‘Let us begin,’ said Carlos, pulling up his chair so that thethree of us were sitting in a circle so small I could nudge my knees against both of theirs if I wanted to. Clearly I didnotwant to, on either count.
‘So. Dances. As well as the group numbers, which we will start rehearsing tomorrow when the entire company are here, we will need four duets.’
‘Four?’ said Lira.
‘Is that a problem?’ I snapped.
‘Not at all,’ she replied, just as snippily. ‘Which four were you thinking?’ she asked, purposely turning to Carlos.
‘We have decided on a soft and romantic classic American smooth waltz, a fun and sexy salsa, a very slow and seductive rumba – and then, of course, the highlight of our show: a fiery and dynamic Argentine tango. You will know some of the steps already from the audition.’
‘Sounds wonderful,’ said Lira, shifting in her seat.
I felt a shot of smugness at the fact she looked uncomfortable with the idea of four duets. I wondered which aspect of all of this was bothering her most. Surely, she should be grateful to have the gig at all, given her lack of recent experience. And if I’d had my way, it would have been Daniella sitting here instead of Lira, even if I knew damn well that our performances would have been nowhere near as sensational.
‘We are very short on time now, as you know,’ warned Carlos. ‘Of course, I will oversee things, but you will have to polish and rehearse the numbers you have together in your own time. Evenings, weekends, whatever it takes.’
‘I do have some commitments to the dance studio…’ said Lira, looking anxious.
‘What dance studio?’ I asked, playing devil’s advocate. I knew she worked in one; it was where Carlos had met her.
‘I run the James Jive Dance Studio in Castlebury,’ she said, barely looking at me. ‘It’s my family’s business.’
‘So get somebody else to cover,’ I said.
Did she need me to spell it out for her? Her dance career came first, surely.
‘That’s a big ask,’ she said. Then, when she saw Carlos looking alarmed, she added, ‘But I’ll make it work.’
I turned to face her. ‘You do know what a big opportunity this is, correct?’ I said. ‘And that, if it had been up to me, you would not have been cast at all?’
‘Gabriele…’ warned Carlos.
‘No, Carlos, she must know how lucky she is to be here. Especially, when she has not danced seriously for years. There is a lot riding on this for me.’
‘And there isn’t for me?’ she countered. ‘Of course I’m grateful for the chance. And I will work harder than I’ve ever worked in my entire life to make this show – thispartnership– a success. All I’m saying is that things at the studio are more difficult than they seem. I—’
‘I really do not care what you do with the studio,’ I said dismissively, wondering if I could stop being such an arsehole any time soon. ‘I seem to remember you have two sisters – let one of them help, because you are neededhere.’
Great. Bravo, Gabriele. Now she would know that I had retained everything we had shared that night in Paris, about her family, about mine. There had not been a lot of time to talk in between exploring each other’s bodies over and over again, but what I had learned about her, I had remembered: her mother was South African, she had met Lira’s father while performing in a show on a luxury cruise ship and she had fallen pregnant very quickly; Lira is the eldest of three sisters. That was all I knew.
‘Iwillbe here, but I don’t need you to tell me how to run my business,’ countered Lira.
‘Enough!’ said Carlos, clapping his hands together. ‘We do not have time for this clash of personalities – you dance beautifully together and that is what you must recreate time and time again on stage. Whatever the problem is between you, sort it out.’
I sighed dramatically. ‘Relax, Carlos. We will make it work.’
‘And talking of problems, we are struggling to find somewhere for you to rehearse. Unfortunately there is no studio space available here for you to practice your duets. Perhaps that is something you can figure out between you?’ suggested Carlos.
Emily, looking as harassed as ever, chose that moment to scurry into the room.
‘I’ve rung every single studio in central London and nobody has evenings and weekends free at such short notice,’ she announced breathily.
‘We should have booked this earlier!’ I exclaimed, flying out of my seat. ‘Why are arrangements only being made now?’
‘Calm down, Gabriele,’ said Carlos. ‘We will find a place for you.’
‘We could use my studio in Castlebury?’ suggested Lira.
