my friends’ parents bring me, but I may forget to mention that to Mom.”
I smile to myself. “I’m sure it would be okay with her as long as it wasn’t all the time. She isn’t completely wrong, you know. This stuff isn’t exactly good for you.”
“Is that why you’re not eating it?”
With a sigh, I look at a french fry as it disappears into her mouth. “I have to be careful of what I eat because of dancing.”
“You don’t want to get fat.” She nods as if she understands.
Alarms go off in my head because I don’t want her to take what I said and twist it into something it’s not. “It’s not about being fat. It’s about being healthy.”
Langley eyes me skeptically because she doesn’t miss the way I look longingly at her fries.
“Too bad,” she says, savoring the next fry, chewing it slowly to tease me.
“Brat,” I mutter, and she giggles again while I clear my throat, avert my gaze, and sip my coffee.
“That’s why you couldn’t come to my birthday party. Because you were dancing.”
My gaze flicks back to hers. The hurt in her voice resonates inside me, erasing my good humor.
“Yes. Because I was dancing in a show. I’m sorry, Langley. We had a performance in Phoenix that night, or else I would have been there.”
The fact that Renee planned it that way has me pressing my lips together tightly, holding back the truth because I can’t tell her what her mother did. It wouldn’t be right.
“But your real birthday wasn’t the weekend of your party. It was the Wednesday before, and I was here for that.”
Langley nods thoughtfully. “But none of my friends saw you. Some of them think I’m lying about you being a real ballerina.”
I put my coffee down and sit up a little straighter. She tells her friends about me? That’s a surprise.
“Did you show them my picture on the ballet company’s website? I’m under the Corps de Ballet section with my picture and a bio.”
Langley looks at me like I’m nuts. “That’s lame. I could be showing them anyone for all they know.”
“But my name is there. It’s the same last name as yours and . . .” I stop talking when her expression doesn’t change.
Sitting back in my chair, I expel a heavy breath as the wide reach of Renee’s scheming sinks in. I watch Langley eat, acting as if nothing bothers her, but I don’t buy it. An idea comes together in my head.
“What are your friends doing tomorrow?”
Langley stops chewing and looks at me.
“I have to check with your mom first, but maybe we could pull something together for your friends.”
She sits up straighter. “What do you mean?”
I shrug to play it down in case I can’t pull it off. “Maybe I could give a short performance at the house, or even better, at the dance studio where your mom teaches. Would your friends be available on such short notice?”
“Seriously?” Langley leans forward over the table.
“Seriously.”
She grins. “If we do it in the afternoon, everyone should be able to come.”
“Okay, then.”
Langley bounces in her seat with excitement, but my mind is spinning. What am I thinking? I don’t have my shoes here or any dance clothes. Renee will hate the idea, but at this point I don’t care what she thinks. I want to do something nice for my niece, and since Langley already knows about it, if Renee nixes it she’s the bad guy, not me.
I pull out my phone and text Deedee while Langley finishes her lunch. Basically, I send a Mayday and pray Deedee can drop everything to help me out. After all, two real ballerinas are better than one, and I bet the kids would love to see us en pointe in our most ostentatious costumes. Besides, if I can get Deedee to drive down here tomorrow, I can ride back to the city with her and save money on bus fare.
She responds a few minutes later.
Deedee: Sounds fun. What time?
I beam at my phone because I freaking love this girl. After thanking her with lots of exclamation points and happy
I smile to myself. “I’m sure it would be okay with her as long as it wasn’t all the time. She isn’t completely wrong, you know. This stuff isn’t exactly good for you.”
“Is that why you’re not eating it?”
With a sigh, I look at a french fry as it disappears into her mouth. “I have to be careful of what I eat because of dancing.”
“You don’t want to get fat.” She nods as if she understands.
Alarms go off in my head because I don’t want her to take what I said and twist it into something it’s not. “It’s not about being fat. It’s about being healthy.”
Langley eyes me skeptically because she doesn’t miss the way I look longingly at her fries.
“Too bad,” she says, savoring the next fry, chewing it slowly to tease me.
“Brat,” I mutter, and she giggles again while I clear my throat, avert my gaze, and sip my coffee.
“That’s why you couldn’t come to my birthday party. Because you were dancing.”
My gaze flicks back to hers. The hurt in her voice resonates inside me, erasing my good humor.
“Yes. Because I was dancing in a show. I’m sorry, Langley. We had a performance in Phoenix that night, or else I would have been there.”
The fact that Renee planned it that way has me pressing my lips together tightly, holding back the truth because I can’t tell her what her mother did. It wouldn’t be right.
“But your real birthday wasn’t the weekend of your party. It was the Wednesday before, and I was here for that.”
Langley nods thoughtfully. “But none of my friends saw you. Some of them think I’m lying about you being a real ballerina.”
I put my coffee down and sit up a little straighter. She tells her friends about me? That’s a surprise.
“Did you show them my picture on the ballet company’s website? I’m under the Corps de Ballet section with my picture and a bio.”
Langley looks at me like I’m nuts. “That’s lame. I could be showing them anyone for all they know.”
“But my name is there. It’s the same last name as yours and . . .” I stop talking when her expression doesn’t change.
Sitting back in my chair, I expel a heavy breath as the wide reach of Renee’s scheming sinks in. I watch Langley eat, acting as if nothing bothers her, but I don’t buy it. An idea comes together in my head.
“What are your friends doing tomorrow?”
Langley stops chewing and looks at me.
“I have to check with your mom first, but maybe we could pull something together for your friends.”
She sits up straighter. “What do you mean?”
I shrug to play it down in case I can’t pull it off. “Maybe I could give a short performance at the house, or even better, at the dance studio where your mom teaches. Would your friends be available on such short notice?”
“Seriously?” Langley leans forward over the table.
“Seriously.”
She grins. “If we do it in the afternoon, everyone should be able to come.”
“Okay, then.”
Langley bounces in her seat with excitement, but my mind is spinning. What am I thinking? I don’t have my shoes here or any dance clothes. Renee will hate the idea, but at this point I don’t care what she thinks. I want to do something nice for my niece, and since Langley already knows about it, if Renee nixes it she’s the bad guy, not me.
I pull out my phone and text Deedee while Langley finishes her lunch. Basically, I send a Mayday and pray Deedee can drop everything to help me out. After all, two real ballerinas are better than one, and I bet the kids would love to see us en pointe in our most ostentatious costumes. Besides, if I can get Deedee to drive down here tomorrow, I can ride back to the city with her and save money on bus fare.
She responds a few minutes later.
Deedee: Sounds fun. What time?
I beam at my phone because I freaking love this girl. After thanking her with lots of exclamation points and happy
Similar Books
Hens and Chickens
Jennifer Wixson
Elvis and the Underdogs
Jenny Lee
Born
Tara Brown
Back to the Beginning: A Duet
Laramie Briscoe, Seraphina Donavan
All Through the Night (Liar's Web)
Sandra Calhoune
Wild Fire
Linda I. Shands
Magic of Three
Jenna Castille
Submission Becomes Her
Paige Tyler