It wasn’t a request. It was a command. At the same instant, Bent quickly whispered into Sarah’s ear. “You don’t mind if I dance with her?”Sarah’s heart stilled. It was such a random act of kindness on his part. She vigorously nodded her head. “Of course! I could never say no to that.”The manager’s face had paled. He seemed at a loss for words. With a defeated sigh, he waved a hand in the air, indicating his approval. The girl, looking incredibly relieved, took Bent’s hand. “Thank you SO much! I’m Clara.” She studied Bent’s outfit. “Wow, your tuxedo is super fancy. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Bent led her towards the middle of the dance floor. “I’m Bent. Nice to meet you, Clara.” She smiled widely at him. “You have a nice, deep voice. So why are you wearing a mask? We’ll be on national television, you know.””I make this mask look good,” Bent said.Clara tossed back her head and let out a loud laugh.Bent threw Sarah a brief grin. His eyes sparkled in the bright lights. Sarah had found a chair off to the side of the stage. Watching him teach Clara how to foxtrot had caused her heart to melt into a pile of mush at her feet. Kurl and Elly had finally come downstairs. “Why is Bent dancing with someone else?” Elly hissed. She stood beside Sarah on the side of the stage. “He’s being nice,” Sarah said. “Well…who am I supposed to dance with?” Elly grumbled. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot irritably. Sarah noticed the production assistant, who’d given Bent a mask, was staring puppy-eyed hearts at Elly. She considered asking him to dance with Elly. But she decided Elly probably wouldn’t like that. And the extremely strict manager likely wouldn’t either. “Kurl will dance with you, right Kurl?” Sarah asked. She smiled up at him.”You don’t want to dance anymore, Little Bunny?” he asked, squeezing her shoulders. Sarah giggled. “I already got my chance in the spotlight.” She winked at Elly. “It’s your turn now, girl! Go shine like a star on television.” Elly let out a dramatic sigh. “All right. Fine. Whatever. Come on, Kurl. I happen to be an amazing foxtrot dancer.” Kurl raised his eyebrows to Sarah as Elly pulled him away. “She’s terrible,” he mouthed to Sarah. Sarah covered her face with her hands, laughing hysterically. “Places, everyone!” the manager called. “Cue the music. Let’s go for light and airy, like the ocean.” He tapped his clipboard with his pencil. “Pro dancers, help out our newcomers. Make sure nobody steps on anyone else’s toes.” Once again, the lights dimmed. Fog smoke spiraled out of hidden smoke machines and floated across the floor. Strobe lights flashed like happy fireworks. As Bent waltzed with Clara, every so often, his twinkling, chocolate milk eyes, would find Sarah. The heat of his stare sent her heart twirling in little pirouettes around the room.