Page 19 of Master of My Heart

She studied the brass letters declaring the building home of the Boston Ballet Company. She’d been here once before. Five years ago, during the summer program when she’d met Chase. The ballet school was a few blocks down the street, so the summer dancers had come here one day during the camp to see the professional dancers.

Sabrina closed her eyes and felt the summer sun on her skin as she remembered the excitement of approaching the building. It had been the fourth week of camp...

“Maybe we’ll meet one of the male dancers,” Beth says with excitement in her blue eyes, her fiery red hair glinting in the light. “And he’ll see us and fall madly in love.”

I giggle at my friend’s exaggerated expression. “They’re so much older than us.” I shake my head. “Besides, they have all the other ballerinas to look at all day long.”

Beth shrugs. “We’re different and new. Guys like new girls.”

I shake my head. “You’re silly.”

We follow Angie into the building and up the stairs to a huge studio where the principals and soloists stand in the middle of the floor, casually watching an older man with spiky salt-and-pepper hair and glasses demonstrate a step.

“That’s Martin Pierce, the artistic director,” Angie whispers.

A few dancers notice us in the doorway and nudge one another. Martin tilts his head and furrows his brows, then sees us standing there. His face breaks out into a broad, friendly smile. “Ah, the dancers from the program?” he asks, and Angie nods. “Welcome. Come on in. Have a seat.” He motions to the side wall. We file in and sit down. He turns back to the professional dancers. “Shall we try again?”

The memory faded and Sabrina opened her eyes, the chilly fall air surrounding her once more. That had been a lifetime ago.

Her heart raced then as it did now, but for completely different reasons. It was excitement then. Now it was from complete and utter nerves.

A wave of determination filled her. Sabrina took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and crossed the street with long, confident strides... for the first few steps. Her gait shortened and her chin dropped so that she was staring at the cobblestones as she reached the opposite sidewalk. She couldn’t bring herself to open the glass door. Several people walked past her to go inside while she stood there, frozen with fear. The warmth coming out of the building tempted her, but fear kept her feet glued to the sidewalk.

“Are you here for the auditions?” asked a male voice beside her, his heavy Bostonian accent washing over her like a warm blanket.

Sabrina blinked and backed away before she looked up at who spoke to her. A man in his mid-twenties with ruffled, dark blond hair and warm, chestnut-brown eyes stood there, smiling. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place his face. It wasn’t a reassuring feeling.

She nodded slowly.

“Well, I can assure you, they take place inside the building, not out here.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled.

She nodded and smiled back timidly. “Trying to find the courage to go in,” she answered in a raspy voice.

His mouth twitched as he walked to the door, opened it, and gestured for her to go inside. When she shook her head, he put his hand on his hip. “Well, I can’t go inside and leave you out here in the wind. It would be ungentlemanly of me.”

Sabrina bit her lip and walked inside quickly, clutching her bag to her chest and not looking at him. “Thank you,” she said to the floor.

“You’re quite welcome.”

Her stomach growled. Horrified, she wrapped her arms around it to muffle the sound as she blushed.

He didn’t give any indication that he had heard. “What’s your name?”

“S-Sabrina.”

He grinned again and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, S-Sabrina. I’m Jayson.”

She shook his hand quickly, avoiding meeting his eyes again, then clasped her bag to her chest again.

“Check-in’s over here.” He put his hand on her lower back to guide her across the room. After a few steps, she wiggled away from him. He motioned to a table where a woman with curly blonde hair sat, a pile of papers and numbers in front of her. “Chassidy, this is Sabrina. She’s here for the auditions. Will you make sure she gets everything she needs?”

She looked at Sabrina with raised eyebrows. “Sure, Jayson.”

“Thanks, sweets.” Chassidy looked at him as if ready to melt into a puddle of goo. “Break a leg,” Jayson said, grinning at Sabrina, then strode away.

“You know Jayson?” Chassidy asked, her voice much cooler than when she’d been talking to Jayson.

Sabrina shook her head quickly. “He just opened the door for me.”

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