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The difference once she shook herself free of her thoughts was stark. Now she was alive, applauding happily, cupping her hands around her mouth to cheer especially loud for the principal dancers when they stepped up to the front of the line to take their bows.

When she turned to me, there was genuine happiness shining from her eyes. “I can sleep easier,” she announced with a laugh. “They know what they’re doing, thank God.” Of course, we knew that already, but there was no such thing as resting peacefully when a production was in its early weeks. Sure, we could lay off a little, take a step back, but it was like letting a baby bird fly from the nest. Just because there was nothing more we could do didn’t mean we should stop worrying.

After stopping backstage to congratulate everyone, I took Winter by the hand and led her out of the theater and into the cool desert night.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked. There was something strange about the sound of her voice. She was tired, maybe beyond the point of pretending otherwise.

“Nothing, if you’re half as exhausted as you sound.” All thoughts of a night on the town dissolved once we were outside, where a car was waiting for us. “We could have a quiet night in if you would rather.”

“Are you kidding? And miss the opportunity to go out and do something that doesn’t involve a toddler? I’m not about to give up the chance of a night out.” She managed a genuine grin while flipping her hair over her shoulders, sending waves of floral sweetness my way. “I’m up for anything, Bennett.”

“You’ve got it, Frosty.” However, I still wasn’t convinced. I did my best to pretend otherwise, opening the back door of the town car for her to slide inside. “How about a steak at Oscar’s?”

“Add a nice wine to that, and it’s a date,” she replied, sliding over for me to join her in the back seat before the driver rolled away from the curb. She leaned against me, her hand clasped in mine, and the quiet simplicity was almost too much for my heart to take. It was so natural, so easy, like this was how it was meant to be.

She has to feel it, too, doesn’t she? I knew why she ran the first time, and it wasn’t my fault. Could I believe there was something real here, that it wasn’t in my head? I needed to know. I had to ask tonight, I decided, brushing my lips against her temple.

“So what’s our next step, Frosty?” I asked as we approached our destination. “Once the run is up. Where do we go from here? Do you have any other genius ideas?”

“Are you talking about a partnership?” Curiosity glimmered in her sapphire eyes when they met mine. “You think you can handle working together on a new project?”

“I can handle anything,” I assured her. “A headstrong, know-it-all choreographer is the least of my worries.”

“You sure do know how to sweet-talk a girl.” At least she was chuckling by the time we came to a stop, so I could climb out of the car and extend a hand to help her. It seemed like whatever was on her mind was now behind us.

Or so I tried to tell myself, but it was clear once we were seated and enjoying a rich, full-bodied red wine that her attention was still split between whatever was on her mind and me. “Is everything all right with your mom?” I thought to ask, noting the way her eyes popped open and widened in surprise.

“She’s fine. I mean, as fine as she can be. A little tired, but still doing well.”

So it’s not about her mother. “And Liam is all right?”

Frowning, she murmured, “I would tell you if there was something wrong. Did he seem off somehow yesterday?”

“Not at all.” She is off. That’s the problem. Does she honestly think she has me fooled? Just how she could look at me with such confusion when she was the one acting strangely was a mystery to me.

The mystery continued long after our meals arrived. For once, she had decided to go with what her body wanted, meaning she had ordered a fillet and a baked potato rather than her customary salad.

What a shame she didn’t seem to taste a bite. Somehow, that was the worst of all, the way she stared into space between bites, chewing slowly, nodding and smiling at the right times when I spoke, but otherwise in her own little world. She looked gorgeous, perfect, like an angel sitting among common humans, and right now she was about as accessible.

“Okay, out with it.” Pushing my plate aside, I hit her with a heavy stare that made her squirm. “I know something is on your mind. It’s written all over your face.”

More squirming resulted, but she didn’t bother arguing. “There is something I want to talk about with you tonight,” she admitted without looking me in the eye. Her wine was much more interesting, and she drank it in anxious gulps.

I knew it. We were about to have The Talk.

“What is it?” I asked with more confidence than I felt. This wasn’t me, less than sure of myself, but then I had never been in a situation like the one we were in together, with a child to keep in mind.

“I don’t really know how to say it.”

Not a great lead-off. “It’s probably better to come out with it, get it off your chest. Whatever it is.”

“You’re probably right.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly, but still kept me hanging.

Fuck this. “If it’s about us, I want you to know because I’ve been doing a lot of thinking too,” I offered. Otherwise, I might end up sitting and waiting all night to hear what she was clearly wrestling with. “And after what I saw tonight, I know we could make an excellent team. You and me. Professionally and personally. Whatever doubts you might have, you can let them go here and now.”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. “Oh. No, I don’t think you understand. That’s not what I…”

Well, fuck. So much for jumping in head first. “I see. What did you have in mind?”