Page 39 of His Innocent for One Spanish Night

Emily was about to point out that she had to go back at work, but then thought that, in a way, thiswaswork.

‘I haven’t got any shoes...’

‘Soon,’ Eva said. ‘Wait until you have had a couple of lessons before you spend your money. The first lesson is free...’ She tapped her fingers into her palm and that incredible, precise sound was made again.

‘That clapping...’

‘It is calledpalmas,’ Eva told her, tapping three fingers and then moving her hand so that she cupped one palm. Emily heard how the sound changed. ‘You try now.’

For almost an hour Emily stayed there, standing in front of a mirror, seeing for herself just how little sense of rhythm she had, but the time flew by.

‘Come again tomorrow at this time,’ Eva said.

‘I don’t want to take up your lunch break...’

‘You say you have only five weeks here!’ Eva pointed out. ‘We can do some footwork—you can borrow some shoes, and if you enjoy it then maybe you can get your own, but speak to me first. And Emily!’ she called as she left. ‘Think about the group workshops. If you want to cram some more lessons in it’s a good way to do so, and they are always fun.’

Fun, Emily thought as she dashed back to work. Fun was something that had been missing for far too long from her life.

Yet here in Jerez she was starting to discover it.

She was going out, doing new things, kissing new guys... Well, just the one! But she was finally doing all the things she never had.

After a lifetime of attempting to please people, she was finally taking the time to work out what pleasedher. It was liberating.

‘Alejandro is looking for you,’ said Andrés, one of the IT workers, when she returned to the office.

‘Good for him,’ Emily said, perhaps a little cheekily, but Andrés’s English didn’t quite stretch to sarcasm, and he gave her a smile and went back to his screen.

‘Good for me?’ a deep voice said, and Emily swung around.

He looked stunning, with no traces of last night’s excesses evident.

‘Why is spending the last hour trying to get you online for a meeting with Sebastián good for me?’

‘I meant...’ As Emily took a seat and took a breath, she was a little stunned by her own cheek, and realised she’d come back from her first dance class on a little bit of a high. ‘It means...’

‘I know exactly what it means, Emily.’

His gorgeous eyes were a little narrowed, as if he was trying to work out the slight change in her, the subtle shift. She knew her outfit was the usual mix of muted shades and practical lines. Her hair was tied up high on her head and was its usual chaotic self. She wore no make-up, but that was usual.

And yet Emily felt a certain defiance as she met his eyes and smiled. ‘I’m sorry, Alejandro, I wasn’t aware we’d scheduled a meeting.’

‘We hadn’t,’ he conceded. ‘That is why I tried to call you.’

She reached into her bag and pulled out her work phone. Sure enough, there were a couple of missed calls from him. It would seem she’d been too busy dancing and discoveringpalmasto hear her phone.

‘So you did.’ She dropped her bag back in her phone. ‘Well, I’m back from lunch now.’

‘Excellent,’ he said tartly. ‘Then can we please get on?’

‘Of course.’ Emily moved to stand. ‘Should I come up to your office?’

‘It’s an online meeting, Emily. We hardly need to be seated together. There should be an invitation in your inbox.’

Indeed there was.

Emily put on her headphones and logged in, and for a sliver of time she thought the haughty face looking back at her was Alejandro, but quickly she realised it was Sebastián.

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