For a kid who could have been no older than twenty-three, he was doing quite well, Linda thought. He gently passed her from one side to another and she found herself rising and falling onto her toes, losing herself in the glory of the dance. From there, Roger led her through a couple of more basics until he successfully maneuvered her by leading her from the small of her back into the beginning of the triple twinkle. To her delight, he carried her with him effortlessly as they glided across the floor. When they finished, she could see Maggie standing at the other side of the floor, smiling. "Time to put some music on," he told her, as he strolled over to the music alcove. He called across the floor, to the other couple out there practicing. "Hey Jare! I'm putting on a foxtrot, okay?"
Jared gave Roger the "okay" sign with his thumb and forefinger. One flick of a button later, the Frank Sinatra song "New York, New York" played on the speakers, filling the whole room with music. Roger took her in dance position and swept her through a delicious array of promenades, passing twinkles, turns, and triple twinkles. He still kept her at arm's length from him, but she was still able to follow well from the strength of his shoulders and hands. When they had circled the floor a couple of times, Roger was smiling, as if he finally loosened up.
He finally allowed himself to surrender to the moment and enjoy spinning a good student through a trip around the floor through an exquisite dance.
As the song ended, he hugged her. He was still smiling, but a few beads of perspiration had broken out atop his brow. "That was great," he said. "What do you say we try a waltz now?"
"I would love that," Linda said.
Across the floor, Jared and his student were diligently working on a tango and needed the beat of that music for him to drill his points home. Roger looked sheepishly down at Linda. "On the other hand, we could work on a little tango, right?"
Linda shook her head. "I liked the first idea better."
Roger smiled, seemingly relieved. "On the other hand, we can just work on some steps in the meantime."
"Yes, let's."
He took her into dance position again, but before they moved, he made some adjustments to her carriage, getting her to arch her back more. She hadn't realized that the weight of the baby might have been dragging her forward. He also gently cradled her head, coaxing it into a slightly tilted-away, more flattering expression.