by Ellie Hall
The flight to Concordia was long but gave him plenty of time to answer the question Katerina repeatedly asked. “Why do you want to win?” He also finally slept because he needed a solid rest. But he still hadn’t showered and upon his arrival, he got more than a few raised eyebrows from the put-together and classy residents of the country as he disembarked from the plane.
He hurried through the village toward the Blancbourg Academy d’Etiquette. On his way, he passed the pretzel shop and grabbed one from Margie, who also was happy to tell him all about the mini samplers she’d put together. He wanted to stay and chat, but Connor had a girl to profess his love to with a pretzel instead of an engagement ring.
Nearly out of breath, he rushed up the way to the front entrance of the school. Arthur greeted him and wore an unusual expression—amusement, sadness, he couldn’t tell. “My apologies, sir. If you’re looking for Miss Kuznetsova, I’m afraid to say she resigned.”
Connor felt the blood and wind rushing in his ears. He was too late. His shoulders slouched. “Thanks, Arthur.”
Instead of the formal bow, Arthur made a strange motion where his knees were bent and he sort of lowered down. Connor passed him the pretzel.
“Oh, my favorite. Thank you.”
Connor trudged away, feeling hopeless. The mountains loomed in the distance with the sea on the other side. He’d crossed the ocean for Katerina. He was afraid he couldn’t move mountains. Then Arthur’s motion reminded him of the moves he’d done in the ballet class Katerina had made him attend.
No, he couldn’t move mountains, but he could walk up a hill. He started off in the direction of Madam Tissot’s dance studio and hoped his hunch was correct.
When he reached the entrance, the sign was gone, but there was a note on the door. “New ownership. Katerina’s Academy Opening soon.”
She wasn’t there, but she hadn’t gone back to Russia. There was hope. Katerina was somewhere in Concordia and he’d find her if only to tell her three simple words...and why he wanted to win.
Chapter 15
Katerina
The day following her resignation, Katerina drifted in a fog. She understood why she’d been cut loose from Blancbourg. As the headmistress, she wasn’t supposed to become involved with any of her students. In her defense, it was almost like the moment she and Connor had left the manor, the relationship had shifted and then morphed again when they’d done the challenge and he’d saved her life.
She sat in her former employee and friend’s apartment on Golden Strasse. Pippa was a good listener and had brought out a plate of ginger cookies. She’d already told her all about how much she missed ballet but wasn’t sure how someone her age could break back into it and what she’d do since she no longer had a job.
She may have been in a fog, but the late day sun, bathing the room in a warm glow, seemed to shine a light on the past and future.
Nibbling a cookie, she said, “Initially, Connor’s surprise trip to Russia was welcome. Then when everything happened with Ivan, I thought it was the worst possible thing Connor could’ve done. I love my family, but over the years I’ve had very little desire to go back. They’re not the kind to forgive, forget, or set out cookies.”
“What’s that saying? You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family. I’m sure they care, but unfortunately, I know what you mean. Their way of showing it—”
“Stinks.”
Pippa nodded.
“The weird thing is, it was almost like going back there woke me up. Renewed my resolve or gave me a second chance to think about what I really wanted from my life.”
“Trust me, I know all about second chances.” Pippa took a big bite of cookie.
“I don’t think I told you this, but the first time I left home I’d been focused on getting my education.”
“You went to University College in London, right?”
Katerina nodded.
“Had I gone there we’d have probably known each other much sooner.” Pippa smiled.
“Anyway, at the time, that was exactly what I’d needed. In the years since, I’ve changed, only it was so gradual, I can’t quite pinpoint how.”
“Makes sense. It’s like when you see a cousin once a year you see how much they grow, but if you’re with them every day, it’s not something you notice.”
“Exactly.” Katerina nodded. “On the anniversary of my decision to leave Russia and dancing—it was the same day I checked in with myself like I did every year—I also met Connor for the first time. I sensed something was different but wasn’t sure what.”
“It was the fluffies.”
“The what?”
“You know. The heart fluffies. That particular kind of good feeling inside.” Pippa smiled widely.
“I’m not a fluffy kind of gal.”
Pippa laughed. “But you said you were changing.”
Katerina let out a long breath, realizing she was right. “Going back to my family and seeing that they hadn’t moved on at all made me see more clearly. Then reading the letter I’d written to myself should I ever find myself back home again and feeling lost, reminded me to seek the desires of my heart and not solely the future my parents had mapped out.” Katerina held her head in her hands. “Plus, my mother was horrible. She was already planning to use Connor for his money and then make me ditch him and go back with Ivan.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did I tell you he planted a big, slobbery, gross kiss on my lips.”
“No!” Pippa said, pressing her hand against her mouth. “Did Connor see?”
Katerina’s stomach flip-flopped. “He must’ve. Perhaps that was what had gotten him so upset.”
“You were saying about your heart. What does it desire?” Pippa asked.
Katerina was quiet. That was the exact question she’d been asking herself. It took another moment, but she thought back to everything her heart had been through in the last month. She closed her eyes and described what she saw. “There are two things. One is me, light on my feet, leaping and pirouetting. I miss dancing and want to return to the barre, but not to the stage. I want to dance on my terms.”
“There are adult classes, right up the hill,” Pippa said excitedly.
Katerina shook her head. “Madam Tissot is retiring and closing the studio.”
Pippa inclined her head and stared at Katerina expectantly.
“I guess I have to give up on that. And the other one—”
“Wait just a minute. You’re a teacher.”
“Not anymore. I had to resign, remember?” Had she not been listening at all?
“Why are you being so thick?” Pippa said, her British accent straining in exasperation. “You’re a ballerina and a teacher. You could be a ballet teacher.”
Katerina’s pulse quickened. “I could? I could.” She leaped from the sofa and took Pippa’s hands in hers in a rare show of excitement.
Pippa’s eyes widened as if in understanding and the two women squealed excitedly.
“Yes. You’re so smart. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. It’s perfect.” Then as quickly as Katerina’s excitement appeared, it faded as she dropped onto the sofa. “But my heart desires something else as well and I don’t think it can have both or this one at all.”
“Is this something a someone who’s tall, muscular, and has a slight southern drawl?” Pippa asked, ever perceptive.
Katerina nodded. “But now what?”
Pippa wore a secret smile. “I’ve learned in life that sometimes the right people come together but it’s the wrong time. But that doesn’t mean the right time won’t come along.”
Katerina nodded as the pair went on to brainstorm ideas about the ballet school. Katerina even contacted the owner of the studio up the hill and in a matter of a few days, she’d already made arrangements to use the space and open her own school.
However, Katerina couldn’t escape the feeling that her heart wouldn’t feel whole unless Connor was part of her life.
Just as Katerina h
ad poured herself into solving the mystery of the missing money at Blancbourg, she also worked tirelessly to get her new business up and running.
Madam Tissot, the former owner, was incredibly gracious and relieved she wasn’t letting all of her dancers down after years of teaching. She basically passed Katerina the keys to the studio along with her client roster and gave her a tutorial in how she ran things. Of course, Katerina had ideas of her own, but the transition was relatively seamless. After all the trouble she’d had the last month, it was a relief to have things go smoothly.
In fact, the weekend after she’d made the decision, she hosted an open house in the old/new studio so Madam Tissot’s former students could get to know her and find out about the classes she’d be offering. She’d acted fast on the former owner’s suggestion so she didn’t lose interest from the students.
Katerina wore a simple pair of black leggings and an off-the-shoulder pink sweater. Even though she wanted to look the part of a serious teacher, for once, she left her hair down. Katerina was feeling her way into the new version of herself who had all the grace and poise of her old self, but wanted to convey to her new students that ballet could be fun too—that was her mission. To instill the love of dance in her students first and then the rigor could come later if that’s what they desired.
She strung up pink balloons outside the door and other ballet-themed decorations inside. She had a table set up and the tablecloth skirt looked like a tutu. Margie offered to bake ballet slipper cookies—after Katerina had told her all about her new business venture. She also served pink lemonade with pink and white striped straws.
Arthur and Mrs. Fitzwilliam even paid a visit to congratulate her.
She greeted them and said, “Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
Mrs. Fitzwilliam wore a confused smile. “I was going to thank you for the flowers while I was at home recovering.”
“No, I mean those flowers.” Katerina pointed to a bouquet of pink and white roses. “They’re beautiful and smell heavenly.”
Arthur shook his head. “My apologies, but we didn’t send those.”
Katerina’s eyebrows knitted together as she looked around at the people gathered—mostly families with daughters and a few sons interested in dance, former students, and of course, the Fitzwilliams.
“Who could they be from—?” she started but then fell silent.
A large, imposing figure stood in the doorway. Connor’s hair was trimmed, his face clean-shaven, and his eyes were the copper-brown embers that had melted her heart. He wore a black T-shirt, sweats, and an enormous pink tutu.
Some of the little girls giggled.
The mothers ogled Connor from the waist up.
Katerina stared, slack-jawed.
“I heard the best ballet teacher around just opened a studio and I’d like to sign up for my first lesson.”
Katerina didn’t pause to think, she rushed across the wood floor and leaped into Connor’s arms. He picked her up and squeezed her tight as she koala-bear hugged him.
“I thought you left. I thought you had training. I thought—” She wanted to know everything.
“Before I answer those questions, I have another you asked me that I’m finally able to answer. You asked me why I want to win. Before I wanted to win because I was afraid to lose. But it was more complicated than that. I wanted to win because I wanted to be the best. For someone to finally say that I was better than everyone else. I realized that the only person that I’m competing against that truly matters is me. So why do I want to win? My answer is simple. Because I want to be a better man than I was yesterday. I want to win for myself, my own satisfaction, and the joy the game gives me, but I also want to win for you, for us. For our future.”
The word we made Katerina the happiest woman on earth. “If you’ll have me, you’ve already won me.”
Connor set her lightly on the floor.
“Does that mean that you don’t love Ivan because I thought—”
She pulled him into the hallway for privacy.
“Ivan? Absolutely not. My parents wanted me to go along with a relationship with you so I could get money and then they’d break us up so I could be with Ivan. That way they’d get both fortune and fame—vicariously through me. That feeling of being used and them using you infuriated me.”
“The dance? The kiss? I saw you together.”
“He forced that. If you’d watched long enough, I shoved him off me. No, Connor, the only man I ever want to kiss again is you. It’s true, I needed a moment to get my bearings because I was afraid of losing myself. But when I thought I lost you—” She gazed at her hands. “I thought it was because you saw where I came from.”
“When I saw where you came from I realized how hard you’d worked. I thought when you saw where I came from—”
A small grin of knowing lifted on her lips. “We’re so different yet the same...and we somehow found each other. Connor, you’re the only man for me.”
“Then I’m the luckiest man in the world.” His eyes sparkled.
“Why’s that?” she asked.
“Because you’re the only woman I want.”
Her heart pirouetted. She lifted onto her toes and planted a kiss on his lips.
“I’ve been thinking a lot. At some point, the rules of engagement changed. We were at war with ourselves because of the past. You because of the pressure from your family. Me, punishment from my father. Since I saw you last, I learned that he passed away.”
Her hand flew to her cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
Connor lifted his shoulder slightly. “He left me with one more lesson. Well, one more rule. The others no longer hold. With us, there is no winning or losing. No war. There is only one truth. I love you, Kat.”
“I love you too.”
He circled her with her arms and they kissed. Thanks to the clean shave his strong jaw was smooth and she wanted to linger, with her mouth pressed against his. The drowned out doubt, leaving only certainty and love on the surface.
Taking Connor by the hand, she led him into the room and went on to tell him all about her vision for the school. “It isn’t strict like the academy I went to. I will teach the classical style, but there will also be modern and interpretive dance options, games, parties, pizza nights...this program may not be for dancers who desire to join the national tours but who dance for the love of it.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Connor said.
Katerina beamed. For years she’d yearned to hear those words. Not even when she’d made it to the premier stages in Russia did her parents tell her she was good enough.
“I want my dancers to find the joy, day after day, even when it’s hard sometimes rather than end up walking away like I did.”
“But you found your way back.”
“It’s all because I followed my heart.”
Connor kissed her on the forehead and together—with him in the hilarious tutu—talked to people about dance. He was sure to let everyone know that ballet even benefitted football players like him.
They were at the studio well until after nightfall. After locking up, Connor took Katerina by the hand, leading her in the opposite direction of the village.
“Where are we going?” Katerina asked because it seemed like Connor knew his way. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Not especially. I had quite a few of those cookies Margie made. They were delicious.”
“Me too.”
“But I would like to take you to dinner. First, there’s something I’d like you to see.” Connor’s voice was as velvety soft as the night sky.
The glowing lights from the village faded at their backs as they reached a clearing atop the bluff. The sky was clear and the stars started to blink on like little individual lights.
“Funny, I never came up this way past the dance studio. It’s beautiful.”
Connor wrapped his arm around Katerina, pulling her close even though the summer night was warm. “When we
were camping, after nightfall, I’d gaze at the stars after you fell asleep. It was then I realized how truly, deeply I loved you. I’d do anything for you.”
In the distance, little pinpricks of light danced along the horizon. They were brighter than stars and seemed to be moving closer.
Katerina watched with curiosity.
In a matter of moments, hundreds of illuminated bamboo lanterns were lighting the night sky and dancing toward them as they stood on the bluff.
“What is it?” Katerina asked.
“It’s for you. I can’t move mountains, but I can cross them and oceans. I can’t grant you wishes, but I can bring down the stars.”
The lanterns floated closer as though pulled by invisible threads. It reminded Katerina of an event she’d heard about that was more like a festival where hundreds of people would light a lantern, set an intention, offer it in memory of someone they lost, or use it as a symbol of their love. Then they’d watch in awe as they lifted into the sky.
“You did this for me? For us?”
Connor nodded.
“It’s beautiful.” She turned in a circle, marveling at the light all around.
“And so are you, Katerina.” Connor adjusted his position to face her. The backs of his fingers brushed her knuckles, arm, shoulder, and then caressed her jaw.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you too.” His voice was low and true.
Those warm fluffies that Pippa described warmed her skin.
Connor leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek before kissing her once on the lips. Then he curled his fingers around hers, gazing intently into her eyes.
His were lit by the glowing light, all copper-brown and sparkling.
He tipped her chin up and her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
She was sure her hair was messy, her cheeks rosy.
“Katerina, would you like to dance with me?”
“Right here? Right now?”
His head tilted from side to side. “I was thinking more like at our wedding.”
Her mouth dropped open as he dropped to his knee. “Will you marry me, Katerina Kuznetsova?”
