Page 82 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

“Shh, it’s not important. Listen to Robyn.”

When I tuned back in, Robyn was saying, “I bet you wonder what silent dancing in the woods is all about.”

“Damn right,” one woman called as the rest of us nodded.

Robyn grinned. “That’s usually the reaction I get. There’re six different channels, so there’ll be two dancers on each. Since there’s eleven of you, one will have their own private channel. All of you will get the same songs, but in a different sequence. Make sense?”

We all nodded.

“Each song is a different genre of music. Rock. Country. Classical. In theory, you’ll figure out who else is on your channel.” Robyn laughed and shook her head. “But that’s not always how it works. Sometimes, by the end, you’ll have no clue.”

Katlynn spun, and her dress flared out. “No matter what I’m dancing to, it’ll look like I’m dancing toSwan Lake.”

“And Emma will be performing the two left foot blues,” I said.

Emma playfully slapped me on the arm and then thrust out her ass and shook it. “And Blake will give us the come sex me up shimmy.”

Robyn laughed. “Am I going to have to separate you two?”

“Do you have another headset in your bag?” Annie asked.

“Yeah, isn’t yours working?”

“Mine’s working just fine,” Annie replied. “If you’re making us dance around like fools, then you have to join us.”

Robyn raised her hands and stepped back. “No. That’s not how it works.”

“Come on.” Helena took a step toward Robyn. “If I’m going to be moving these stiff-ass limbs of mine, you can, too.”

Robyn helplessly looked around the group. When she met my gaze, I raised my eyebrows and said, “Do you really want one of us to have to dance solo? Are you chicken?”

A competitiveness flashed in her eyes. “Fine.” She dug in her pack and pulled out another set. “I didn’t want to put you to shame with my moves, but you asked for it.”

The group cheered, while Annie and I let out a catcall.

“But wait,” Katlynn said. “Songs are all a different length.”

“I forgot to mention you’ll get a three-minute portion of ten different songs.”

“Thirty minutes of dancing. You’re killing me,” someone called.

“It’s okay to take a breather,” Robyn responded. “Just have fun.”

Robyn started the music.

I groaned to myself asRock Around the Clockblasted my ears. How the hell did anyone dance to fifties music? Didn’t they move their feet a lot when they danced? Instead of trying to emulatethe moves of the past, I focused on the music and moved with it. I wouldn’t win any dance contests, but at least I was on the beat.

I’d been so self-conscious about my dancing that I hadn’t been paying attention to anyone else, but as the time on the first song wound down, I glanced around the clearing. I stifled a laugh at the chaos. Numerous times, I’d been at clubs where some had no business on the dance floor, but this was something else. It almost made me dizzy as I listened to my music and saw others moving to a different beat.

The music switched. The beat screamed country, a genre I never listened to. Could I dance to it without a pair of cowboy boots? I had to admit the melody was catchy, and I caught myself tapping my toe and moving my shoulders. I chuckled as the singer mentioned his pickup truck, followed by his tractor. Yep, this was typical country. But damn, the beat had me moving. I couldn’t help laughing when the singer got to the chorus and told the country girl to shake it.

Again, I was lost in the music but remembered to check out the others. Emma and I couldn’t have the same song since she was jogging through the clearing, her arms spread wide.What the hell is she dancing to?Her movements nearly threw me off my rhythm, so I had to look away. My gaze landed on Katlynn, who didn’t appear to be dancing toSwan Lake.She looked more like a headbanger than a ballerina, which didn’t match her flowing dress.

What Katlynn was dancing to became clear once my song switched.Shit.The driving sounds of guitars and drums assaulted my ears. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a singer, if one could call him that, screamed words I couldn’t understand. How could this even be called music?

As the cacophony continued, anger rose inside of me, something I’d never experienced when I listened to music. Not that I listened to heavy metal. I glanced down at my feet thatweren’t moving. That was when I realized all I had been doing was violently moving my upper body.

I was thankful when the music flipped to another song. The tightness in my jaw lessened. I’d been clenching my teeth and didn’t realize it. The familiar tin whistle at the beginning of the theme fromTitanicfilled my ears. The tension I’d felt from the previous song melted as Celine Dion’s angelic voice replaced the grating heavy metal.