Page 24 of Lost & Found

“Your turn.”

This time, her spin was nearly perfect. And from the smile on her face, she realized it as well. I moved to the center of the room.

“Transitions are up next. Your form is improving, but you need to make the movements between tricks smoother as well. You have a disconnect the minute you leave the pole.”

She followed me, and like a sponge, soaked up every piece of advice I offered. I demonstrated a series of transitions, breaking them down step by step. She watched intently, her focus unwavering.

“Got it?” I asked, stepping back.

She nodded, taking her position. This time, each motion blended into the next, and she found her groove. As she practiced, I leaned against the wall, watching her progress. The music pulsed through the speakers. My eyes caught movement at the door, and I stepped away from her. Maddie, our receptionist, approached.

“I’m sorry, she insisted. Mentioned an emergency.”

Sighing, I walked over to where she was standing in the lobby. As I approached, Hannah took that as an invitation to advance. She had a look of extreme disgust on her face as she glanced at the pole Bambi was swinging on. It had been two full weeks of blissful silence on the Hannah front.

What the hell was she doing here now?

“I can’t believe this is what you’re doing with your time now. Your father would be so disappointed. What happened to the man I used to know?” She sneered.

My jaw locked. I struggled to maintain my composure as I ushered her outside. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Chase asked me to stop by. He and Lisa never got your RSVP for the wedding. Are you coming?”

“That’s the emergency?” I shook my head in irritation before turning back to her. “Yes, I’m not sure why he didn’t receive it, but I’ll text him. Is that all?”

“We have the dance routine to work on. We should set some time aside to practice, with us not seeing each other anymore on a daily basis I want to get it right. Lisa and Chase deserve the best. We need to be ready.”

I narrowed my eyes. “The routine isn’t that difficult. I’m sure I’ll nail it. I always do.”

“Very true,” she purred, taking me by surprise.

What the hell was wrong with her? One minute I was a piece of shit, disappointing my poor deceased father, and now she was flirting? I shook my head and turned to leave, but she pulled my arm.

“There is something else we need to talk about.” She stepped closer.

“What is it?” I asked, feeling a sense of foreboding in my gut.

“Us. We need to talk about us. We belong together. We were perfect before all of this,” she said, waving her hand toward the studio.

I heaved, the pounding behind my eyes signifying a headache coming on. “We’re not doing this. And things weren’t perfect before Kinsley.” I put a name to it.

“How can you say that? We were engaged, going to have a family together. We should be practicing our own first dance. Are you fucking her?” She inclined her head toward Bambi, inside.

“If I was, it wouldn’t be your business,” I sighed when she smiled.

Maybe I should have told her the truth. And the truth was, I fucked who I wanted, when I wanted. Being a card-carrying member of a sex club had that added benefit. But the less she knew, the better.

“Then maybe we could, for old times’ sake.”

“I’m good. Look, I’ve learned a thing or two since we split. We broke up for a reason, and that was only one of them.”

The smile she’d been forcing faltered. Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and her fingers curled against her sides until the knuckles whitened.

“Are you saying I was bad in bed?”

“I’m saying we weren’t compatible is all. Look, I don’t want to keep doing this with you. You deserve to move on.”

“You’re really going to look me in the face and tell me the five years we spent together meant nothing?”