“We’re fine, love,” Sean replies. Sean rushes forward and hits Ollie hard, knocking him down, then backs up again.
“Ollie—” I begin.
“Just go,” Ollie says to me from the ground, holding his jaw. “It’s fine.”
I have a strange thought, watching them glaring at each other. This whole time I’ve been worried about Ollie finding out about my trashy background, and here he is getting into a fistfight with his brother. Maybe we’re more alike than I realized: two people who chose steady careers because we have the same inner capacity for chaos. I’ve never been a fan of men getting into fights; it’s one of those things that’s idealized in movies but horrible and silly in real life. But a worry eases in me, just knowing Ollie can be this messy.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” I ask.
Ollie nods once, and I turn and head inside. They are grown men and can deal with the consequences on their own actions, as Jody would say.
Why did I even try to stop them? I probably made it worse.
I walk back inside the ballroom to hear the winners being announced. Ollie was right; he didn’t win anything. The winners are Connor and Eliana.
I can’t bring myself to care much, but sheer curiosity brings my attention to Eliana’s expression. She smiles brightly at the room as everyone applauds. I wonder what Connor is thinking about his choice to break off their dance partnership.
Maria still has the microphone. “And I just want to say from a personal perspective how great it is to have Eliana back on the East Coast!”
Eliana takes the microphone. “Thank you.” She seems ready to go full beauty queen, clutching the mic like she’s about to make a drunken speech at a wedding. “And I just want to announce that I really hope Ollie and I continue to dance together, because he is really special. And we make a great team.”
Boy, she’s laying it on thick. I’m wondering how much of that is to rub Connor’s nose in what he’s missing.
Then Eliana glances around. “Ollie?” she says. “Where did he go?”
“He left the building,” someone shouts. There’s a ripple of mirth across the room.
“He left the building?” she says. “Oh.” Her voice is small as she hands back the microphone to Maria with a downcast expression. In any other circumstance, I would feel terrible for her, but I can’t help but feel a bit smug. I glance around the room. Someone is filming this, their camera on Eliana’s uncertain face as she turns away.
The crowd eventually starts to disperse. When I look around for my things, I find Jody, Ben and Helen standing together, demanding to know what I was doing during Ollie’s dance.
“What was that about?” Helen asks. “Who was that man?”
“Long story. How was Ollie’s dance? I missed it.”
Jody shakes her head. “Terrible. He was not on his game at all. I think that’s probably why Eliana wanted to boost him up.”
“Well, he had a family member show up, so he was distracted.”
“The brother who stole his wife?” Helen asks, a sparkle in her eyes.
“How did you even know about that?”
Helen shrugs. “Dance gossip.” I think about Katy from Murano being here, and wonder if she’s the kind of person who posts on dance blogs. Maybe sheisthe dance blogger.
Jody sighs. “Alright. Let’s go to dinner. And no more talking about terrible men. Let’s talk about terrible women for a change.”
“I’ve got one of those,” Ben agrees.
On our way out, I see Ollie in the lobby, one eye slightly bruised. His brother seems to be gone now, and he looks shaken and a little unsteady. I want to give him a hug, but I don’t. I step closer, though.
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
“Sorry. That was my brother,” he says to me. He looks tired, I think. Tired and sad, though his body is shaking a little from the adrenaline.
“I know,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry if I made it worse. I was trying to get him out of there before you saw him so you could focus on the competition. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, sorry, I just…I saw you go outside with him and I just…” Ollie shrugs, embarrassed.
