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Chapter Forty-One

IZZIE - FIVE WEEKS LATER

Last month went by in a blur. To say I was busy was an understatement. I had to cut the hours at Triana so I could focus on my residency and prevent Armageddon. Watching my mother try to wedding plan with Chad’s mom was like witnessing the clash of the Titans. Some days—who am I kidding, every day—I wanted to say Release the Kraken!

It could be worse. I could have been forced to interact with Jackson, but mercifully, being a Stanley Cup champion kept him away from most of the wedding preparations. Not that the best man has many duties that would involve me.

Or so I thought.

If I didn’t love Jane to death, I’d kill her. Her wedding is in six days, and she decided last minute that the wedding party has to dance Las Sevillanas at the reception. Lydia and I know the dance by heart, and all her friends are dancers, so that’s not an issue. But while the groomsmen might be professional athletes, as far as dancing goes, they all have the grace of giraffes on skates.

I shouldn’t say all of them. Frederico Tavares, the soccer player, can dance, but he’s the exception.

I was concerned about Lydia getting close to any of Chad’s friends, but Jane smartly assigned her to someone who’s definitely not Lydia’s type—he’s older, which automatically makes him unappealing to her.

Jane’s brilliant idea means I have to teach Jackson the dance—he’s my partner, after all. I should have known she’d try to play matchmaker. She’s as bad as my mother. I haven’t seen him since he came over to confess he had feelings for me and I rejected him. Truth be told, I miss him terribly, but the fear that I’ll get hurt worse is still present.

It’s a little after seven, and all members of the bridal party are in the studio where Jane teaches flamenco. Everyone but Jackson. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and he won’t show up at all.

Jane turns to Chad. “Where’s your best man?”

He checks his phone. “He said he’s running late and to start without him.”

Grayson snorts. “Jackson Darcy? Late? The man’s more punctual than George Washington.”

“Maybe he had a flat tire.” Frederico shrugs.

Or maybe he’s sending me a message that he doesn’t care about dancing with me.

“Did he say why he’s late?” Jane asks Chad.

“Nope.”

“Guys, it’s okay,” I chime in. “We can start without him. I already know the dance, and if he can’t learn, he’s the one who’ll look like an idiot.”

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” the man in question says as he enters the room.

My heart skips a beat, then hammers against my rib cage hard and fast. The adage that says distance makes the heart grow fonder isn’t wrong. Seeing him now after being deprived of his presence for weeks is wreaking havoc on my body and emotions. He hasn’t changed. He didn’t become hotter. But it’s taking everything in me to keep my expression neutral and not show how much I’m pining for him.

I cross my arms. “No, I wouldn’t love it, but I wouldn’t cry about it either.”

He narrows his eyes. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“Oooh… the tension is terrible. I hope it lasts,” Frederico pipes up.

Grayson shakes his head. “You’re an idiot.”

“An idiot who’s gonna make you all look like amateurs on the dance floor.”

“Hey! Not me,” Chad complains. “I know my steps already.”

Jackson pinches the bridge of his nose. “Can we start?”

Jane and Chad trade a look, and it tells me everything I need to know. Both are plotting to get me back together with Jackson.

Jane walks to the front of the room. “All right, please find your partners and face each other.”

We spread out around the studio. I head to the back on purpose to avoid Jane’s scrutiny.

“Not so close to your partner, Frederico.” Jane frowns at the man. “We’re not dancing lambada.”

“Aww… that’s too bad.”

I wait for Jackson to join me. His expression is hard, and his blue eyes are as cold as ice. I swallow the lump in my throat. Even though there’s no touching in Las Sevillanas, it can get super intense with all the eye contact. Currently, Jackson’s stare is chilling me to the bone.

“I can’t see Jane’s instructions from here,” he says.

“I can show you the steps.”

“But she’s the flamenco teacher.”

I watch him through narrowed eyes. “I’ve been dancing Las Sevillanas since I was a child. I can teach you.”

“So you say. Let’s see it, then.”

I shake my head. Jackson wants to start a fight, but I won’t fall for it. Taking a deep breath, I demonstrate the first steps.

“Did you get it, or do you want me to show you again?”

“I got it. How about the arms?”

“Let’s not worry about them for now. Focus on nailing the steps first.”

“How come everyone else is using theirs?” He gestures at the rest of the group.

I give the studio a cursory glance and realize that everyone is indeed dancing using their arms. Not only that, but they also aren’t floundering with the steps. That means this isn’t their first lesson.

“Son of a bitch,” I blurt out as realization hits me. Jane must have been teaching them for weeks. She wanted Jackson to be at beginner level with only days to go before the wedding so I would have to spend more time with him.

“What?” he asks.

I debate whether to tell Jackson what I figured out. In the end, I decide it’s best if he doesn’t know. “I got stuck with the dud.”

His eyes widen. “I’m not the dud!”

“Show me the steps then.”

“Fine,” he grits out.

He doesn’t get it right the first time. I didn’t expect him to. But with each passing minute, he gets more and more frustrated about his lack of progress. Surely, he’ll figure out soon he’s the only one who hasn’t practiced before.

“Come on. It’s not that hard. Watch my feet.”

“It is hard. Ugh!”

Jane walks over. “How’s everything going?”

“Fine,” I say.

“Terrible,” Jackson replies at the same time. “Your sister sucks at teaching.”

I put my hands on my hips. “I don’t suck! You’re not paying attention.”

He ignores me and turns to Jane. “Can you teach me?”

“Sure.”

I step aside and let Jane show Jackson the steps again. After a few tries, he finally gets it right.

“There you go. You’re doing great.” Jane smiles.

“Thanks.” He looks at me with an air of vindication. “See? All I needed was a better teacher.”

“Please.” I roll my eyes. “After I spent the last thirty minutes going over the steps, you were due to finally get them right.”

“So that’s it, then? We’re done here?”

I snort, while Jane laughs in a more ladylike fashion, and replies, “That was just the first Sevillana.”

His eyebrows shoot up, and it’s comical. “What do you mean, the first? How many are there?”

“Four. And the first is the easiest one.” I smirk.

Jackson’s expression falls, and I feel bad for him. “You’re kidding me. I’ll never learn in time for the wedding.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine. Izzie can give you extra lessons.”

I throw Jane a glower. “I have a life, you know.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure I can find some lessons online,” Jackson chimes in.

Yeah, like he’d be able to learn from YouTube videos in less than a week. I know this is a set-up, but I don’t want Jackson to mess up the dance.

“Oh, I’ll teach you.” I wave my hand dismissively.

“Don’t do me any favors.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Jane slink away. Yeah, I fell for her trap, but the butterflies in my stomach won’t let me be too mad about it.