Coming Undone by Lauren Dane Page B

the role. To be among those names is a hope of many a young woman coming into ballet. It was most certainly mine.”
    “I’m so glad you got to live that dream. It’s amazing, isn’t it? To stand up on the stage and actually be doing what you’d fantasized about and worked for your whole life?”
    Their gazes locked briefly and Elise realized Erin Keenan had a lot of depth.
    “I don’t know a lot about ballet, but I was so struck by the intensity of your grace and poise when you’re dancing. It would have been wonderful to see you perform live.”
    “I’ve seen a bit, she’s pretty amazing.” Brody spoke in an off-hand manner. Totally casual. And she melted a bit inside at the pride in his voice.
    Erin’s eyes widened, and then she sent Brody a decidedly teasing grin. Elise thought about her brother, thought about how much fun he’d been as they’d grown up. Erin still had that and Elise envied her.
    “Thank you. I love to dance, I have for as long as I could remember. I’m not one of those people who was forced into lessons or whatever. I would have spent all my time dancing if I could have.
    But when your dad is a professor, you can’t blow off school.”
    “Do you miss it?”
    Elise paused. “Yes. But I’m getting older and I got hurt. Some things you can’t come back from. So teaching is the next best thing.”
    She needed to have that tattooed on herself. Some things you’ll never come back from. But you can survive them and that’s what she did.
    Brody watched her in his yard, with his friends and family, and found that he liked her there. He had his circle, and they meant everything to him, so it meant more than he could really grasp to have her there and feel like she was meant to be there. Rennie fit in great with the other kids. Elise made friends in her own way, but she was sort of irresistible, this huge force of nature in such a decep-tively pretty package.
    He took some of the larger trays into the kitchen and began to clean them up as Todd packed up the leftovers.
    “So what’s that story?” Raven brought a tray inside and began to dry as he rinsed.
    “Story?”
    “Very tiny blonde lady in your backyard with the kid? Hello? I know you noticed her because you haven’t taken your eyes off her for more than three minutes at a time. You’ve been stuck to her like glue and even gave Cope the stink eye when he started that game of cards and invited her to play.”
    He smiled at her, wondered what it was that had turned him so upside down those years before. When he looked at Raven now, he certainly found beauty; you’d have to be blind not to. But he saw so much more. Too much to ignore and continue to love her, but enough that he’d always hold her in a special place.
    “She’s a very pretty blonde lady who helped me out when I got hit by a car, and we struck up a friendship. I like her. I like her company. And as much as I’d get Cope’s back in a brawl any day, I don’t want anyone else to like her the way I’m currently liking her.
    Which is all I’m going to say about it right now.”
    Todd, who’d been ferrying things inside and back into the fridge, overheard and barked out a laugh. “You’ve got his number, but like Raven said, we’d all have to be blind not to have seen the way you two have been with each other all afternoon. Cope is a man whore, as Erin would say, but he’s got ethics. He wouldn’t poach anyone else’s anything.”
    “Which is why he’s out there playing cards with her and trying to see down her shirt and I’m not hitting him in the face.”
    “So have you retired your bachelor shoes?” Raven’s tone was mocking as she leaned back against the counter, watching him.
    “No. We’re not going steady. But I’m an adult and I can like the people I’m with. I prefer it that way.”
    Raven snorted. “You’ll get over it when the novelty wears off.”
    Brody shook his head and swatted Raven with a kitchen towel.
    “Don’t be so negative.