Right Where I Want to Be Chapter 29

I go back to work the next day, mostly so that I don't have any idle hours in which to worry myself to death. Rose tells me she has a plan for our final dance when we quit, and we’re going to perform it together. She and I start working on choreography while we’re backstage, and I just know this will be talked about for a long time.

The realtor calls me the following day to tell me my offer was accepted. I bring Rose a giant bouquet of white roses to tell her thanks for her help, especially since she’s had to put up with my moodiness. Her squeal is loud enough to crack glass as she hugs me and tells me congrats over and over.

“Now, tell that brawny boyfriend of yours that we need help getting the place set up properly.”

“I will,” she beams. “You’re going to love each other.” Rose looks thrilled, and I’m so damn happy for her.

I sigh internally as I slip into a changing stall to put on my gear. I no longer change in the open since Jake snuck up on me that day. I have something new in electric blue, very strappy and hard to get into. I bought it on a whim, and I love the way it looks, but fucking Christ it’s taken me ten minutes to struggle into it. It better be worth it when I make it out there.

It’s early in the night, so I’m not dancing to my signature song yet, but it’s still a good one. Snoop Dogg starts off the song before The Pussycat Dolls come in to sing about undressing and getting it on. It’s a shortened version since it’s just a teaser for later in the evening, so I put in as many moves as I can for maximum impact. As I’m making a turn before dropping into a split, I swear I see bronze hair from the back of the room. By the time I’ve completed the spin and I look back in that direction, there’s nobody there. I cover my pause with another shake of my ass and move through the rest of the song. I can barely make it through collecting my money from the stage before I bolt to the back room and collapse in a chair, my hands trembling and my heart racing.

Why would he come back here?