Page 27 of Save the Dance

“Well, it might take a village to raise a child, but it takes an entire town to pull off one perfect wedding after another. I do my small part by keeping the books and making sure that when the cook wants to bake a red velvet cake or the housekeeper says it’s time to polish the silver, we have whatever they need on hand.”

“You must be really organized.” It would require a staggering number of items to maintain a house the size of the Captain’s Cottage for a single day. Evelyn performed the task day in and day out. But she might not have a job much longer. She, along with everyone else in town, would face some major adjustments once Weddings Today awarded some other city the title of America’s Top Wedding Destination.

“It’s my secret power.” Evelyn’s dark eyes twinkled. “We all have them.”

“Oh, yeah?” Curious, she asked, “What’s Jason’s?”

A teasing glint lit Evelyn’s eyes. “I’ll never tell. You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.”

Tara trailed a finger over the line of keys. She might enjoy doing just that, except the man with the swashbuckling good looks was going to be so furious when he learned the truth behind her presence in Heart’s Landing that he’d never speak to her again. Plus, she’d already sworn to keep her involvement with Jason to a minimum.

“And yours? What’s your secret power?” Evelyn tipped her head to one side.

“That depends on who you ask.” As a child, her mother had called her stubborn. The few men she’d dated had complained that she put work above their relationship, while Regina praised her dedication. She liked to think of herself as determined—once she figured out what she wanted, she went after it with all her heart.

“Stick around—we’ll figure it out together.”

“If only I could,” she said, turning wistful. She’d been in Heart’s Landing less than two full days, but the place had gotten under her skin. She loved the quaint shops, enjoyed seeing brides and grooms wandering up and down Bridal Carriage Way, felt perfectly at home here in the Captain’s Cottage. But her job, her future, waited for her in New York.

As if she’d expected the answer, Evelyn patted the bench beside her. “Here, join me,” she said, scooting over to make room. “I could use a partner.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Tara eyed the space Evelyn had cleared and shook her head. Standing in the choir loft where her voice blended in with twenty others was one thing. The idea of singing in the salon with someone as accomplished as Evelyn made her nervous, and that was without stopping to consider who might overhear them.

“Come on. It’s just the two of us. These old sea shanties are easy-peasy.”

Okay, she was tempted. She glanced over her shoulder at the empty doorway. “I’m rusty,” she said at last. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Sliding onto the bench, she listened as Evelyn played through the first number. When the other woman started over at the top, Tara joined in, hitting the first note at the top of the bar, just as she’d learned to do in countless choir practices. The timing was trickier than she’d anticipated, and she faltered a bit on the first run-through. By the second, though, she matched her partner note for note.

“That was great,” Evelyn said when they finished. “Want to try another one?”

Tara shrugged. Why not? From what she could tell, their voices worked well together. As for someone peeking in on them, no one had wandered past the open door. Chances were, this far away from the main entrance, no one would.

Over the next hour, they worked their way through all the songs in Evelyn’s set. For some of the easier numbers, Tara plunked out the harmony on the keyboard, a move that drew a nod of approval from her new friend. The ballad at the end was a crooked tune with an odd set of beats that made it trickier than the rest. It took three tries to get it right, but Tara kept at it until she had it down pat.

“Excellent!” Evelyn exclaimed while the last notes faded. “If you lived here, you could fill in for me once in a while.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Tara protested. Though she wouldn’t mind spending more time in Heart’s Landing, there was another, bigger problem. “I don’t like speaking in public. I can’t imagine singing a solo in front of a big group.”

“It’s all in the way you think of it.” Evelyn ran the scale on the piano. “If I focus on my feelings, my fears, I get stage fright, too. But if I concentrate on the bride and the groom, see the songs or the skit as a gift to them, then walking up on the stage or singing along with Jason isn’t half as bad.”

“That’s such a sweet thought.” Tara bet the crowds loved her for it. As for her, though, just thinking about performing for strangers loosed the butterflies in her stomach.

“Speaking of Jason, look who just stopped by.” Evelyn lifted her chin. “I guess our time is up.”

As Evelyn began gathering up the sheet music, Tara glanced toward the door. Her thoughts stuttered the moment she caught sight of Jason’s long, lean form propped against the frame. She swallowed. How long had he been standing there?

He cleared his throat. “I hate to break this up, but Tara, we need to get started if we’re going to get you back here for the Garrison wedding this evening.”

“Good grief!” When she was in middle and high school, she could practice for hours without being aware of the passage of time. Once she’d started college, though, her studies had taken precedence. After that, between her job and her tiny apartment, singing in the church choir had been her only musical outlet. Today, for the first time in ages, the music had swept her away again.

She jumped to her feet. “Let me just run my stuff up to my room, and I’ll meet you at the entrance.” She turned to Evelyn before dashing off. “Thanks so much for letting me join you. I hope I didn’t waste all your practice time.”

“Nonsense.” Evelyn waved the thought away. “I enjoyed it. Let’s get together again, soon.”

Tara’s smile firmed. “I’d like that,” she said, surprised by how much she looked forward to it already.

In her room a few minutes later, she tucked her laptop into her briefcase and dashed into the bathroom to dress for spending another day with Jason. She took a minute to draw in a steadying breath.

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