by Lucy Kevin
Just then, a tablet on the counter dinged. “Sorry,” he said with an apologetic smile before he swiped a finger across the screen. “Okay, I think we’re on. Can you hear me, Mom?”
“Of course I can hear you. I may be getting old, but I’m not losing my hearing quite yet,” she joked. “Now, let me see where you are. Ah, the kitchen. Glad to see that they’re making you earn your keep, at least.”
Christian smiled down at the screen. “Yes, Mom. I’m making cranberry sauce.”
“So the Walkers won’t let you at the real food, either. Good for them. Did you tell them about the time you almost poisoned your sister trying to make cookies?”
Christian laughed. “I figured they wouldn’t want to eat the cranberry sauce if I mentioned that. Besides, Janet’s fine.”
“She was so glad you were able to be with us for Christmas morning. I know it was just a short visit, but at least you were able to celebrate with everyone.”
“You can thank Paige for that.”
“I was hoping you would introduce me so that I can do just that.”
Christian turned the tablet to face Paige so that she could see his mother peering into her webcam with a broad smile. “Mom, this is Paige. Paige, this is my mother, Angie.”
“Finally, I’m meeting the woman my son couldn’t stop talking about!”
More than a little stunned to hear his mother say that, Paige took a beat longer than it should have to say, “Hello, Angie. It’s lovely to meet you.”
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, too, Paige. And I must say, you’re every bit as lovely as he said you are. Now, don’t you let my son shy away from his dancing. When he was young, if there was something he didn’t want to do, he’d wander off into the garden and start acting all by himself instead.”
“Mom!” Christian protested.
Angie laughed. “What are mothers for if not to embarrass their sons?”
Paige couldn’t help laughing, too, despite the fact that she was still reeling from the fact that Christian had not only just introduced her to his mother, but had evidently been talking about her all day, too. At the same time, she couldn’t help envying the relationship he had with his mother. If her own mom had been alive, would she be telling Christian all about what Paige was like when she was a kid? And would she be there to give Paige relationship advice?
“Paige used to go off to the dance studio and practice routines whenever there were chores,” Emily supplied from behind them, obviously happy to fill in on behalf of their mother.
As Christian continued to work on his cranberry sauce, he was given some very vocal suggestions from his mother. “Raspberry vinegar? Are you sure you should add that, honey?”
Paige smiled at the thought that even big stars had mothers they had to please.
Soon his mother signed off to finish her own big holiday meal and the Walker table was loaded up with food, and every available space and chair were pressed into service. Tonight, even the large Walker dining room barely had enough room for everyone.
Paige sat next to Christian at dinner, and he was as charming and funny as he had been the first time he’d come to the house, but this time he seemed to fit in more naturally. It was as if he had been attending Walker family dinners for years. It felt so right to have him there with all of them.
“This is really nice,” he said to Paige about halfway through the meal. “I’m so glad to be here.”
Paige wanted to tell him how much she’d missed him even in the short time he’d been gone, but with her family all around them, she knew she’d have to wait. All she could say now was, “I’m glad you’re here, too.”
Dinner lasted a couple of hours, and everyone had double helpings of Emily’s Christmas pudding. And then, finally, it was time to open the presents. Everyone gathered round the tree to start unwrapping their gifts, and it was only as Charlotte and Morgan tore into the first pieces of wrapping paper with equal enthusiasm that Paige realized one crucial thing.
“I’m sorry, Christian. I thought you’d be with your family all day. I didn’t get you a gift.”
“You’ve let me join your family for the day, you’ve given up most of the holidays to teach me to dance, and you’ve made me feel really welcome here on the island. Those are the best gifts I’ve ever had.”
And then he was suddenly holding out a small package. She felt like a young girl again as she ripped open the packaging and saw that he’d bought her a DVD of the 1970 movie Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.
“I figured that since there isn’t any dancing, and Fred Astaire just does a voice-over, you might not have it.”
Paige didn’t, and it was incredibly sweet of him to think of it. She looked around to see that the rest of her family were just finishing unwrapping their presents. “Maybe we could watch it right now.”
“I’d love that.” Christian glanced around at her family. “But won’t everyone else think it’s a bit strange if we head off together?”
Paige smiled. “You’ve obviously never been to a Walker family Christmas before.”
After the big family dinner and the communal unwrapping, everyone usually drifted off into their own corners of the house for a while to do their own thing. That had been true back when it had just been the sisters, their grandmother, and their father, but it was doubly so now. Hanna and Joel went off together first. Rachel, Nicholas, and Charlotte all followed not long after. Brian and Morgan got deep into a conversation with Grams about their spring wedding. Their father started talking to Michael about some changes he was planning in his apartment. Emily soon joined in to brainstorm something similar she wanted done with the house, and of course, Michael looked more than happy to oblige.
Which left Paige and Christian free to head to the family room and turn on the movie. Their wonderful little ritual. But at the same time, now that they were finally alone, she wondered if he would want an answer now as to whether she was ready to have him in her life for more than just this one week.
“It’s all right, Paige.” When Christian reached out to stroke her hair, she knew he had read her mind. “I know I put too much pressure on you when I said I was going to come back looking for answers. I don’t want to push you into more than you’re ready for. I just can’t deny what I feel and hope that you won’t deny what you’re feeling, either. But for tonight, let’s just enjoy being together. No pressure. No big questions. No big answers. Just a perfect Christmas night in each other’s arms. Although there is one thing I would like before we begin watching the movie.”
He didn’t have to say anything more, not when she wanted the very same thing. And as she pressed her lips to his in a kiss that danced from gentle to passionate in the span of a heartbeat, she knew she’d never had a more perfect Christmas in her life.
A short while later, they were curled up together on the couch under a blanket, watching the movie. The animated film was a lot of fun, but all of the ups and downs of the last couple of days had worn her out, and with Christian’s arms so warm and strong around her, Paige shut her eyes. Just for a moment or two…
* * *
Her eyes flickered open what felt like a moment later. Christian was as asleep as she had been, his arms wrapped around her as though to try to keep out the rest of the world.
It was a beautiful feeling, being held by him. So beautiful that, as his eyes opened, too, Paige remained perfectly still, wanting the moment to last. It felt so safe, but so fragile, too, as though they both knew that they would soon have to move, and then the moment would fade.
Early morning light filtered through the windows onto the pair of them, and she finally realized that though she’d meant to shut her eyes only for a moment, she’d spent all night in Christian’s arms.
That thought was enough to make Paige move like greased lightning. “We’ve got to get down to the studio.” She was on her feet in a flash. “This is our last full day of practice. After this, we may only be able to steal a few hours in the studio he
re and there.”
He got to his feet, too, but before he did anything else, he put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her. “Now, that,” he said in a loving tone that warmed her inside and out, “is a proper good morning.”
And as she let herself forget about dancing for another few moments as she kissed him, Paige knew that it was better than any other morning she’d ever had before.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Knowing today was their last full day of practice where they could work together uninterrupted for hours on end brought with it a whole host of thoughts and feelings, from the question of whether they’d managed to get in enough dance instruction so far, to a vague sense of relief that the frantic pace would relax a little after today, to the tight knot in Paige’s stomach at knowing Christian would soon be leaving.
On top of it all, he’d just reminded her that the entertainment news crew would be arriving at the studio this morning to get some publicity footage.
“Do you think I’m ready to show off my dancing skills?” he said as they headed to the studio.
“Without a doubt,” she told him, giving him a big smile so that he hopefully wouldn’t see just how nervous she was about having so many people around with cameras, watching them practice, and asking questions. But today wasn’t about her. It was about making sure Christian shone in front of the cameras, and she would do absolutely everything in her power to make sure that happened.
As she pulled into a parking spot in front of the dance studio and grabbed her bag, she tried to sound casual as she said, “So who exactly is coming today?”
“I doubt the entertainment shows will send any big reporters, given that most of them are likely taking some time off with their families over the holidays, but there will probably be at least a couple of people looking for live interviews and at least one photographer taking still shots. Oh, and I’ve just heard this morning that our choreographer, Lynn, will be there, as well.”
Oh God, today had too quickly turned from a practice session into a performance, and Paige didn’t perform. Ever. But she made herself force another smile anyway. One that Christian clearly wasn’t buying, unfortunately.
He took her hands in his and drew her closer. “Don’t worry, Paige. It’s just normal movie publicity. They won’t get in the way. It will just be you and me dancing like normal.” She could tell from his soothing tone that he knew how nervous she was, even if he hadn’t guessed all the reasons.
As they walked toward the studio, Paige was surprised to see Morgan standing at the door, looking immaculate and glossy, the way she would have for a meeting with one of the TV executives.
“I’m here to help out,” her sister said before she could even say good morning or ask why she was there. “I had a message from the studio late last night asking if I could do makeup for the shoot. So here I am! How about if we go to the locker rooms so I can do your makeup for you while you get changed? I was thinking of doing something similar to the way you looked the other night at the tree ceremony. You looked amazing, and it would look perfect on-screen.”
“Paige always looks amazing,” Christian said with a smile. “Just the way she does right now.”
“Thank you for saying that,” she said to him, before turning to her sister. “Thank you for offering to do my makeup, but I’d rather practice today with everything the same as it’s been.”
As she went to get changed, Morgan followed her. “Are you sure?”
“Completely sure. But it really was nice of you to come.”
“Well, even if you don’t need me to make you up, I’m happy to help out with answering any questions the crew might have while you’re practicing and directing them to the nearest coffee shop. Besides, my day is already made just from seeing you and Christian together again. Did you and he…?”
“No!”
“I’m not blind, you know.”
Paige started to pull on her dance clothes. “I know, but it’s just… it’s complicated.”
“Things are always complicated,” Morgan pointed out. “But lots of times they work out, too. Just look at me and Brian.”
Paige wished it were that simple. After all, her sister had been in love with Brian since they’d been kids. Of course they could overcome anything that came their way. “I just can’t think about anything but dancing today. I’ve got to make sure Christian looks good dancing on camera so that everyone will see how well he’s going to do in the movie.”
“Just promise me you won’t get so involved in the dancing that you forget about everything else.”
Knowing her sister wouldn’t leave it alone until she agreed, Paige said, “I promise.”
“Good,” Morgan said with a wide smile. “Now, I’ll go and say hello to the film crew since they pulled up just behind you and Christian. I’m sure they’ll probably want to interview both of you, so I’ll help them find a good place to set up their equipment that won’t be in your way while you’re dancing.”
By the time Paige finished getting changed and headed into the studio, sure enough, the practice space was packed with equipment from both the film crews and the photographers. Christian was speaking with a woman in her fifties who Paige immediately guessed was the choreographer from nothing more than the smooth, delicate grace of her gestures. Plus, she’d tied back her gray-streaked auburn hair in the same style Paige always did. Although, today, Paige had left her hair loose.
“Paige, come meet our choreographer, Lynn.”
She shook the other woman’s hand, and as she did so, she could see some of the same spark in the woman’s eyes that Grams had.
“It’s lovely to meet you. I was so glad when I heard that Christian was taking lessons before we start official rehearsals. It will be great to see how far you’ve been able to get this week.”
Paige could hear the excuse the choreographer was offering her: that a week was obviously too short a time to be able to do much in terms of training. It was kind, but she knew Christian didn’t need excuses...and she had also decided that there was no way she was going to let her own fears of dancing in front of the cameras and choreographer get in the way of the job Christian had put his faith in her to do.
“Lynn, it is really a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so many great things about you over the years that it’s great to put a face to a name.” With a smile for Christian, she said, “Are you ready to get warmed up?”
A short while later, when they were both feeling loose and ready to dance, Paige cued up the music. Christian moved smoothly out into the middle of the floor, offering her his hand. Paige smiled at him, took his hand, and they began to go through the steps they’d been working on. If the camera crews thought they would just go through a couple of pieces for their benefit, they were wrong. Paige wasn’t about to cheat Christian’s practice time, no matter who was here. Fortunately, she already knew how good his dancing was going to look through the camera lens. Because it had turned out that Christian Greer was a natural.
As he danced close to her, she was pleased by the way he brilliantly used his acting ability and charisma to make up for any technique that was still a little rough. But more than that, she was glad to feel how strong the connection between them was as they danced. Two days ago, when Grams had walked in during their practice session, that connection had seemed so broken and stilted. But today, they were moving in perfect sync as Christian led her around the floor.
“That was great,” Paige said as they finished. “Let’s try the second half again.”
“My shoulders?” Christian guessed.
“Your posture’s good,” Paige assured him. “I just want to get those last couple of turns a little crisper.”
So they kept dancing, and as they did, it was surprisingly easy to forget the whirring cameras, bright lights, and assistants taking notes and sending text messages. Instead, it felt like it was just the two of them...and that dancing with Christian was the only thing that mattered.
Finally
, they broke apart for a rest, and the others in the room took that as a cue to move in, with Morgan leading the way.
“That was amazing, Paige.” Morgan gave her a quick hug, before adding, “The crew would like to get a couple of interviews during the break. Will that work for you?”
“Sure. It would be good for Christian to get off his feet for a bit since he’s been working so hard this morning. I’ll just make myself scarce in the office.”
Morgan smiled at her. “They’d like to interview you, too, actually.” And that was how Paige suddenly found herself in front of a camera being asked what it was like to work with such a famous, gorgeous actor.
“It’s kind of hard to remember sometimes that he’s a star when he’s a few inches away, dancing with me,” she explained. “Honestly, we’re just trying to get the job done, and he’s been working very, very hard.”
After a few easy dance questions, the interviewer asked, “What would you say to all the women who think that you’ve got a dream job, getting to dance with Christian Greer?”
Oh God, she thought. What if her answer accidentally gave away her feelings for him to the entire world?
Fortunately, right then, Christian interrupted them. “Paige, one of the crews has asked if we can do an interview with you dancing in the background.”
She tried to swallow down her panic at dancing in front of the cameras without him. “Are you sure that wouldn’t look a bit odd?”
“Are you kidding?” He looked truly surprised by her question. “It would be amazing. Will you do it? Please?”
How could Paige deny him anything when he asked her so sweetly?
After she nodded, he said, “Great, thank you. I’ll get the music started.” A few moments later, the music from They All Laughed began. “Just dance it the way you did the other night.”
With the cameras already rolling, there was no time to protest, so she simply danced the version with her choreography, moving seamlessly from the traditional steps to modern jazz. Feeling Christian’s eyes on her the whole time, even as he was being interviewed, she was shocked by how easy it was to focus only on him and not worry about anyone else. And then, suddenly, he moved away from the cameras. Paige had been dancing Astaire’s part for the first section, but he moved smoothly in to take the lead.
