The Ballerina's Stand by Angel Smits Page A

and added, “In your office.”
    He smiled, but it wasn’t that happy smile she was used to seeing. It was more melancholy. “My dad’s,” he answered.
    Jason returned his focus to the menu, and Lauren didn’t push, despite her curiosity. Instead, she pondered her own menu choices. Once she’d made up her mind, she turned her gaze to the room around them.
    Much like the outside, wood was the main decor. A mirror-lined bar ran the length of one long wall and in the center of it all was a dance floor. It was empty right now, but there were lots of people sitting just as they were, eating dinner, around it.
    The waitress came back, and when he ordered, Jason pointed to a steak on the menu. He ordered just as Lauren had, with gestures. What was he doing? Why not order normally? Then as the waitress questioned him about something, he cupped his ear and leaned toward her. He held up two fingers and nodded.
    He wasn’t patronizing or making fun of her—it was just loud in here. Lauren wanted to kick herself for her initial thought.
    What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she trust?
    Once they’d ordered, Lauren rummaged in her purse for a pen, then grabbed a napkin from the steel bucket in the center of the table. She wrote, “Why are we here?”
    â€œTo eat.” He chose to answer her in sign. “And—” He extended his arm. “ D - a - n - c - e .” He paused, and with a laugh, tapped his chest. “My dance.”
    â€œYou?” She pointed. “Dance?” She waved two fingers over her forearm.
    He just shrugged. Their meal arrived and the conversation naturally faded. It was comfortable sharing the meal with him. Watching him.
    Just as they finished, a band took the stage in a far corner. Live music gave off a different vibration than recorded music from a speaker. Especially like here, where the speakers were hung from the rafters rather than on the ground. With a live band the whole building would shake.
    As the band warmed up, Lauren watched. The drum beat vibrated in her chest, and she smiled. When the bass player hit a couple of notes, she felt their resonance move across the air and through her. She looked at Jason and couldn’t resist smiling. This was going to be fun.
    * * *
    J ASON COULDN ’ T KEEP his eyes off Lauren. She’d been so reluctant to trust him. He’d seen it in her face in the car, but she’d gone along with him anyway.
    She’d still been skeptical when they’d gotten here, but she’d followed him inside and seemed to enjoy dinner.
    Now, the music was alive in the air and he felt it, understanding how performances must work for her with the orchestra right there in the pit at the edge of the stage.
    The first hour was for dance lessons. He knew all the steps from when he was a kid, but a refresher was certainly in order.
    â€œYou know?” he asked her. From his ASL teacher, he knew the sign for class. He made it and pointed at the sign by the bar giving the times. She shook her head, but her smile didn’t dim.
    He waved at the dance floor and opened his arms in invitation. She moved so quickly, he’d barely gotten to his feet before she stood in the middle of the floor. He joined her, as did several other couples.
    Couple? Why did just thinking that word make him pause? He forced himself to focus on the forming lines and the instructor who was setting up at the front with the band.
    His heart sank when the woman started to talk into the microphone. He looked at Lauren, then relaxed as she nodded.
    She reached out and took his hand, pulling him to the front, forcing her way to stand right at the stage’s edge. She was reading the woman’s lips. And probably understood better than he did as she was actually paying attention. He was distracted.
    Way too distracted.
    And nothing changed as the lesson went on. Lauren moved, smooth and even. He was the one stumbling over his