With Katya, it was always "the" yoga or "the" massage, as though she found both professions equally distasteful. But Sasha knew better than to argue with her mother on the matter, and simply changed the subject.
"Do you know yet who your new partner is going to be for the fall season?" she asked, knowing how much her mother adored talking about the TV show.
"Pah!" Katya spat out in disgust. "That is why I called you, Aleksandra. Can you believe they want me to dance with this fat old man? They tell me he used to be on the television a long time ago, some program where he was some sort of policeman. Or detective, I don't remember which one. But he's at least seventy years old now, out of shape, losing his hair. Ugh. He looks nothing like the photograph they showed me of him when he was on the television. I can already tell he's going to be clumsy as an ox, and he's going to get us voted off the show within the first two weeks."
Sasha tucked her bare feet under her as she settled more deeply into the padded outdoor lounge chair, and merely continued to sip her tea calmly as Katya went on and on about her new partner. It was very obvious to Sasha that the real reason her mother was upset was because she was ultra-sensitive about her own age. Beyond Ballroom liked to rotate their professional dancers in and out of the lineup, introducing new faces and sitting out some of the older ones for a season in order to keep things fresh. And each time a pretty twenty-something female dancer was brought on board, Katya's hackles went up, for she feared it would only be a matter of time before the show's producers decided she was too old now to compete.
Fortunately, Katya was extremely popular among the viewers, for they liked her feisty, bossy Russian temperament, and she had a way of bringing out the best from her partners. Sasha had little doubt that the fat, balding seventy year old would not be voted off the show within the first two weeks, and would actually wind up staying on much longer than anyone would initially predict.
Half an hour later, Katya had finally exhausted her supply of insults, and had begun instead to think of ways she could possibly make something of her partner. She bade Sasha good-bye, but not before chastising her one more time about her lack of a boyfriend, and urged her to come visit soon.
"If you don't want to meet Pasha, I can maybe introduce you to one of the new celebrities on the show. Don't you dare tell anyone," cautioned Katya dramatically, "but I just learned that Rafe Constantine is going to be on the show this season. Why I couldn't have had him for a partner I have no idea. But I could set you up with him, Sasha, if you're interested. He's very successful, you know, not like the yoga or the massage people you date."
Sasha didn't bother telling her mother that not only did she have zero idea who this Rafe Constantine was, but that she rarely ever dated fellow yoga teachers or massage therapists. The former admission would trigger a shocked reaction from Katya that Sasha didn't know who this supposedly famous person was, while denying the latter would be met with disbelief.
Still, as she ended the call and sat quietly for a few more minutes enjoying the warm summer sunshine, Sasha was honest enough to admit to herself that there was in fact something missing from her life. She had good friends and a loving family, even if some of the latter drove her to distraction at times; adored the work that she did and felt fulfilled by it every single day; lived in a warm, friendly household with an interesting assortment of roommates. She resided in what she considered one of the most beautiful, fascinating cities in the world, and was young, healthy, and vibrant.
But there was no denying that there were gaps in her life here and there, ones that had been made more evident over the past year when two of her closest friends - Julia and Tessa - had both fallen in love and gotten married. And while Sasha had never been the sort of woman who needed or wanted a man for the sole purpose of defining who she was, there were definitely times when she thought it would be nice to have someone special in her life.
'It will happen one of these days,' she told herself with a calm confidence. 'And most likely when you're least expecting it to do so.'
Chapter Five
September
"That was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life, Tessa. And I'm not just saying that because I haven't had an actual home-cooked meal in longer than I can remember," added Matthew teasingly.
Tessa Gregson smiled warmly at her dinner guest. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Matthew," she told him softly. "And I'm so sorry that we haven't managed to have you over before now. Between business trips and our vacation with Ian's family in Tuscany last month, it's been an incredibly hectic summer."