Change in Harmony (A Silver Script Novel Book 4) (12 page)

“I’m really excited about this one.” Allison went into the living room and pushed the coffee table back. “I don’t have a lot of space, but I’ll show you what I can and you need to tell me if I should fix anything.”

Sam sat on the couch. “I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I am that you’re doing this.”

Allison grinned and found the music on her iPod. She ran through what she could in the small space, but had to stop a few times to remember what was next. It was easier to go through it on the dance floor where she had nothing to stop her.

“Keep going.” Sam pulled out her phone. “I’ll videotape it, and then you can watch it and see where you need to fix it.”

“Brilliant. You’re a lifesaver.” Allison grinned and started the music over. This time she was able to concentrate on the moves instead of what was supposed to happen next. It helped her relax.

When the song ended, Sam clapped. “That was amazing. But I think you need to switch this move from a lift to a cut.” She held out her phone for Allison. “See? That way you can transition into the next step easier.”

Allison played back the video, and she was thrilled with how it turned out, but she see where it was a little awkward.

“You could do it like this.” Sam did the move while Allison watched. They’d taken dance together for years, but Sam had given it up for other things once they graduated.

“Oh, that’s much better.” Allison followed her steps and ran through the next few movements after that. “Yes, that feels more natural.”

Sam bowed. “You’re welcome. You can pay me later.”

Someone pounded on the floor, and the girls burst out laughing. Their downstairs neighbors weren’t exactly thrilled with Allison’s dancing.

“Okay, I’d better get ready, and you probably should as well. Don’t you sing tonight?”

Allison checked the clock. “Man, it’s later than I thought.”

She quickly changed and grabbed her guitar before running to the bar. She got there just in time, but it didn’t save her from a glare from the bartender. She just smiled and walked to the back to prepare for the evening. Adrenaline from dancing still poured through her body, and she was ready to share the energy with the audience.

Nate considered going to the bar to watch Allison sing, but decided against it. He’d already apologized yet again, and she obviously wasn’t interested. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked through Times Square, trying to figure out where to eat instead.

A small diner called out to him, so he went in and waited to be seated. A beautiful blonde waitress walked up and smiled.

“Just one tonight?”

“Yes, please. And can I get a window seat?”

She grabbed a menu. “Of course.”

He sat at the small table and opened the menu. “I’ll just have water for now.”

“I’ll get that and be back to take your order.”

Nate tapped the table as he picked what to eat. Being here alone wasn’t something he liked, but he couldn’t bring himself to bring a date either.

The waitress set the water in front of him. “Did you decide on anything yet?”

“I’ll have the steak and potatoes. Oh, and can I get a side salad as well? Caesar dressing, no croutons.”

“Anything to drink?”

Nate stared at the options. “How about a malt? I’ll try the strawberry.”

“I’ll get that right out to you.” She left, swaying her hips as she walked.

Nate shook his head and pulled out his phone. There were a few emails, so he answered them the best he could without being at the office, and then switched to the game he loved to play on the train. Allison’s top score still sat in front of him, and he couldn’t bring himself to try to beat the score.

Someone knocked on the window outside the diner. Nate looked up and saw Eddie and Sam standing outside waving. Right, Eddie had mentioned he had a date that night. He waved back and watched as they went around the corner and came inside.

“What are you doing here? I thought you had reservations . . . somewhere.” Nate pursed his lips. He’d almost given away Eddie’s plans.

Sam slid into the chair across from Nate while Eddie grabbed another chair from another table. Sam said, “We did. And dinner was wonderful, but we were talking about you and Allison when we came up with an awesome idea. Eddie said you eat in this area when you get depressed, so I figured we’d search for you here. I have to say I thought it would be a lot harder to find you.”

Eddie put his hand on Sam’s. “Sorry. She’s pretty excited about it.”

“Why do I have the feeling I don’t want to hear what you have to say?” Nate leaned back in his seat and smiled at the waitress as she set his food in front of him.

“Would you two like anything?” the waitress asked.

Sam waved absentmindedly. “No, we’re good.”

Nate watched the waitress leave before turning back to them. “Okay, spill.”

“Well, Allison is doing a solo for the dance competition, and we were talking about how it was a bummer that she couldn’t do the couple division as well. She’s going to kill it with the dance she came up with today, but I think she could win the other one as well.”

Nate’s stomach burned with anger. “You think she should dance with Darren?”

“No!” Sam’s eyes widened. “No, we want
you
to dance with her.”

They both stared at Nate—Eddie with amusement, and Sam with anticipation. Nate laughed.

“You both realize I can’t dance, right? That’s the worst idea ever.” He caught himself. “I mean, that would work great if I actually knew how to dance. But the competition is what, next week? There’s no way I can learn something in that amount of time.”

Sam grinned. “Yes there is. I have the dance routine in my notebook, and I’ve taken dance for most of my life. We’d just have to make sure we practice when she’s busy so she doesn’t suspect anything.”

Nate raised an eyebrow and glanced at Eddie. “And you think this is a good idea?”

“I think you need to do whatever you can to make it up to her.” Eddie held up a hand. “I know it wasn't your fault Katie kissed you, but is being right worth losing out on the girl you’re obviously crazy for? This is seriously the first time I’ve ever seen a waitress flirt with you when you didn’t care. That’s saying a lot.”

“I’m not that bad.” Nate knew he was right. He’d do pretty much anything to get Allison back—including dance. “Fine. I’m in. But if I butcher her chance for this grant, I’m holding it over your heads.”

Sam squealed and jumped up to hug Nate over the table. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”

Eddie stood and took Sam’s hand. “We’d better get going. I need to get back to the bar soon, and we wanted to take a walk through Central Park first.”

“Thanks for stopping by. And I have the day off tomorrow for a dentist appointment, so it would be a good day to practice if you want.”

“Perfect. I’m free after one o’clock.” Sam let Eddie pull her out of the diner.

Nate shook his head and chuckled as he took a bite of potatoes. They were a little cold, but he didn’t care. He might have a chance to get Allison back, and that was the best news he’d had for days.

“Sorry this place isn’t very big, but it’s the only place I knew of where we could practice.” Nate looked around the small gym at his apartment complex. It was meant for half-court basketball, but it wasn’t close to the right size.

“It’ll work.” Sam pulled out a notebook. “Okay, how much do you know about dancing?”

“Nothing. Well, I watched Allison and Darren dance several times, but that’s about it.”

Sam stared at him. “You never took her dancing? Ever?”

“We danced at an Irish pub once, but that’s about it.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know she loves dancing and you’ve never gone? Man, no wonder she doesn’t think you care.”

“Hey, we did plenty together. I even cooked for her. Now, can we please start?” Nate made sure his shoes were tied and stretched his legs.

“Okay, close your eyes and picture the dance that Allison and Darren performed together. Usually you would lead, but I’m going to until you get it down.” Sam held out her right hand and set her left hand on his shoulder. “Ready?”

“No, but let’s do this.” Nate was perfectly happy with Sam taking the lead.

The music started, and Sam pulled him toward her. She was good. Not quite as sharp as Allison, but she definitely knew what she was doing. As they moved, Sam would say what step was next.

“Ouch,” Sam called out for what had to be the hundredth time.

Nate let go. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Yes. You’re doing well.” Sam walked over and grabbed her water bottle. “It’s more confidence than anything. You’re trying too hard.”

“I have to be good enough to compete in an event that will possibly grant her enough money to start a studio. Of course I’m trying hard.” Nate wiped his face with a towel. “Maybe I should do something else.”

Sam took him by the shoulders. “Do you like her?”

“Yes.”

“Enough that you would do anything for her? Because otherwise I’m leaving right now.”

Nate nodded. “Yes. I would.”

“Okay, let’s do this. Trust me.” Sam turned the music back on and they ran through it a few more times before Nate finally felt like he was getting it down.

“She’s going to be home soon, so I’d better get back.” She shoved her things into her bag. “How does Sunday look for you?”

Nate pulled out his phone. “It’s fine, but are you sure we can’t meet before then?”

“I really can’t. But you can practice without me. Use a dummy, or a pillow, or something and just run through the steps. Go dancing if you need practice. See you Sunday.”

Sam ran out of the room and Nate stared after her. He had to be insane to think this was going to be worth it. He grabbed his bag and headed upstairs. There was no way he’d practice on his own when anyone could walk into the gym at any moment.

Allison stood in front of the mirror and studied the dress she’d tried on. It needed to be something that could wow the judges without taking away from her dance. Her friend Nancy had done a fantastic job. This was perfect.

She walked out of her bedroom. “What do you think?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ll knock out the competition just by your dress alone.” Sam grinned. “I’m glad Nancy is our friend.”

“Me too. Now, I’m ready for a smoothie. One sec and I’ll be out.” Allison changed and hung her dress up in her closet. It was the day before the competition and her stomach tied in knots every time she thought about it.

Allison jumped when there was a pounding on her door. She opened it to find a very excited Sam. “What?”

“It’s on.” Sam ran back to the living room, and Allison followed close behind.

The shoe commercial was on, and there she was, dancing across the screen. A few of her students had mentioned they’d seen it, but this was the first time she’d seen it herself. She cringed when they did a close-up of her face, but otherwise, it had turned out much better than she’d expected. She hoped that Nate and Mr. Byrne loved it as well.

“Do you still have that dress?” Sam asked.

“It’s in my closet. They gave it to me as a thanks for doing the commercial. Why?” Allison slipped her shoes on and pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

Sam shrugged. “I think you should take it tomorrow night. You know, as a backup in case there’s a wardrobe malfunction or something.”

“It doesn’t really match my dance, but I guess it’s probably a good idea. Come on.” Allison grabbed her purse and they headed for the pub. It was packed because of the Irish holiday, but they managed to find a spot in the back.

“In hindsight, we probably should have just taken ice cream back to the apartment.” Allison cringed as a fight broke out.

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, well, we don’t have a smoothie machine and that’s what you were in the mood for. Besides, it was too quiet up there.”

Allison laughed. They’d been stuck studying for finals all weekend, and both girls were about to go crazy. The dancing portion was easy enough for Allison, but the comprehensive test was full of dates, names, and places that had begun to run together.

“It’ll be a miracle if I survive this final. I should never have done biology while trying to pull overtime.” Sam groaned. “I think you’re brilliant for all those honors classes in high school.”

“Told you so.” Allison grinned. “At least your classes have complemented your job pretty well, right? This way you can just use your final paper for the latest magazine article.”

“Yes, biology has everything to do with the latest trends in fashion.” Sam yelped as a man slid into the booth beside her. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry, but we needed a seat, and you seem to have plenty of space.” He held out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Sean. This is Austin.”

Another man slid in next to Allison. He winked and pulled out his phone. “What are you two doing after this?”

“Studying.” Allison scooted closer to the wall. “In fact, we were just leaving. Please let us out.”

“Oh, come on. We’re new here and need someone to help show us around. You two are the only sane ones in the pub.” Austin smiled at Allison, and she couldn’t help being drawn in by the dimple in his cheek.

Sam glared at him. “What if we told you we already have boyfriends and they’d be ticked if they knew you were bugging us?”

“Is that true?” Austin asked. “If it is, we’ll leave you alone.”

Allison stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. Truthfully, she wouldn’t mind getting to know Austin a little better. He was cute, and he genuinely seemed to just want to talk. But he was no Nate. It was Nate who sent her mind spinning and heart racing whenever she was near him. And right then, she really wished he would walk in the door to help her out.

“Earth to Allison.” Sam snapped her fingers in front of Allison’s face.

“Oh, sorry. Yes, we’re already taken. Sorry. Now please let us out of here.” Allison stared at him until Austin moved and helped her out of the booth. “Thanks.”

“You two take care.” Bryan smirked as Allison turned and left the pub.

It wasn’t until they were out on the street that Sam grabbed Allison by the shoulders. “What happened in there? You totally spaced out.”

Allison wouldn’t meet Sam’s eyes. “I . . . miss Nate.”

Sam grabbed her in a hug. “I knew it. You should call him.”

“No, I already messed things up. Besides, it’s almost midnight. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Or next week.”

“Tomorrow sounds good. Come on. You need to get some sleep.” She looped her arm through Allison’s and they walked up to their apartment.

Allison went through the motions as she got ready for bed, and nearly used an allergy cream instead of toothpaste. She wondered if it was already too late to get Nate to come back. She’d rejected him again on the subway and hadn’t seen him since. As she lay in bed, she stared at his number in her phone. It would be so easy to call him right then. Most likely he would be up working.

She set her phone on the table and rolled over. Not tonight.

Allison shook her hands and took deep breaths. Her turn to dance was coming up, and the butterflies in her stomach seemed to be on a rampage. This wasn’t her first competition, and she knew it wouldn’t be her last, but that knowledge still didn’t help her nerves.

The other soloists were fantastic. What was she thinking? While everyone else had most likely been planning and practicing for months, she’d only come up with the routine a few weeks before.

“Next,” an aide called out. He pushed Allison toward the stage. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Allison swallowed hard. She could do this. When the prelude to the song started, she walked out onto the stage and counted the beats in her head, then smiled and released herself to the music.

While her feet danced, her mind envisioned the scenery at each of the sets they’d shot the commercial. She could still feel the pride as it had all come together. She leaped into the air and grinned as she heard the crowd cheer. As she twirled across the stage and broke into the Irish movements, there were more whistles and cheers. She pushed herself into the final pose and tried to catch her breath, waiting for the signal to leave the stage.

She had to force herself not to run when she saw Sam waiting for her. Once they were out of sight of the judges she squealed. “I did it.”

Sam threw her arms around Allison. “That was perfect. Flawless.”

“Well, I slipped up on a couple of the counts, but I hope they didn’t notice.” Allison took a drink of water and sat down to take off her shoes. She wanted to catch the partner routines. Several of her classmates were going to be performing.

“Wait. Why don’t you put this on instead?” Sam held out the dress from the commercial, along with the new shoes that Nate had given Allison.

Allison pulled off her other shoe and flexed her toes. “No thanks. I want my flip-flops and shorts.”

“What if I had a suit to match?” Nate’s voice sent a shock through Allison.

She jerked her head up. Nate stood there in a gold suit. His green tie matched her dress almost perfectly, and he wore a brand new pair of dance shoes. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I’m part of the reason you don’t have a dance partner for the competition, so I figured I’d step in. I mean, if that’s okay with you.” He held out a hand, his eyes pleading with her. “It’s the same dance you already learned. Sam taught me.”

Allison stared at him, not knowing what she was supposed to be doing. Part of her wanted to run the other way, but the rest of her wanted to run into his arms.

Sam yanked her off the bench and shoved the dress and shoes into her arms. “Go. You know you want to do this. We already signed you up. I think you’re near the end of the lineup.”

Allison went into the dressing room and fumbled with the zipper on her dress. She finally slipped it up over her head and pulled on the other dress. The dance shoes fit like they were made for her. She’d have to thank Mr. Byrne the next time she saw him. She pulled out the bun in her hair and put it into a twist.

When she opened the door, Sam grabbed her and led her over to Nate. He paced back and forth, but paused when he saw her.

“Are you sure you’re good with this?” Allison asked.

“No, but I want to do it for you.” Nate took one of her hands. “Please forgive me.”

Allison reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re forgiven. Now let’s go out and win.”

The couple in front of them took their places on the dance floor. Their music was a little too fast for their movements, but they were sharp and definitely knew what they were doing. Allison was pretty sure she’d seen them around campus before, but didn’t know either of the dancers’ names.

When they were done, and Allison was given the signal, she took Nate’s arm, and they walked onto the stage together. Nate bit his lip, and Allison grinned at him, trying to make him smile.

Nate’s movements weren’t quite as sharp as Darren’s had been, but she could tell he’d worked hard to know the steps. He kept his hand on her back while he led her around the stage, and it felt good to finally be back in his arms. She didn’t have to pretend that she had feelings for him as she stared into his eyes.

When they stopped in their final position, cheers broke out through the crowd. They hurried off the stage so the next couple could perform. Allison wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He brushed a few stray hairs out of her face. “I have to admit this wasn’t my idea, but I hoped that Sam and Eddie were right in suggesting it.”

“They were totally right. Although I might have to go after Sam for interfering.” She reached up and kissed him hesitantly at first, and then with more intensity. All the doubt and frustration washed away as they stood there in the middle of the chaos backstage.

When they finally broke away, Nate kissed her forehead and pulled her close. “I was really hoping you would say that. I didn’t know what I would do if you pushed me away again.”

“Let’s hope you never find out.” Allison kissed him, finally feeling whole again.