Bailey winced. Like the pro and contestant she and Luc were replacing. “Understood.”
She turned her back on them, and retrieved her phone, and found the music she’d been given this week. Harry Connick Junior’s song, “It Had to be You” was a standard for the foxtrot, the dance they’d been given. She was grateful for the slower pace, even if the foxtrot was a complex dance, but she wanted to remember how this went and move through it as she’d imagined last night. To have one more chance to do so before Luc got here, before his physical bigness and breadth of personality stole her concentration, was necessary.
The elegant swing of the orchestra blared from her phone, and she swayed to the music, imagining the opening scene according to the style and props that had been given her. She had stairs to walk down in her heels, then she’d tap him on the shoulder, he’d take her hand, she’d spin, her long feathery dress swirling out, as per the costume suggested to her, then they’d begin the actual foxtrot. John, the stickler for technical dancing, would be expecting to see the slow, slow, quick, quick steps of the foxtrot, so she needed to make sure Luc could do the basic movements and set pieces, as well as adding in the drama and elegance that Cynthia and Marco always liked to see.
She positioned her arms, holding the phone in front of her as she imagined dancing with him. One line down to the corner of the room, then a pause, before a spin in the middle, then a moment to arch away, then come back together. Foxtrot meant they were holding each other for most of the time, which she knew could get a little dull for the audience, so she would have to include some dips and add a split-over lift, if Luc was ready for that. He should be. His muscles and frame would be perfect for all kinds of lifts sure to please crowds and get votes, if he was prepared to trust her.
His words from their initial plane trip crossed her mind again. His doubts, his concerns about her size compared to his. Well, she was going to have to use that to her advantage, even if that meant resorting to, to borrow the words from her ultimate favorite movie of all time, “flashy, crowd-pleasing steps”. She was glad the producers had made it clear that, unlike on the US show, lifts on Dance Off were perfectly okay.
She finished, arching backwards, arm outstretched, as she envisaged their routine would end, only to hear a slow clap come from the door. She glanced across, straightening as Luc entered.
“Wow.”
She swallowed, thinking the same. He’d dressed as she requested, comfortably in shorts and a tee, a far cry from the tux he’d wear on Sunday, but she wanted him to relax into things today. Even if she bet he’d kick up a fuss at the shoes he’d be expected to wear. His shorts showed his muscular legs, where even his calves seemed twice the size of her thighs, and his shirt was doing his chest and arms plenty of favors. She blinked, snapping into professional mode, as she gestured to the film crew who were already filming.
Whoa. She hadn’t been expecting that. She hoped they hadn’t caught any expression from her that looked like ogling. She winced, wiping her hands down the sheer flowy dance skirt over tights she’d worn with her basic leotard.
“Hey, Luc.” Ella moved closer. “We met briefly at the meet and greet, but I’m Ella, and this is Ben and Tony. We’re going to be here for the next few hours.”
“Few hours?”
“Yeah. Your contract was four hours rehearsal minimum per day, remember?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think we’d be filmed for all that. I thought you’d be here to film the fake introduction, then a few clips of Bailey trying to teach me to dance.”
“Those clips only come about from us getting the right amount of footage,” Ella explained. “So, we’re going to stay here the whole time, do a few little interviews for the package as well. Don’t worry, as I explained to Bailey, you won’t even notice we’re here after a little while.”
“We need to microphone you both now,” Ben said, handing them both battery packs.
Bailey attached it onto her dance skirt while Ella adjusted the tiny microphone. She smiled at Luc. “You’ll need to be careful what you say now.”
He shrugged. “I keep my mouth clean.”
“Well, speaking of mouths, look, we have snacks.” Bailey pointed to the table where Dance Off had provided a variety of granola bars, fruit, and some less healthy options positioned next to a tray of bottled waters.
Luc cut her a look. “I have a feeling I’ll need DoorDash. Like, I’m always hungry and eat five meals a day.”
Good to know. Bailey turned to Ella. “Okay, so you were saying you wanted us to do the fake ‘oh, it’s you’ scene?”
Ella nodded. “Normally it isn’t faked, as the dance pros don’t know who they’re matched up with until that moment. Obviously, especially given the circumstances we didn’t have time for that with you two, but the viewing audience doesn’t need to know that. So we’re going to film a sequence with Luc outside, all excited or nervous, and then have him coming inside and ‘meeting’ you. Okay?”
“And um, how do you want us to ‘meet’?” Bailey asked, rabbit-earing those last words like Ella seemed fond of doing.
“A hug, a squeal, a handshake, whatever feels natural.”
Hmm. Nothing felt natural as far as this man was concerned.
“Ready?”
“Sure.”
Ben followed Ella and Luc back outside, leaving Tony with Bailey, and she did her best to relax, to pray, to calm down. She returned to her music, listening as she envisaged the steps once again, and swayed and stretched. Lord, have Your way. I don’t know what Your purpose is in all this, but I’m trusting that it’s for my good.
The door opened. She glanced up. And beamed. Totally naturally. “It’s you!”
“Hey, I’m Luc,” Luc said.
The fact he was introducing himself drew her laugh, and she dashed across the dance floor and hugged him, like he was her friend. Then paused, as his arms automatically went around her. Oh. This felt a little close. Which was dumb. He’d have to hold her, and her him. Maybe he was just treating her as a friend too. Regardless, this hug was going on too long, and she needed to pull away. Now. So she did.
“And cut. Hey, that was great,” Ella said. “You get that down okay, guys?”
Ben was squinting at his camera’s playback, nodding. “Yep, looks good.” Tony said the same.
Bailey pushed a smile back on her dial, looking at Ella for instruction.
“Okay, just act natural.”
“Sorry, this is all so new to me.”
“I know. And it will get easier. The first day is always the hardest. Now, you might want to ask how he’s feeling, tell him what the dance is.”
She nodded. Turned back to Luc, then glanced back at the camera guys. “Do I need to wait for a count in?”
“For this part, yes. For the rest, just do what you need to do. The guys have done this long enough they’ll know when to tell you to pause, but they won’t interrupt you very often.”
Bailey fanned her face. “I don’t know why I feel so nervous.”
“You’ll be great,” Luc said. “I, on the other hand…” He made a face.
