Moving in Rhythm Read Free Page A

off.
    Mark felt his chest tighten in response. “Hey, you know better than I do that women don’t die in childbirth like they used to.”
    Pete’s breath sharpened in Mark’s ear. “Right. I know. Prenatal care, obstetrics, everything is better than it was thirty years ago.”
    “Thirty-two. You’re getting old, buddy.” He could hear Pete trying to smile at the bad joke. “And even then, Mom’s death was a fluke. That’s what Dad always said. But what am I telling you this for? I’m not the doctor in the family.”
    Pete cursed quietly. “Listen, Mark. I’m pleading here. It’s taken Lisa years to get a decent number of piano students and she’ll lose them if she goes back to California to be with her family. Besides, her mom drives her crazy and I can’t do that to her. But she’s going to need family. I can’t just leave her…” His voice broke. He cleared his throat before continuing more calmly. “Think about it, okay? I’ll clear my stuff out of the home office and it’ll be all yours. You’ll barely hear Lisa’s students—they only come after school and on Saturdays. We have great internet access so you can teach from here. We don’t have room for your weights but there’s a gym two blocks away. I’ll spring for the damned membership. Lisa goes to exercise classes there. You could even go with her, um, just in case. Please come, will ya?”
    Mark looked around his tidy kitchen, his tidy apartment, his tidy life. He closed his eyes. His heart raced at the thought of leaving. It had been a year since he traveled from his carefully constructed cave. A long, celibate, nail-biting year. He didn’t want to leave the fragile security he’d constructed. But he didn’t even want to think about Pete going back to that hellish, explosive desert. Pete had been to Iraq twice early on during his active duty years. Now he was probably headed for Afghanistan, for who knew how long. Putting soldiers back together. Saving lives.
    Mark cleared his throat. “Okay. Nothing going on here anyway.”
    Pete’s breath rushed out in obvious relief. “Thanks so much, bro. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
    “No problem. I’ll start packing today and be there by the end of the week. Give us some time together before you go.”
    From her position curled on the kitchen rug Belle lifted her head curiously at the word “go.” Mark shook his head. Not yet. But very soon. Way too soon.

Chapter Two
    “I can’t believe you talked me into a dance class.” Mark smiled affectionately at his sister-in-law, who waddled beside him toward the aerobics room at the back of the gym. His quads burned from his morning weight routine.
    She beamed up at him. “Oh, you’ll like it. It’s not dance, it’s Zumba. Kind of an aerobics class with flash. The music is fun and the dance moves are a blast. And I hear Seth Miller’s class is the best.”
    Mark scowled.
    Lisa nudged him toward the doorway festooned with a large poster declaring Ditch the workout—come join the party . “Besides, this is a great way to meet girls. You’ll probably be the only guy in class.”
    He groaned and motioned for her to pass through the doorway first. “Thanks, but not interested. And I’m not exactly a party guy.”
    Lisa touched his arm as she passed. “Loosen up. I know you and Ruth were together for years and it hasn’t been that long since you broke up, but it’s time to move on.”
    Mark took a deep breath. He smiled down at her, touched by her obvious sincerity. “Ruth and I weren’t… I’m not interested in dating right now.”
    Other people milled around the aerobics room. Lisa led him to a spot near the back, chattering as she went. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
    “Right, and a bus comes by every ten minutes.” He leaned a hand against the wall so he could stretch out his quad. “But I’m still not interested.”
    Lisa looked at him pensively. She had tied her red curls into two