Page 17 of Enticed
“There’s Rory,” Celeste said. Our daughter caught sight of us in the crowd, and her face lit up like it was Christmas morning. She offered us a little wave before getting into position, and Celeste waved back at her exuberantly. I saluted her, and her grin doubled in size.
She was amazing. And I wasn’t just saying that because she was my daughter. She really had a knack for dance. All the lessons Celeste had insisted on her taking had paid off.
“Dad,” she said, running up to me after the recital and launched herself into my arms. I caught her in midair, and approximately a pound of glitter erupted from her body and landed on my clothes when she slammed into me. I didn’t mind, though. My baby girl was happy to see me.
“You were incredible, Pumpkin.” I squeezed her tight for a long moment before placing her on her feet.
“We killed it,” she said, balling her hand into a fist and yanking her arm down in a celebratory motion.
“You sure did,” I agreed.
“What are we doing now? Can you stay for a little bit? You don’t have to go home yet, do you?” She popped her questions off in rapid succession, not giving me a chance to answer.
“I’m actually staying in Nashville for the rest of the day, and you’re coming with me. I’ve got a little surprise for you.” I’d messaged Celeste earlier to ask about taking Rory for the evening. When I told her what I had planned, she agreed to pack the necessary clothing and instructed me to have her home by bedtime.
“Really?” she asked on a gasp. “What is it?” I let out a guffaw of laughter and slung her bag over my shoulder.
“I can’t tell you. It will spoil the surprise.” She tilted her head thoughtfully and tapped her forefinger on her chin.
“You make a good point,” she replied matter-of-factly before turning to Celeste. “Bye, Mom. Love you,” she said, hastily pulling her into a hug. She repeated the process with her uncle and Celeste’s parents before slipping her hand into mine and leading me toward the exit. “Let’s go,” she demanded, and I complied.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the jam-packed parking lot of the arena, and already, you could hear the roar of the crowd from inside. The energy I’d once thrived on was palpable. It crackled in the air, causing goosebumps to erupt over my skin.
When Jasmine asked me to come to her race, I hadn’t realized it was in Nashville or that Rory’s recital would be over in time for us to watch her compete. I was surprised she hadn’t mentioned it knowing I would be in town. Woody was the one who told me where she would be and suggested I come by to watch, seeing as Jasmine was my former student and Rory thought she hung the moon and stars.
“What is this place?” Rory asked as we walked to the entrance.
“You’ll see,” I replied, and she scowled.
As soon as we walked inside, her eyes grew wide. She took in all the sights and sounds, her head swiveling from side to side. I presented our tickets to the clerk and proceeded toward our seats. The arena floor came into view, and Rory gasped, covering her mouth with both hands as her eyes sparkled with delight.
“Is-is this one of Jasmine’s races?”
“Mmm hmm,” I replied, nodding. She released an ear-piercing squeal and jumped up and down like we’d just won tickets to Disney World.
“This is the best day ever!” she declared and threw her arms around my waist. I felt like dad of the year in that moment. I squeezed her back, soaking in her love and excitement.
“Let’s go find our seats.” She released me and slipped her hand into mine. Spotting an opening down by the edge of the arena closest to the chutes, I shouldered my way through the crowd with her hot on my heels. We had a perfect view once we settled into our seats. Our line of sight was just above the top rung of the metal rails enclosing the ring, and we were almost close enough to get hit with the dirt kicked up by the horses’ hooves.
Rory practically vibrated in the seat next to me when the announcer's voice came over the loudspeaker. The race was about to start. Jasmine was sixth on the roster. Rory and I both clapped loudly as her name was announced, cheering her on the entire time. She was incredible. Her horsemanship was impeccable, her posture perfection. Every turn around the barrel was tight and precise. There was no way she wouldn’t take the lead with this run.
“Whoo, Jasmine!” Rory encouraged as she tore down the final stretch. My daughter’s voice caught her attention and her head snapped up, searching the crowd. Her eyes landed on us and widened in surprise just before she disappeared through thegate leading back to the chutes. “Dad, I think she saw us!” Rory said, tugging on my arm.
“I think you’re right, Pumpkin.” A few minutes later, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to find a text from Jasmine.
Jasmine: You came
I smiled down at my phone, sensing her surprise and excitement through her message.
Me: I did. I brought Rory with me too. She’s been over the moon since we got here.
Jasmine: I thought you couldn’t come because of her recital.
Me: She finished up just in time for us to make it to the show, andCeleste was kind enough to let me take her for the evening.
Jasmine: I’m so glad you both made it.
