Jivin’ Tango
By Connie L. Smith
Lila and Austin have known each
other since she befriended his younger brother when she was a toddler. In fact,
since her parents moved from her hometown, Lila’s lived with Austin’s family.
The two are friends, though more of the teasing, taunting breed than the BFF
variety.
But all it takes is one moment for
everything to change…
For Austin, that moment comes when
Lila performs a rumba in the school’s auditorium to qualify for the state dance
competition, the young woman on stage so far-removed from the little girl in
his memories.
For Lila, the moment is a
reflected image of Austin preparing for prom, the guy standing in front of his
mirror hardly resembling the child that spent so much of his youth pestering
her.
Will they find a way to admit to
themselves and their families that their feelings are deeper than friendship?
And can Lila focus on this building relationship – and deal with her unstable
ex – and still win the dance contest?
Excerpt :
Austin’s gorgeous,
smart, funny, ambitious, and athletic.
But he’s certainly
not a dancer.
I learn that early
in our miniature lesson, though it doesn’t bother me. No aggravation surfaces
on his face if he misses a step, and his laughter when he completely botches a
move proves contagious. He’s terrible, we both know it, and it’s about the most
fun I’ve had in years.
When he messes up a
particularly simple step, I cackle so much, I let go of his fingers to hold my
palms over my mouth. “How could you miss that?”
Without a bit of
shame, he shrugs. “It’s actually pretty easy to do on my end.”
“Well, I can see
why I never picked you for a dance partner.”
He snorts. “Yeah,
Trent was definitely the right way to go with that one. Now.” He takes my hands
in his, glances down at his poorly functioning feet, then focuses on my face.
“What did I do wrong?”
I have to bite down
on my bottom lip to keep my amusement from showing, but I manage. Barely.
“You
know how some people have two left feet?” I wait for him to nod before I let
humor take over my features. “You seem to think you only have one foot,
period.”
He scrunches his
brow. “What do you mean?”
“That’s what you
did wrong.” I take a step back and drop his hands, thinking an example would be
the best way to explain the problem. “You went here.” I put my right foot in
place. “Then here.” My left foot hardly budges. “Then here.” I move my right
foot about ten inches. “You should’ve moved your left foot more. When you
didn’t, it knocked your balance off.”
“Something that
simple?”
I roll my eyes at
the disbelief in his tone, then lace our fingers again. “Yeah. Something that
simple. Every step’s important when you’re dancing.”
“Huh.” The song
changes, and it’s another slow number, one I recognize from Trent’s oldies
collection. Johnny Rivers, singing “Slow Dancing.” I’m tempted to glance at
Trent and his date to verify what I suspect—that he’s the one who requested the
tune—but instead, I gaze up at Austin and find him grinning at me.
“Now this I can
handle,” he brags.
I snicker and sink
back into his arms…
About the Author:
Connie L. Smith spends far too much time with her mind
wandering in fictional places. She reads too much, likes to bake, and might forever
be sad that she doesn’t have fairy wings. And that she can’t swing dance. Her
music of choice is severely outdated, and as an adult she’s kind of obsessed
with Power Rangers. She has her BA from Northern Kentucky University in Speech
Communication and History (she doesn’t totally get the connection either), and
is currently working on her MA.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clsmithbooks
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/conniel0194/
Blog/Main Site: http://clsmithbooks.blogspot.com/
ReadWave: http://www.readwave.com/connie.l.smith/
