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Memories of my weekly dance classes and my teacher, Ms. Rimms, who always encouraged me, came to mind.
I’d always wanted to give a performance onstage for as long as I could remember. I had been preparing for the annualNutcrackerperformance, when Henry’s accident happened.
The accident in itself didn’t derail my plans. The unexpected events that followed did. Months after Henry’s accident and his return home, Dad had left us, never to be heard from again. I never got to dance once more.
“Well, you should come to her ballet show then,” Will said instantly.
I bit my lip when I realized that I’d shown too much enthusiasm. I’d been too wistful when I heard him speak about his daughter’s love for dance.
“I could get you tickets if you’d give me your num?—”
Sean interrupted, taking a step closer to me. “That won’t be happening,” he said, his voice grim.
His hand went to my waist, fingers brushing the bit of exposed skin above the waistband of my pants. A shiver oflonging coursed through me at the touch, but I forced it down. It couldn’t mean anything. Sean was doing this to drive Will away.
My face turned red hot with the understanding that I couldn’t be setting up dates while I was technically working for my employer.
Will pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry. Are you two together?”
He directed his question at me, and I shook my head slowly, still feeling heady under Sean’s insistent touch.
“Oh God, no. Sean is my?—”
“Yes, we are,” Sean interrupted.
My first thought was that he was doing far too much interrupting for my liking before I registered what he’d said. My jaw dropped.
Will’s hazel eyes flicked from me to Sean and then back to me again. I could barely conceal my shock.
“Okay, that’s strange?—”
“Chloe is my girlfriend,” Sean said, his jaw set and eyes intense as he looked at Will.
His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me flush to him. My waist met his torso, his fingers firm as they gripped my bare skin under my blouse. My heart almost did a backflip at the touch. His hold was strong, and my awareness of him had suddenly shot up.
To top it off, he leaned in closer, his breath fanning my cheek. He smelled good by my side with his musky aftershave.
“Sean,” I said, trying to focus and forgetting to use his last name, “I’m not?—”
He didn’t let me finish. He took a step closer to Will, who was looking at him, a bit dumbfounded.
“Leave,” Sean said. It was a single word, but it was charged and full of meaning.
Will turned his gaze to me, and when I gave him an expression of apology, he called his daughter.
“Brianna,” he shouted, turning on his heel, “we’re leaving.”
He collected his surprised daughter, who didn’t want to leave, but gave in reluctantly, calling out a sad goodbye to Lucas. He looked crestfallen.
Will stopped on his way past me. “The ballet show at the Gild Gala is this Friday at six p.m., if you’re interested. I’d love to see you there.”
“Now,” Sean said, his voice intense, and Will flinched.
He turned and walked off, hand tight on Brianna’s arm.
I stared wordlessly at their retreating backs before I rounded on Sean. “Whatwasthat?”
He held his pistachio ice cream cone out to me and looked me in the eye. “I don’t tolerate flirting while you’re on the job.”