Chapter 16

Annabelle St. John tugged the cover over her stepfather’s increasingly frail body and clicked the remote to activate the television. She flipped to her guilty pleasure: Dancing With the Celebrities. Her stepfather enjoyed it, too. He used to love taking her mother dancing.

“It looks like it’s going to be a fun season,” Rob said, his thin, reedy voice nothing like the deep robust baritone he used to possess. He was in the end stages of an aggressive cancer that had ravaged his body, leaving him a shell of his former self.

He’d waited a few weeks before he told her about the diagnosis. She wanted to be mad at him for robbing her of that precious time, but she knew he was worried she’d quit her job to take care of him. He was right. She did.

After working her way up the ranks at a top graphic design firm, she was in line for a huge promotion, the type of job she’d been dreaming of since she graduated college. When Rob told her he was sick, she didn’t hesitate to walk into her boss’s office and tender her resignation, effective immediately. Rob needed her. That’s all that mattered.

Annabelle’s Green Beret father had been killed in the line of duty when she was six. She had only vague memories of a big man with a wide smile who doted on her. She remembered thinking her daddy was a giant. He’d been six-five, and to a little girl, that was Goliath dimensions.

Though her mother had been devastated by his death, she’d tried to keep up a brave face in front of Annabelle. Still, she remembered hearing her mom crying at night and going inside to crawl in bed with her. When Annabelle was ten, her mother met Robert Singleton when he was in Portland on a business trip. They fell in love and married, and Annabelle and her mom moved to Los Angeles where he lived.

She’d fallen in love with Rob instantly. He treated her like his own daughter, spoiling her with gifts and showering her with affection. He’d wanted to adopt her, but her mother gently refused, wanting Annabelle to keep her father’s name in his honor. That didn’t stop Rob from treating her like his own.

Rob’s son from his first marriage, Robert Junior, or Robbie, as they called him, was four years older than Annabelle. He lived with his mother, except for the weekends he visited and tormented her. He was the definition of a bully and she dreaded his visits.

When Annabelle was twelve, her entire world shattered. Her mother had been killed by a drunk driver. She wasn’t sure she’d recover from the overwhelming sorrow, but Rob had been her rock. Together, they endured the grief. Since he’d never formally adopted her, he had no responsibility towards her and he could’ve dumped her into foster care. But, as he told her repeatedly, he would never do that to her. He continued to treat her as his daughter and even spoiled her with a brand-new BMW for her sixteenth birthday.

As Robbie grew older, he was constantly getting in trouble. He picked fights in school, was caught with drugs and alcohol, even committed petty crimes including shoplifting. His mother finally had enough of his antics and sent him to live with his dad, forcing Annabelle to endure two tumultuous years living under the same roof.

Rob owned a dozen auto dealerships around the Los Angeles area, selling almost every make of car on the market. Robbie had shown no desire to be a part of his father’s legacy, refusing to work at any of the dealerships over the summers. When he turned eighteen, his father gave him an ultimatum: either go to college, get a job or join the military. Robbie took off instead. Annabelle knew his disappearance worried Rob. They didn’t hear a word from him until the end of her senior year of high school. Robbie breezed back to town, boasting that the import/export company he founded was doing so well, he was richer than his father.

Rob and Robbie’s relationship remained strained and they saw very little of him. It’d been a shock when two years ago, he announced he was running for office. He was the last person she thought would be interested in politics. And the last person who should be making decisions that shaped the state and country. Too many skeletons danced in his closet. But, Robbie had been fortunate to inherit his father’s good looks and charm and somehow, he swayed voters. This year, he was even running for a seat in Congress. She still couldn’t believe it.

Annabelle attended college at Stanford and then accepted a job in Seattle. She hated to leave her stepfather, but he insisted she accept. He owned his own Gulfstream so he visited often and even sent the plane so she could visit him as well. For six years, they flew back and forth until she got the call that he’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Robbie, who now wanted to be called Robert, didn’t bother to visit his sick father, nor invite them to his wedding to a woman named Vespa. What kind of name was Vespa, anyway? She was a rail thin bottle-blond with gigantic breasts. Annabelle had no idea how she stayed upright. Her moss green eyes were vacant.

As Rob’s health continued to deteriorate, she reached out to Robbie to mend their relationship, but he ignored her attempts.

One of the first things she noticed when she moved back to Rob’s house was that all the original artwork that used to hang on the walls was gone. She didn’t want to ask her stepfather about it, assuming he’d needed money to pay medical bills, even though he’d sold all his dealerships the year before for an exorbitant amount of money.

“I’m picking Harlow and Glen to win,” she told her stepfather. “I’m surprised to see Glen Benson back. He was always one of my favorites.”

She waited until his coughing fit passed, and then handed him a glass of water. She held the straw so he could take a sip and then returned it to the bedside table.

“I’m surprised he’s back, too. A shame what happened to Marcus Howe.” He wheezed in a breath. “But I’m picking Cassidy and that boy-bander.”

“Trey,” she supplied. “And you’re just picking Cassidy because she’s beautiful,” she teased.

“Is she? Not compared to you. You’re the spitting image of your mother.”

She blinked rapidly to hide the tears crowding her eyes.

“You know the best thing about this disease?”

There was a good thing? She didn’t think so. “What’s that?”

“I’ll get to see her soon.”

Cassidy squeezed his hand and let the tears flow unchecked as she faced the television. Her mother had been the love of his life and the light in hers.

The theme music started and she picked up the remote to increase the sound. She just prayed Rob would live to see if his picks won.

#

Mason hated letting Cassidy out of his sight for a second, but the show was ready to begin. He found his seat next to Sawyer and Kellan, his eyes widening when he spotted the foursome in the next row.

He shook Dante Costa’s hand, and waved at Taylor, Kai and Gracie. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We came to support Harlow.”

“And Disneyland,” Gracie chimed in, bouncing in her seat.

Dante shook his head and hitched a thumb in his wife’s direction. “This one can’t say no to the kids.”

Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? Do you think I don’t know who planted the idea in their sweet little heads?”

Dante smiled at his wife and kissed the frown from her lips.

Sawyer was chatting with Harlow’s parents and Mason shook hands with them. Harlow’s younger sister Zoe was sitting next to Kai. For obvious reasons, her grandmother would not be attending.

The lights flicked off, plunging the auditorium into total darkness. Several people gasped, but then the spotlight blinked on, highlighting Cassidy in her opening pose. Mason dropped into his chair, his eyes glued to her lithe form. Though he’d seen her perform this dance before, nerves assailed him when the music started. She started to move and the entire crowd oohed and ahhed as she leaped, tumbled and spun her way into their hearts. When the song ended, Mason joined the crowd surging to their feet to cheer. She was simply breathtaking.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Sawyer and Kellan elbowing each other. When they caught his gaze, they were wearing matching smirks. If not for the minors in the crowd, he’d have told them both to go to hell, only more detailed and graphic. Cassidy was his responsibility. Damn right he was happy for her to do well.

Things moved quickly during the breaks as crews hustled to change the props and prepare the stage for the next dance. When the cameras rolled again, they were ready for the first couple of the night. It was the dance of the dying swans, as he’d named it. First, they played a segment of Irina meeting her partner for the first time. Billy Hughes had played the teenage killer in a slasher flick, but had faded from the spotlight in recent years. During his interview, he told of his hopes for a comeback, and Dancing With the Celebrities was the perfect first step. The next clip was of Irina showing him the costumes. He visibly recoiled and the audience laughed. He tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. The segment ended and the music began. Irina and Billy performed the quirky, strange routine to the mixed reaction of the audience. Irina preened and waved like a prom queen. Billy hung his head in embarrassment or shame, Mason wasn’t sure which. The judges were lenient, since it was the first dance of the new season and Billy looked relieved to be spared their caustic remarks.

The rest of the show moved fast. The next few dances were met with mixed results, some good, some not. The judges weren’t too harsh. At the end of the first hour of programming, the pros performed a group number that was fast paced and flashy. Mason knew there were other dancers on the floor, but he only had eyes for Cassidy. He tracked her every movement. Her face was alive with happiness. This was what she was born to do. He didn’t dare look at his coworkers after the number ended. He just clapped the normal amount and kept facing forward.

Originally, Cassidy had been scheduled to dance last as the returning champion, but the order was switched so they could end with Harlow and Glen, followed by a tribute to Marcus to cap the show. Cassidy and Trey walked on stage and the crowd cheered. Their video segment showed their first meeting with Trey as wired as a lottery winner. In fact, he even said he felt like he’d hit the jackpot with Cassidy as his partner. Mason silently agreed. The clips showed practices where Trey was both focused and then playful. Then the music started and they danced their hearts out. It was hard to tell that Trey was an amateur. His enthusiasm and smile were contagious. Their props included a tree lit in purple lights and a park bench with a street lamp. The dance ended with them collapsing to the bench. The crowd loved them, roaring their approval with a standing ovation. Screw his coworkers, he stood and clapped, too. The judges praised their performance but were stingy with their scores, in Mason’s opinion. He’d have given them tens across the board. They did receive two nines and an eight to lead. An eight was too low and he felt like having words with stingy Lou.

As the crew prepared the stage for the final dance of the night, Sawyer couldn’t sit still. His right leg was bobbing and his fists were opening and closing repeatedly.

“You okay?”

Sawyer shook his head. “Too damn nervous.”

“It does help to breathe.”

Sawyer gave him a droll look but the introduction started and he swung his attention to the huge screen. It began with Harlow and Marcus meeting for the first time, followed by several scenes from practices. Mason glanced at Harlow standing on the stage wiping tears. Glen gave her an encouraging hug. The segment finished, and the announcer called their names. They moved on stage and the music started. They proceeded to execute a flawless dance. When Sawyer surged to his feet, Mason was right beside him. Harlow’s sister Zoe jumped up and down, cheering at the top of her lungs. Even her parents were celebrating, showing more emotion than he thought career politicians would display in public, especially when a cameraman focused on them.

Once the cheering finally ended, the judges lavished them with praise, holding up ten paddles—the first time in the history of the show a celebrity earned perfect marks on their first dance.

The host kept Harlow and Glen beside him and spoke into the microphone. “Most of you noticed that Harlow’s video package showed her practicing with Marcus Howe, but she danced tonight with former champion Glen Benson. For those of you who haven’t heard, Marcus Howe passed away last night.” Several people gasped loudly, a few women cried. “Everyone involved with the show was devastated by the news and we offer our heartfelt condolences to Marcus’s parents, Hector and Sharon, his sister Ruby and his entire family. We’d also like to thank Glen Benson, who came out of retirement and stepped in to learn two dances in less than twenty-four hours.”

When the applause died down, a large screen slowly descended from the rafters and the tribute began. It showed several of Marcus’s dances over the years, and the times he’d captured the trophy. Interviews were interspersed with the footage and he knew Cassidy had been reluctant to speak on camera since Marcus died in her apartment. Still, her words were heartfelt and eloquent, and she even shared a story of when their costumes got snarled in a group dance and they couldn’t get them untangled. They had to dance in place and smile for the crowd. The segment ended with a picture of a grinning Marcus, flanked by the dates of his birth and his death. When the picture faded, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.