Florence hesitated, glancing down at his hand then sideways at Vivian. But she had at least met Danny before, and this time, he was being friendly rather than flirtatious.
Before Florence could respond, though, a slurred voice broke in.
“A girl like her doesn’t dance with the help.”
Vivian was almost knocked off her stool as one of the rowdy young men from the group next to them, already sloppy and reeking of gin,pushed forward to leer at Florence. “How ’bout it, doll? You know you’d rather go for a spin with a fella who can afford to buy the drinks instead of mixing them.”
Vivian tried to push him away, but he just laughed and reached for Florence. Danny tensed, his hands clenching into fists and his feet shifting into a wide stance. For all his easygoing charm, he had learned to throw a punch when he was just a kid growing up in a tough neighborhood, and he could be a vicious fighter when provoked. But before Vivian could decide whether it was better to haul her sister out of harm’s way or yell for the Nightingale’s muscle, Florence had swatted the drunk young man’s hand away.
“If I’d known the bouncers let children in here, I wouldn’t have come,” she said, the scorn in her voice cold as ice. “Isn’t it past your bedtime, little boy?”
The young man’s face flushed red with embarrassment as he gaped at her, too surprised to come up with a retort. That was all his friends needed; they howled with laughter, clapping his shoulders and shouting “little boy!” as they hauled him away.
Danny was the first to recover, flashing a quick hand signal at the other bartender and pointing to the knot of young men. Vivian knew that it would only be a few minutes before Silence or Benny appeared to forcefully suggest that they find another place to spend their time and money. Already dismissing them from her mind, she turned to Florence, who was sitting up very straight and breathing heavily.
“You all right, Flo?” Vivian asked quietly, putting a hand on her sister’s arm. The fierceness didn’t surprise her—it might take a lot to provoke Florence, but Vivian had seen it happen before. She could also guess how much a confrontation like that would rattle her sister, who had been so uncertain about coming to the Nightingale in the first place.
“I’m fine,” Florence said quietly, but she didn’t sound like she meant it.
Danny turned his attention back to them before she could say anything else. “Where the hell did that come from?” he demanded, staring at Florence.
She met his eyes. “I don’t like people who think they’re something special just because they have money to throw around,” she said, the words all the more intense for being delivered in her soft voice. Vivian could feel Florence trembling under her touch and was about to suggest that they leave after all when her sister abruptly stood up. “Well, Mr. Chin?” she said, taking a deep breath. “Are you still interested in that dance?”
He blinked at her for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face. “Absolutely,” he said, holding out his hand once more. Before Vivian understood what was happening, Florence had taken it, and he was leading her toward the floor. “You don’t mind if we keep it simple, do you?” he asked. “I’m not much of a waltzer, but I can give it a go.”
“You don’t need to pretend you weren’t eavesdropping, Mr. Chin,” Florence said tartly, but Danny just laughed, and soon they were too far away from Vivian to hear any more.
Danny did keep it simple, Vivian could see as she finished her drink and claimed her sister’s abandoned glass. Simple, gentle, but still elegant, an easy lead for her sister to follow. They looked good together, she realized in surprise, with the top of Florence’s curly head reaching just under Danny’s nose until he bent down to say something in her ear, their bodies swaying in time with the music.
Florence, when the dance next turned them in her direction, was smiling back at him.
Vivian let out the breath she had been holding. But underneath her relief was a pang of some emotion she didn’t want to think too closely about. Tossing back the rest of Florence’s champagne, she reached out almost blindly and caught the elbow of the first man going past. She didn’t know him, but he was young and handsome, with high cheekbones, carefully pomaded hair, and a natty striped suit.
“Fancy a spin on the floor?” she asked.
His surprise at being stopped quickly gave way to a broad smile. “I’m game for anything, baby,” he purred, taking her hand and leading her to the floor.
Vivian fell into step easily with him, trying to lose herself in the dance. But no matter which way they turned, her eyes kept finding Danny and Florence, who never once looked around to find her.
When the song ended and the band struck up a Baltimore, she expected Danny to lead Florence back to the bar, and she thanked her partner absently as she looked for them. But she didn’t catch sight of them until she was back on her stool.
They were still on the dance floor. Danny had a cajoling look on his face, and Florence was laughing as he coaxed her through the footwork at half the tempo of the actual song. But Florence was a quick study, and soon she had at least the basic steps down. Beaming, Danny sped up, and Florence held tight to his hand and shoulder as if determined to keep up through sheer force of will. But she was still smiling.
Vivian frowned before she realized what she was doing. She had wanted Florence to have some fun, to have a life outside their home. So why wasn’t she feeling happier to see her on the dance floor with Danny?
“Viv! Thank God, I was hoping I’d find you here.”
Vivian shook herself out of her unhappy thoughts, surprised to see Leo sliding onto the barstool next to her. He gestured to the bartender, calling out an order for two glasses of champagne. “Not working tonight?”
“No.” Vivian shook her head. “Actually, I came with Florence.”
“Your sister? Where…” Leo trailed off as he followed her line of sight and spotted Danny and Florence on the dance floor together. Hechuckled. “Damn if they don’t look good together. Don’t you think?” He nudged Vivian’s shoulder.
She forced a smile. “They sure do. I’m glad Danny persuaded her to try it out.” If she said it out loud, maybe it would end up actually being true. She took the glass the bartender handed to her and clinked its rim against the one Leo was holding. “Why were you looking for me?”
Leo glanced around before dropping his voice. “Did you tell Bea what we found out?”
It felt like a year since they had visited the medical examiner together. Vivian shivered, taking a gulp of champagne to cover her nerves. But she drank it too quickly and ended up gasping for air. “Yeah,” she said, once her throat had cleared from the sharp fizz of the bubbles. “We’ve learned a few more things since then. In fact—”
