She smiled, placing hearts on them all.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Avi
Meet me on the lower deck?
I believe there was a first dance on our bucket list
It hadn’t taken Leah long to memorize the Matzo Baller’s entire layout, even with its extravagant and seemingly boundless activities. She arrived at Avi’s meeting place, only to pause at the edge of the doorway, stunned.
Big light up marquee letters spelled out L E A H next to a small buffet table loaded with platters of delectable desserts. Someone—probably giant Jonah—had managed to secure one of the balloon arches, that now wobbled precariously in the breeze.
And there, on the open deck, was Avi. Phone in one hand, microphone in the other, and a karaoke machine by his feet.
“What is all this?”
“Since I may or may not have been at least partially responsible for ruining your bat mitzvah party,” he announced, “I, Avi Wolfson, vow to sing whatever song hit number one that year in its entirety on this here karaoke machine.”
He examined his screen, shook his head in disbelief, and sent his gaze heavenward before dropping his baritone voice an octave.
“Flo Rida – ‘Low.’”
A small crowd of curious onlookers cheered, and Tobin swooped in like a stealth stage ninja to cue up the song.
“Leah Tova bat Yael? Get up here on the dance floor! This is your Starry Night!”
Avi rallied the crowd like a DJ would, hands in the air.
She shook her head, not quite believing what she was seeing or hearing. And not able to wipe the grin from her face. Even though he couldn’t keep up with the fast rap lyrics and laugh-stumbled his way through most of the verses, he had the chorus down tight, enough to get the deck rocking like a real club.
Jonah had actually set down his seemingly bottomless drink to show off his dance skills: the dolphin, the worm, and other flashy moves. Nora and Libby were cracking up laughing, throwing down moves of their own to the pulsating track. They pulled her into their inner circle and showed her their goddess shimmy.
“Told you you’d get used to the antics of this crew,” Beck hollered above the din as their harem danced around him. “Fair warning, they don’t save it for just this time of the year!”
Talia and Asher, the guy who had served Leah a Hanukkah-lada earlier, had left their posts for a rare moment, dirty dancing their way into the group. Somehow, the bartender had ended up in Mrs. Horowitz’s –who was she kidding, it was now Avi’s– coat, giving whole new meaning to “boots with the fur.”
Other partiers had found their way onto the dance area as well, including a stunning woman who took centerstage with some professional-looking moves. Her Beyoncé-worthy balayage swung over her shoulders as she moved in an elegant royal blue velvet jumpsuit, and people surrounded her, clapping.
A guy broke through the crowd and began Russian kick-dancing low to the ground with his arms crossed, and the dancing woman wowed the crowd by falling right in step with him, defying gravity with her plunging neckline and platform shoes.
“Is that Kara Koff? The actress?”
Nora nodded. “I need to ask her what kind of bodytape she uses for her boobs!” Nora called over to Libby. “Isoneed that hold for some of our Broadway performers!” She danced her way over.
Libby leaned in. “Kara’s an honorary OG Baller, on the boat every year!”
Leah couldn’t believe how many people were Ballers for life, like the women in the gallery. And what a community Avi’s friend Jay had created.
The music shifted to an upbeat “Hava Nagila” for a hora, and she felt herself being guided toward a sturdy chair by Avi’s female friends. “Tradition!” They were insistent.
Back at thirteen, she hadn’t even wanted the chair-lifting ceremony at her botched bat mitzvah party. Instead, she had made excuses and hid out in the restroom when the time came.
Now, the same boy who had pre-occupied and pissed her off that long-ago day was close at her ear, saying “We got you, girl,” and hoisting her up, up, up with the help of Jonah and Beck.
She looked down into Avi’s eyes. “I won’t drop you, Letty.” His earnest expression also held hints of other things her mind couldn’t quite agree on. She bit her lip, nodding, and let herself be carried, bobbing gently in the night air. The view beyond the strands of Edison bulb lights was magnificent, and Manhattan was truly showing off what it could do when the winter weather cooperated.
“I guess the stars showed up for you tonight.” Avi pulled her closer, slow-dancing to the last song in his retro playlist. The other friends had wandered away, and they practically had the deck to themselves. Leah rested her cheek to his tux lapel, listening to the soulful words Alicia Keyes had penned for “No One.”
