being broken if this didn’t work out.
What the hell was he going to do to protect his own?
Chapter Ten
Jasmine wasn’t sure just how she had pictured Gareth Dixon in her head, but the six-foot, six-inch, three hundred-pound black man with a bald head and full salt-n-pepper beard definitely hadn’t been it. When he first approached her in front of the dancewear store that she liked to frequent, she had assumed he’d pass her by on his way to one of the other stores in the strip mall. Her expression must have been quite comical when he instead stopped a few feet from her and extended a hand.
“Jasmine? I’m Gareth Dixon,” he’d said with a mellow southern voice and kind smile.
Belatedly, she caught sight of the bright purple shirt Katie was wearing as she clung to his hand and hid behind him. Jasmine did her best to collect herself, hoping she hadn’t offended him.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she accepted the handshake. When Katie poked her head out and wiggled her fingers at her, she tacked on, “And it’s nice to see you again, Katie. You ready to go shopping?”
Katie nodded and edged closer.
“Okay. Right this way.”
Jasmine guided them into the store. It was early in the day in the middle of the week, so it didn’t surprise her to find it empty. That was one of the reasons she had scheduled this shopping trip at this time. She figured Katie would be more comfortable if there wasn’t a crowd.
Spotting the manager on duty, a woman named Leslie she’d known for years, Jasmine lifted her hand in a wave. Leslie started to wave back. Her hand froze and her eyes widened when she saw Gareth. Jasmine might have been amused by the look on Leslie’s face if she hadn’t probably looked much the same herself a couple minutes ago. Gareth wasn’t exactly a typical dancewear consumer.
Leslie noticed Katie by Gareth’s side and produced a wide, salesperson smile. She left the shelf she had been straightening and approached them, now all business.
“Hi there,” she said. “Welcome to It’s Showtime. Is this the young lady we’re shopping for today?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gareth said.
“This here is Katie.”
He didn’t seem at all concerned that Katie had twisted so she stood behind him, her back pressed against his thigh. She had lost a shade of color and her breathing had quickened. Jasmine remembered what Will said about Katie and her response to some females. Something about Leslie was obviously not to her liking.
Jasmine told the manager, “We’re going to pick out some new shoes and a couple of outfits for Katie.”
“Great,” she replied. “I’d love to help. Should we measure her foot to gauge the best size?”
“She wears a size twelve girl’s shoe,” Gareth said when Katie didn’t budge. “Don’t know what that means for ballet shoes, though.”
“All right. We could start with that size and a half-size up,” Leslie said. “What brands do you want me to pull, Jasmine?”
Katie’s uneven breathing had grown audible in the quiet store. Holding up a finger, Jasmine walked behind Gareth. She lowered herself so she was at Katie’s eye level and waited until she met her gaze.
“Katie, this is Leslie. She’ll be the one to measure your feet so we can be sure we buy the right shoes. She’ll also have to go to the back to get the shoes for you to try on. We need her help if we’re going to get those ballet shoes you want.”
Katie brought her hand to her face, pressing her curled fingers against her lips. She dared another peek at Leslie. Leslie smiled and waved at her in the friendly way people in customer service tended to do. Katie quickly returned to her position, her gaze on the ground.
A thought occurred to Jasmine. She stood back up and said, “Leslie, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure.”
“Please excuse us, Gareth,” Jasmine said.
“No problem.”
She heard him murmuring to Katie in his soothing voice as she walked with Leslie out of their earshot. “Sorry,” she said when they stopped. “Katie’s really shy. I honestly don’t know her that well, but I don’t think she likes it when people are overly friendly, or maybe just friendly when they don’t know her. I hope I don’t come across as rude, but would you mind toning it down for her sake?”
Leslie sent a sympathetic glance in Katie’s direction. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Why don’t we bypass the feet measuring? I’ll go and get a few pairs of shoes we can try on. If she’s more comfortable with you assisting her, that’s perfectly fine with me.”
“Thanks, Leslie.”
Hoping her suggestion worked, Jasmine walked back over to Gareth and Katie. She stayed in front of Gareth and gave him a small smile as she said, “Okay, Katie. Leslie is going to the back to get some shoes for you to try on. If you want to get a pair today and pick out your new tights and leotards, you need to come out from behind Gareth.”
It took a minute before Katie complied. She eventually eased back around his leg so she was facing Jasmine.
“Your dad would probably approve of a couple of dance skirts and new hair ties too,” she said. “What do you think?”
Finally, Katie smiled.
“Come on. The leotards are over here.”
The rest of the shopping excursion went much better. Leslie kept her distance and spoke to them without the big smile. Katie ended up with her new shoes, a black leotard and a pink one, two coordinating dance skirts, three pairs of tights, and a package of hair ties. Gareth surprised Katie by buying her a new hot pink dance bag with a glittery ballerina on it. It was such a sweet thing to do that Jasmine was immediately won over.
She admitted to herself that she had built up some undeserved resentment toward him in the week since her first lesson with Katie. She hadn’t understood why Will felt she and Katie needed a chaperone for this shopping trip. It was one thing for Will to insist on being there himself. Insisting that a stranger attend in his place was another matter. Did Will not think she was capable of helping Katie choose her ballet gear?
Now that her ego wasn’t in the way, she understood he had been acting in his daughter’s best interests. It wasn’t like Will and Katie knew her very well.
But Gareth did know Katie. He had infinite patience with her and such a cheerful disposition, making the shopping experience more fun than Jasmine had anticipated. When he asked if she wanted to go to lunch with them, she regretted having to say no.
“I’m heading to an appointment,” she explained. “Will you take a rain check?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll hold you to it.”
Jasmine smiled at Katie as Gareth loaded her into his car. When she saw the booster in Gareth’s backseat, it revealed yet another reason Will hadn’t immediately jumped on board with her suggestion of taking Katie shopping herself. She felt even more foolish for harboring any bitterness about it.
Besides, she told herself, what did it really matter? These lessons were just temporary.
“It was nice spending this time with you, Jasmine,” Gareth said after he closed Katie in the car. “I want to say how happy I am that Katie has made this connection with you. I’ve known her for more than a year now and I’ve never seen her so comfortable around a woman, especially one she doesn’t know well. The way you intervened today with your manager friend was really helpful. I can already tell you’ll be a strong role model for her.”
Despite the thought she’d had about the lessons being temporary, she smiled. It felt good hearing she was having such a positive impact on a young girl’s life. It felt even better that Katie needed a positive influence more than a typical girl her age would.
She carried that feeling with her into her physical therapy appointment that afternoon. Everly noticed. She brought it up during their post-session discussion.
“You seem to be in positive spirits today,” she said.
“I am.”
“Anything fun to share?”
Jasmine lifted a shoulder. “I spent some time with Will’s daughter this morning.”
“Will…Campbell?”
Jasmine nodded. The puzzled look on Everly’s face told Jasmine it hadn’t been her physical therapist who shared her contact information with Will.
“That’s interesting,” Everly said, sounding as though she was still trying to reason out how Jasmine and Will had gotten connected.
“Yeah. Katie and I picked out some dance shoes and outfits. I’m going to be giving her some lessons.”
“Really? That sounds fun.”
“It’ll be something different, that’s for sure.”
“I’d love to get Grace into dance when she’s old enough. At what age do kids typically start, anyway?”
The departure in the conversation from Jasmine’s treatment to the dance lessons made her uncomfortable. She paused a moment before answering, “Kids can start dancing as soon as they can walk, really. Pre-ballet and ballet are more around age four or five.”
“Perfect for Katie then.”
“I suppose so.”
Everly sat back in her chair, resting her hands on the subtle roundness of her belly. Her expression shifted in a way that told Jasmine she sensed her mood was faltering.
“I’m glad to hear you’re being productive with your time right now,” Everly said. “Usually when we get to this point in our sessions, you’re more stressed than happy.”
Jasmine frowned. She was stressed. A couple hours of dancewear retail therapy wasn’t going to change that. It annoyed her now that she’d let herself get distracted from her goals, even if only for a few hours.
“That’s because we’re nearing the end of our sessions,” she said, “and I’m not where I need to be yet to dance professionally.”
“But you’re better than you were a month ago,” Everly pointed out. “You’re much better than you were when we started seven months ago. We’ll work on it some more over the next few weeks.”
Swallowing the fear that threatened her during every one of these sessions, Jasmine said, “I know. And I’ll keep working my ass off. But what if it is
n’t enough?”
Everly looked down at her folded hands for a beat, then back up at Jasmine. “That’s been the question for seven months, hasn’t it?” she asked gently.
It was. The difference now was Jasmine was losing faith in the unwavering belief that she’d come out of this injury back in top form. The alternative was too bleak to contemplate.
“Don’t lose hope,” Everly told her. “I’m not. That said, I’d like to offer a suggestion you might not like.”
“What is it?”
Everly rose and walked over to the other side of her desk. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a business card, handing it to Jasmine as she returned to her seat.
“A mental health counselor?” Jasmine said, reading the information on the card.
“Dr. Smythe specializes in working with athletes. You’ve gone through some significant changes over the past year. You’re facing some difficult decisions. I think speaking to someone who understands what you’re going through would be beneficial and healthy.”
“Maybe.”
Inside, however, Jasmine vehemently denied the need to seek more help because of this injury. She almost didn’t want to put the card in her bag, feeling as though she was conceding yet one more step toward her goal. By saying she needed to talk to someone about how she felt because she couldn’t dance, she was admitting she didn’t believe she’d get through this the way she envisioned.
“You’re taking some positive steps,” Everly said as Jasmine tucked the card away. “It’s great that you’re open to working with Katie, for example. Your overall attitude today was improved because of it, which is helpful when you’re recovering. Maybe teaching will bring you some fulfillment while you’re still healing.”
Jasmine’s spine straightened in protest. Was this really where her life was headed? Standing in a room full of kids teaching them to do what she no longer could?
