I already stuck out as an outsider here. I didn’t want to make it worse, for both Felix and Benji’s sakes.
Benji appeared beside me again as though the thought of him had conjured him up. I ruffled his hair, grinning down at him without saying anything. I didn’t want to interrupt. He didn’t say anything, either, instead turning his attention to the newcomer.
“Anyway, I said I’d cut to the chase!” Annabelle said, laughing. “And then immediately got distracted. I’m the creative director of a new ballet company operating out of Los Angeles. We’re so new we haven’t settled on a name yet, but we’ve got some exciting people on board.”
She rattled off a list of names I didn’t know, but it was obvious from the way Felix nodded along thathedid.
“And I want you,” Annabelle continued. “As our choreographer.”
“Me?” Felix asked. “But I’m not?—”
“You’re clearly brilliant. You did what no one else here had the courage to do, you didn’t play it safe at all. I know you likely don’t have a lot of experience?—”
“I really don’t,” Felix agreed.
“—but that’s what makes you perfect. We’re trying to do somethingnew. Something exciting. And between you and me…” Annabelle leaned in closer. “You’re toogoodto rot in a small-town studio. You could do so much more. A new phase of your career.”
“I…” Felix began, mouth hanging open as he stared at Annabelle.
“Cooper!” a familiar voice said behind me, a hand falling on my shoulder. “Do I get that introduction?”
Felix looked between Marcus and Annabelle, then at Benji, then at me. He turned back to Annabelle, taking a breath to speak, but she held her hand up.
“Don’t answer right away,” she said, taking a silver card case out of her blazer pocket and extracting a glossy black business card from it. “I’m giving you my number. You call me and let me know if you wanna come down and see what we’re about. We’dloveto have you. And we’re arts grant funded for the next few years, so no kissing up to donors!”
Felix accepted the card, staring down at it as he nodded.
“I’ll think about it,” he promised.
Annabelle beamed at him, then nodded to me and Marcus and strode off, already waving at someone else.
“Wow,” Marcus said. “Sounds like a great gig.”
Felix looked at him.
I remembered my manners, eventually, past theoperating out of Los Angelesechoing in my brain.
“Uh, Felix, this is Marcus. Marcus, Felix,” I gestured between them. Marcus offered his hand, and Felix shook it, looking him up and down.
“Congratulations,” Felix said. Marcus laughed.
“Isn’t that my line? You won, and I don’t think it was even close. Nor should it have been. You’re a genius.”
Felix raised an eyebrow.
“Aaand I’m a fan,” Marcus said, laughing again. “Sorry. Cooper should’ve warned you. I just, uh. Wanted to tell you that. Youwere announced as principle dancer the year I got my first professional gig. I wanted to grow up to be you.”
Felix swallowed. “You’ll have to fight the new guy for it.”
Marcus chuckled. “And you wouldn’t mind if I did?”
A wry smile tugged at the corner of Felix’s lips. “I’d like the record to show that I didn’t say that.”
Marcus’ smile widened even more. He reallydididolize Felix. That was obvious.
I wondered how many other people did. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?
Too good to rot in a small town.
