Stars, Love And Pirouettes (Dance 'n' Luv Series) (12 page)

“That’s right. Although, I do have an additional reason lately.” He placed a finger under her chin and lifted.

Jenna felt her cheeks go hot. He gave her a grateful look of such tenderness it pierced through to some place deep inside her.

He kissed her. Then his hand dropped to hers and held it. “You’re like an angel. A special creature too wonderful for this world.”

“No, Aiden. I’m a goofy, muddled mess, who is not always as thankful as I ought to be for my unbelievable good luck.”

“I hope you didn’t yawn through all your lines today after I kept you up all night.”

“As it turns out, I had very few lines today. The script was revised. My character had a drug overdose. Not hard to play when you’re a tad sleepy.”

Aiden’s brows knit. “Are you saying they cut you from the show?”

“Yes.”

“Risk did this, didn’t he? Because you dumped him.”

She shrugged. “That’s the most logical conclusion, but I have no proof. And my contract says they have to pay me for the whole season anyway.”

“Wow.” He studied her. “You must be upset. You had a whole new career planned. And here I am hogging all the attention.”

She stroked his cheek. “Happy to give it. But I did want to talk to you. Mostly because I’m worried about my mother.”

“Your mother?”

She nodded. “Do you remember I once mentioned she had a drinking problem? And, well, she has manic moods. She takes meds now and hasn’t used alcohol in years, so I know my sister would tell me I’m crazy to be so scared. But I haven’t spoken to my mom about this yet. She’s been on cloud nine since I got on the show. And when I told her I broke off with Sean, she got into a real funk. She’s sort of an excitement addict.”

“So, that’s where you get it from.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just trying to please my mother. To keep her from getting sad and disappearing on me like she did back then.” Jenna’s voice cracked and she burst into tears.

Aiden grabbed her, held her tight to his chest, kissing her hair and her face. “I understand. My dad not only drank, he used his fists. But remember this: just because old childhood fears never completely go away, it doesn’t mean they’re real.”

She glanced up at him. “I’m so sorry to bring up my problems when Coty’s cancer must make painful memories come rushing back for you.” The moment it was out of her mouth, she regretted saying this. She knew his wife’s illness and death had hit him hard.

“Yeah, it does. But Coty keeps telling me I’ve got to start living for now, not for things that happened in the past.”

“Maybe I can help.”

“You already have.” Aiden dipped his head, and his lips met hers in a slow, sensual, heat-filled kiss that made her bones turn to butter. When he released her, he said, “So, does this mean you’ll go back to the ballet company?”

“They’re in China, so I have to wait out my leave. But I think that’s a good thing, because I left for a reason. I was tired of the extremely difficult work and constant pressure of keeping up. I’ve never tried anything else, never even considered it. So in some ways I felt like I had become a dance bot. Remember I told you I was numb?”

“Did acting make you feel more alive?”

“No. You did.”

Chapter Nineteen

Aiden’s day started on an upbeat note thanks to a phone call from the hospital. Coty relayed the good news. The doctor’s prognosis was excellent. Turned out, they’d caught his cancer in a very early stage and predicted a mild dose of chemo would complete the job.

With a renewed sense of optimism, Aiden zipped up his jacket and bounded out the door in the mood to treat himself. Even the cold, gray February morning couldn’t dampen his spirits.

He’d always considered the scent of fresh baked pastry combined with coffee to be one of the most enticing forces on earth. And right now he found himself in the thick of it standing before the display case at Natalie’s Coffee Cove on Cove Street. Hands in his jacket pockets, still as a statue, his sights were set on a fresh rack of chocolate raisin brownies that only seconds ago Natalie herself had slid into the case. Chunky little squares, glistening with a stucco coating of rich, black chocolate.

The pleasant ritual of having his taste buds enticed like this reminded him of his days growing up in Massachusetts. Aiden had only been seven years old when he, along with his two friends Gary Cowan and Jeff Gullan, would steal cakes off the shelves of the neighborhood bakery, then meet in Jeff’s garage where they’d divvy up the goods into thirds. A section for each.

Eager fingers and giggling mouths covered in icing. Scruffy faces lit with joy as they stuffed themselves. Funny how chocolate brought out the sweetness of the innocent child even in rough kids. Aiden wondered whatever happened to his old partners in crime. Then again, another part of him didn’t ever want to find out.

To his right, a customer rested his palms squarely on the glass counter. Nicked and scraped around the knuckles, they were strong hands, the hands of a workman.

“You again,” Natalie said to him, teasing. “Always back for more.”

Aiden looked over and saw a tall, strikingly handsome thirty-something man with a wide, square jaw and lean athletic build grinning back at her. A crop of dark hair flopped loosely across his brow as he quipped at Natalie, “Do you know how many calories there are in those monsters that you’re serving up? I should contact the board of health and have them shut the place down.”

“Really? Before or after you pick up your usual two cannoli and a Danish?”

He raised a brow and said, “After of course. But since this gentleman was here ahead of me,” the man smiled and nodded toward Aiden, “please take care of him first. I’ll make the call while I wait.”

Aiden laughed. “No please don’t bust the place yet. At least not until I get my brownies.”

“Another happy victim. Sad.”

“Excuse me,” Natalie said, walking over to Aiden. “I didn’t see you. Parker’s family around here. We like to kid.”

Parker
?

While Natalie put together his order, Aiden studied the man. His classic bone structure was so similar to the face he adored. “You wouldn’t happen to have a sister named Jenna?” he asked him.

An inquisitive look. “I might. Who are you?”

“My name is Aiden Flynn.” He held out his hand.

“Parker Richardson,” he said and shook it. “So you’re the stargazer.”

“That’s me.” Aiden wondered if he’d heard that from his mother or if Jenna had told her big bro about him.

“She told me good things about you,” Parker said, answering his question and causing Natalie to give him the once over.

“You’re the one dating baby sis, huh?” She passed the box of brownies to Aiden. He gave her a ten, nearly blushing. He’d grown up in the city and wasn’t used to the way small town people knew everything about anything. He nodded. “Jenna’s a very special lady.”

“She sure is,” Parker said. “And any man who beat the hell out of Nick the Dick for what he did to Rachel can date my sister any time. Plus you know about Orion and Cassiopeia. I’m a sky man, too. But I favor the sunlight.”

Aiden smiled. Nothing like the ultimate A-okay from the protective older brother. Couldn’t ask for more. “Hope to see you again.”

Parker nodded. “Good chance.”

The day was just getting better and better. Back at the B&B, Aiden sat in his room trying to work on his latest novel, but his thoughts kept veering off to Jenna. She’d gone to dance class and he loved the way she looked when she returned, all flushed with the adrenaline still running through her veins and muscles. Nothing hotter than a body that reverberates with the raw animal power of an athlete.

Through the door to his room he could hear the sound of feet coming up the stairs. Aiden pushed himself away from the desk and opened his door a crack. Her full lips and radiant smile took his breath away same as always.

“Finish all your pirouettes?” he asked.

Jenna, dance bag slung at her shoulder, answered with two crisp pirouettes and a little glide across the floor, finishing face-to-face with Aiden.

Their lips met in a short sweet kiss.

“Whatchya been up to?” she asked him with a cute flick of her chin. Her sultry girlish mannerisms drove him crazy.

“Trying to write.” He opened the door wide. “Now, get in here.”

Jenna slinked into the small room and sat on the corner of his bed. Arms outstretched behind her, she reclined back and scanned the perimeter. “You have books by K.Z. Knight. I never noticed before.” She feigned an exaggerated frown.

“That bothers you?”

Jenna shrugged. “Painful topic.”

“Why so?”

“Because the K.Z. Knight
Aftermath
movie is having a big premiere in New York City, and Sean had said he would take me to it. My friend Lexi designed a really cool dress for me. Don’t ask me when I’ll ever get to wear it now. Since I split with Sean and got canned from
Sunrise
, I’m obviously not going. And I was kind of looking forward to actually being one of those special folk who walk the red carpet at a real live premiere.”

“Ah, it’s just a dumb movie when you get right down to it.”

“K.Z. Knight’s work is never dumb. I understand of course as a striving writer you must get tired of hearing people say that.”

“They do make a lot of fuss over this person.”

“K.Z. is today’s rock star of writing.” Jenna shifted onto her side and cut a dreamy eyed look. “He or she is the biggest thing since James Patterson. In fact, there is this buzz that the author is going to finally make an appearance at the premiere.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I confess I’d love to see what he-she looks like. Probably some short, roly-poly, bald guy with two chins. Or else some lady who resembles your everyday soccer mom. Either way, K.Z. has got to be a little crazy. Anybody who goes to such lengths to remain in hiding.”

“People have their reasons.”

“A fair answer.” She stood and walked toward Aiden and put her arms around him. “Still, even though you’re not rich and famous, at least you’re not some nut.”

“Right.”

Chapter Twenty

Taking the advanced level ballet in Studio B at the North Cove Performing Arts Academy, Jenna continued a series of precise fouette turns, her right leg moving quickly out and in as she muscled through plie-releve repetitions on her left. Sucking in her abs and keeping her back strong. Whipping her head around quickly to focus on the same spot each time.

Her sister Casey stood at the front of the classroom calling out corrections and encouragement to her students. “Good, Shara! Keep the shoulders even. No wild arms, Missy. Control! Full releve each time, Rose.”

Jenna knew that the dancers waiting along the wall for their turn to perform the exercise were watching her, curious and slightly in awe of the local girl who’d actually made it into the ranks of one of the top ballet companies in the world. And she liked feeling like a ballerina again.

Over the past three weeks since Sean and the
Sunrise Lane
producers had eliminated her from the cast, Jenna had gone back to taking daily technique class. She also began giving private ballet lessons at her sister’s studio, donating the proceeds to the academy’s scholarship fund, since her contract kept the hefty paychecks coming from the TV show.

She also spent every minute she could with Aiden now. It amazed her how this guy who took her to such ecstatic heights in bed could also have such a settling effect on the rest of her life. The two of them could do the simplest things together—like shoveling the walk, or buying groceries, or watching the stars—and it somehow made the worried child-self inside her believe everything would be all right.

Was she falling in love with him? Or was it just that he was an ordinary guy? Not rich or famous or tops in his field like all the other men she’d hooked up with in the past.

When ballet class ended, Jenna headed into the hallway outside the studio, perspiring and exhilarated from the rigorous workout. The phone in her duffle bag tinkled. She didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Jenna, it’s Tony Pacca. Just got off the phone with Marv Davitz, but I wanted to be the first to give you the news. Mainly because I feel bad about what happened with
Sunrise
. Believe me, I argued like hell with Sean and the other producers about the changes, but I lost.”

Jenna was touched that he’d call and tell her that. None of the others had bothered to contact her. “Thanks, Tony. But it’s okay. Now that it’s over, I can admit I hated that role.”

He let out a deep guffaw. “Well, you handled it like a pro. And it paid off. Here’s why. Are you sitting down?”

“No. Should I be?”

“Do you know the primetime comedy
Reaching Out
?”

“Sure. Who doesn’t?”

“Jason Fresno, the director, is an old friend of mine. During the last season I encouraged him to introduce a new character into the show. He went for the idea. And guess what? Now that you’re on the loose, he wants you. Told me he loved your face. And your performance on
Sunrise
. Thinks you’d be perfect. I think he’s right.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Me?”

“Yep. You innocently pulled a coup on the
Sunrise
pricks who axed you. And Jason is a great guy to work for. I’ve known him for years. It’s a slam dunk.”

Stunned and flattered, a part of Jenna went all giddy. But then a warning voice surfaced. Her tone changed. “Really? And what am I expected to do in return?”

“Sign the contract. Move to L.A. Get ready to go back to work.”

“I’m not going to bed with you, Tony.”

“What?”

“Just wanted to make sure you know that.”

He sounded perplexed. “I don’t get it. What makes you think—”

“Sean told me about the little game you and he play.”

“Oh, no, no, no. Not this again. You mean about him and me competing for women? It’s bullcrap. About six years ago, before I met my wife, I dated a certain actress he was interested in. He insisted I did it to take her away from him. Then another woman he was hot on happened to like me more than him. Sean’s still getting me back. High school crap. Pathetic if you ask me. Especially since I’ve been happily married for the past four years and have two great kids. Now can we please get back to business?”