Dancing for the Lord The Academy - By Emily Goodman Page 0,39

enough for tonight,” Mlle Kirby informed her. “In fact, I didn’t expect to get this far. You’re a fast learner.”

“It’s all muscle memory,” she muttered.

“Then your muscles acquire information faster than anyone else I’ve ever known,” her teacher retorted tartly. “Now, Danni—take your partner off and be sure he ices that shoulder for at least an hour. You know the drill?”

“Fifteen minutes on, fifteen off,” she recited by rote. “Take an hour off and do it again if the pain doesn’t decrease.”

“Very good.” Mlle Kirby looked pleased. “Now, go—and don’t give her too hard a time, Nicholas.”

“I’m not going to give her a hard time,” he grumbled as their teacher strode out of sight. He looked over at Danni. “You need to change?” he asked her.

She glanced down at her sweat-soaked leotard and grimaced. “And shower,” she admitted. “We worked pretty hard that last half hour.”

“Yeah.” He massaged his right shoulder absently, grimacing as he did so.

“You okay?” She didn’t reach out to him. He hadn’t indicated that the advance would be welcome, and if he was hurting, he might prefer to be alone for a little while.

“I will be.” Nicholas forced his expression to relax, but from the tension around his eyes, she could tell that his shoulder was still paining him. “You’re not nearly as hard on me as Kat. She would have wanted at least one more round.” His smile flashed for just a moment. “Plus, like I said, you don’t weigh nearly what she does. Makes my life easier.”

“Maybe ten pounds difference,” Danni protested.

“Or maybe a little more.” He rotated his shoulder carefully, his expression studiously blank. “Kat might have been lying about the one-twenty.”

“Oh—“

He laughed outright, giving up on his shoulder for a moment. “Why are you defending her?” he demanded. “She’s your rival, remember? You ought to be going out of your way to convince me to keep you even when she comes back.”

“It’s not like we get a whole lot of choice in the matter.”

“You don’t think so? Then you haven’t been around long enough. It’s guys’ choice around here.” Nicholas grinned faintly. “Though your determination not to tear Kat down is kind of refreshing. It might get you further than I thought.”

Danni made a face at him. “Tearing Katarina down isn’t going to get me anywhere. Besides, she’s the better dancer.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Nicholas ruffled her hair gently. “Come on. A hot shower will do a lot for my temper, and then I’ll let you bully me into actually icing my shoulder. We’d better hurry, though—it’s already six thirty, and my dorm mother stops serving dinner at seven.”

“Mine, too.” Danni grimaced. “There will be something in the kitchen, though. She’s always really careful about it.”

“Good for you. Mine is of the opinion that if we aren’t home in time, we can fend for ourselves.” He winked. “Maybe we ought to head for your place.”

“Katarina’s there,” she pointed out.

He winced. “My place it is. I’ll make it a fast shower.

He did; and before she knew it, they were headed over to his dorm. There was a light snow falling from the sky, Danni noticed, entranced. She’d never seen a white Christmas before; but it looked like they might have one this year.

It’s like a fairy tale, Lord, she prayed silently. My every dream coming true in one fell swoop. A partner I can count on…dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy…how can it possibly get any better than this? She stopped walking, staring for a moment at the star-filled sky. Thank you, Lord, she prayed. Thank you so much for everything. I didn’t deserve any of this, but you’ve arranged it for me anyway. Thanks.

Nicholas didn’t realize that she wasn’t beside him for several steps. When he did, he looked back at her, surprised. “You coming?” he demanded.

“What—oh, yeah.” She flashed him a quick smile. “Sorry.”

“Woolgathering?” he teased.

“Praying,” she replied immediately, before she had a chance to think about it.

To her eternal joy, Nicholas smiled in response to that. “You’re a Christian? That’s awesome.” He waited for her to catch up with him, grinning. “There aren’t many of those around here. You’ll have to come to church with me on Sunday.”

She grinned. “I’d like that. I’ve enjoyed the service at Mount Tabor these last few weeks, but I’m not sure it’s where I want to go all the time, either.”

“I really like Faith Heights,” he told her. “We’re a little more contemporary—and the pastor actually preaches out of a Bible that