Page 25 of Save the Dance

Sure, Jason was an amazing dance partner. An amazing man. But she had no business dancing with him, much less getting caught up in the moment and losing sight of the reason she was in Heart’s Landing. She was here for one purpose—to destroy the very foundation of his home. That was something she couldn’t afford to forget, not even for a second. She’d lose her job unless she carried out Regina’s instructions to the letter. With no money to pay for rent, she’d lose her apartment next. And if that happened, she’d have no hope at all of ever convincing her family that pursuing her dreams had been a good decision.

Chapter Eight

Jason punched the End Call button and dropped the phone on his desk. He stretched his arms above his head. “I think I’ve spoken with everyone in town this morning.” Everyone, that was, except for the one person he wanted to hear from. Elbows bent, he threaded his fingers together behind his neck. “They all wanted to say how much they enjoyed the party.”

Seated in the visitor’s chair where, between phone calls, she’d brought him up to speed with events around the Cottage, Evelyn asked, “Who was it this time?”

“Jimmy.” The young man who’d recently been promoted to assistant manager at I Do Cakes took his job seriously. Maybe too seriously. “He wanted to make sure we were pleased with the petit fours and éclairs. When I told him they were great, he asked if there was anything else we needed. There wasn’t, was there?”

“You didn’t happen to mention the extra sweet rolls for tomorrow’s breakfast, did you?”

Jason blinked. He vaguely recalled Evelyn saying something about placing a larger order for the morning after the Garrison wedding. It wasn’t like him to forget something that important. Freeing his hands, he rocked forward. “I’ll call him right back.”

“Never mind. I’ll handle it.” Though Evelyn gave him a questioning look, she accompanied it with a nonchalant wave of her hand. “I have to swing by the bakery later today. Now, as I was saying, this week’s paychecks are right here, ready to be signed.” She tapped a folder on the corner of his desk. “I triple-checked the hours against the time clock. There weren’t any discrepancies.”

“Paychecks. Right.” Verifying the staff hours was normally his job. This week, though, Evelyn had offered to take that task—and many others—off his hands so he could focus on the Weddings Today review. Speaking of which, he hoped he hadn’t ruined things by dancing with Tara last night. He’d half expected her to call or text after she’d practically run out of the ballroom, but he’d looked for a message from her a dozen times this morning. So far, nada. Should he check in on her? He picked up his cell phone. Thinking better of the idea, he set it back on his desk.

“That last rainstorm washed away some of the gazebo’s foundation. I have the grounds crew working on repairs. It’ll cost us some overtime, but it’ll be worth it. They promised to complete the job by the weekend.”

“Why the rush? We don’t have a ceremony scheduled in the gardens this week.” Jason ran a hand through his hair. Speaking of gardens, he hadn’t taken Tara on a tour of the grounds around the Cottage yet. Should he?

“The Smith couple wants to have their wedding photographs taken there. Are you even listening to me?” Evelyn stared at him.

Seeing the concern etched on his cousin’s face, Jason swallowed. He’d better pull it together. Ever since the party last night, his thoughts had been drifting toward Tara far too often. “Sorry. I’ve been, um, distracted.”

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain blond journalist, would it?” Evelyn leaned forward, a playful eagerness shining in her eyes. “Do you two have something going on besides the review?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jason stiffened. “I’m simply doing what everyone asked me to do—showing her around town and making sure she sees the best of Heart’s Landing.”

“I don’t know about that.” Evelyn tsked. “I saw you on the dance floor. You two looked like a pair of lovebirds.”

“Was that before or after she stalked off and left me standing there by myself?”

“Ouch! What’d you do?”

“Nothing.” He held up his palms. “I swear.” One minute, he and Tara had been moving about the dance floor in time with the music. The next, she’d sprung from his arms like a Jack-in-the-box. He had no idea what he’d done wrong. The worst part was that dancing with her had awakened a dormant longing. For the first time, he’d caught himself wanting what other grooms came to Heart’s Landing to celebrate … with her. But when she’d abandoned him in front of the roomful of people, he’d come face-to-face with the facts. He had no business even thinking those kinds of thoughts about her. Not now, and not later, either.

The phone rang, and he held up one finger when he saw the caller’s name flash on the screen. “It’s Greg. I’ve got to get this.”

He greeted the mayor with a sigh of relief. The call had put a stop to Evelyn’s prying questions.

But the moment he finished bringing the ailing man up to speed, his cousin picked up the conversation right where she’d left off. “Just be careful.” She leaned back in her chair. “I like Tara, but you’re coming off a breakup. I wouldn’t want to see either of you get hurt by rushing into something.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” Tara would be headed back to New York before long. After that, they’d probably never see each other again. “I’m not going to make the same mistake I made with Clarissa and get involved in another long-distance relationship,” he said with far more assurance than he felt.

His answer, though, apparently satisfied Evelyn. She relaxed into her chair. “So what are your plans for today?”

“She wanted the morning to herself. I’m taking her into town after lunch. We have places to go and people to see.” There’d be plenty of time to chat while they were out. With luck, Tara would tell him why she’d run off like she had. “By the way, Ames invited her to stop by for a fitting sometime this week.”

“His veils are spectacular.” Her perpetual grin widening, Evelyn fanned herself. “I wish I could afford to have him design one for me.”

“Hmmm.” She’d set her sights on a headpiece from Chantilly Veils, had she? “That sounds like the kind of thing one cousin might give another as a wedding gift,” he suggested.

Disbelief widened Evelyn’s eyes. “You’d do that?”

“As much as you do around here, I figure I owe you that much. But maybe you should concentrate on finding the right guy first.” Whoever he was, he’d have to measure up. His cousin deserved the best.

“If I’d known there was a veil at stake, I’d have started looking earlier.” Evelyn sobered. “When the time’s right, don’t think I won’t hold you to it. And don’t forget—you need to have Tara back here by five for the Garrison wedding.”

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