A Convenient Proposal(55)
When they stepped onto the parquet dance floor, though, Arden melted into his arms and the world became a perfect place. “We’ll just keep dancing all night,” Griff said, putting his mouth close to her ear and inhaling the luscious scent she wore. “Maybe I can bribe the band to forget about their break.”
Her silent chuckle rippled through him. “There are union rules, you know.”
He hadn’t, actually. “Mandatory breaks?”
“And Broadway shows are supposed to end before 11:00 p.m. It’s in the actors’ contracts.”
“Now, why do you just happen to have these esoteric pieces of information in your brain?” Drawing back a little, he looked down at her. “Are you a former chorus girl? A closet stripper?”
“Nothing like that.” This time, she laughed out loud. “Nothing at all.”
They got two dances in before the dinner bell rang. Griff saw Kathy waving wildly at them from a table in the back corner. “I think we’re sitting with my family.” He walked Arden in that direction, noticing more than one appreciative male glance follow them. “One big happy family, isolated in the rear to avoid trouble.”
“Shush,” his mother told him, overhearing. “I’m assuming you’re on good behavior tonight.”
“I am.” He seated Arden and then took his own chair. “Are we sure there won’t be hemlock in the mashed potatoes?”
They all survived the meal, despite his dire expectations, and he raised his glass with goodwill for every single toast made to Zelda and Al. They could have a great life together, as far as he was concerned.
He’d intended to resume his nightlong dance with Arden when the band returned to the stage, but he looked around to see his dad pulling her chair back.
“Wait a minute,” Griff protested. “She’s my date.”
Jake nodded. “And I’m cutting in, son. That’s the way these social things work.”
“Don’t pout.” His mother put her hand on his arm. “Dance with me instead.”
“Nothing to pout about in that,” he said, meaning every word. “After all, you taught me the steps. At least I’m tall enough to lead now.”
Out on the floor, they glided past Arden and Jake.
“She looks beautiful,” his mother said. “So elegant and graceful.”
Griff steered past Jim and Kathy with a nod. “No arguments from me.”
“And I might be mistaken, but you seem quite happy.”
“I can’t say no to that, either.”
“Because of Arden, I gather?”
Griff grinned. “Ready for a dip?”
His mom smiled up at him and he bent close, supporting her back as she arched away. When they straightened again, a few bystanders applauded.
He grinned in that direction but continued dancing.
“Quite an evasive maneuver,” his mother said. “But I won’t forget the question just because you sent the blood rushing to my head. Is Arden Burke the woman of your future?”
Turning his head, he found her on the other side of the room, laughing at something his dad said. Could he trust in a future with Arden Burke? Could the desire they’d discovered blossom into something more for her, as it had for him?
“That’s the plan, Mom.” He prayed he was hiding the uncertainty chilling his insides. “Forever is what I’m shooting for.”
DR. JAKE CAMPBELL DANCED like a professional.
Arden knew she did not. “I apologize for stepping on your toes,” she told him. “Dance lessons never showed up on my list of classes.” In fact, band and dance music had played such a small part in her life that she could hear them without emotional qualms.
“What did you study?” Dr. Campbell’s blue eyes, more incisive than Griff’s, seemed to probe her soul.
“The usual,” she said, trying to cover her mistake. “Math, science, history…”
“And did you specialize in college? Griff mentioned you attended a New York school.”
“I didn’t finish—didn’t earn a degree.” Which was the truth; her concert commitments had prevented her from completing her last year’s course work. Her Julliard diploma had been an honorary award.
They danced in silence for a minute, and she began to hope the interview had ended. Knowing Griff, however, she wasn’t surprised when his father didn’t give up.