A Moment To Dance (6 page)

“You do want to make sure we’ll win, right?”

“Oh, yes. Definitely.” Her gaze lowered. “It’s just that I…I didn’t think you’d be so dedicated.”

“Tony takes all of his obligations seriously.” Carlota reached for a cookie. “If he says he’ll do something, you can count on him.”

He frowned at his mother, hating when she bragged about him. “The lessons are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at five-thirty. If that doesn’t work for you, I can try to work out something else.”

“That’ll be fine. If it’s okay with you, I’ll talk to Johnny’s teacher and see where he is with his classes. I was hoping to tutor him on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after school. We can adjust the time if needed, you know, because of the dance lessons.”

Tony gave her a pointed look. “Are you sure you’re up for doing both on the same days?”

She took a moment to consider it. “Actually, it should work out perfectly. This way I won’t have to wait around after school for the lessons.”

Tony nodded. A calmness settled over him, as if everything was going to work out for all of them. “Then I’ll see you later. Our first lesson is today at five-thirty sharp.”

CHAPTER SIX

T
his was all going to work out.

It had to.

Tony eased his pickup around the corner and past the front of the library. He immediately noticed Ella standing in the shade just outside the door. He supposed he could have pulled into the no-parking zone, but he drove past the small stucco building with a sign—Whistle Stop Public Library—in the middle of the small well-kept yard. He wanted to park and walk Johnny to his first lesson. It had nothing to do with seeing Ella again. He assured himself that it was the action of a good parent—something he longed to be.

“This is stupid,” Johnny complained for the umpteenth time. “I don’t need a tutor.”

After running out of platitudes and encouraging speeches, Tony decided it was time for brutal honesty. “If you don’t do this, they’ll most likely keep you in third grade next year while your friends move on to fourth grade. You wouldn’t like that, would you?”

The boy’s head lowered as he shook it. Satisfied Johnny understood how important these lessons were to him, Tony didn’t bring up how Johnny’s declining grades could also severely impact the possibility of Tony adopting him. The boy was already dealing with enough. He didn’t need to feel insecure about his home, too.

“Come on.” Tony reached for the door handle. “Let’s not keep Miss Morgan waiting any longer.”

Without a word, Johnny climbed out of the truck, slammed the door closed, and headed for the sidewalk. Tony took a moment to gather the study materials that he’d been using to help Johnny, not that he’d had much success. Still, he wanted Ella to know that he’d really tried to be there for his nephew, like he imagined a real dad would be. He didn’t want her assuming he was too busy to be bothered. He’d made the time. He just didn’t know how to reach his nephew.

With the texts and study guides tucked under his arm, he rushed to the sidewalk only to find Johnny already talking to Ella. From this distance, Tony couldn’t hear what was being said, but he watched as her pink lips lifted into a smile that lit up her eyes. A ball of jealousy pinged in his chest. He found himself longing to be the person to put her at ease instead of making her stiff and nervous, like she’d been in his mother’s kitchen.

When he joined them, he found Johnny withdrawing into the shell that he wore like armor. Tony had been hoping Ella could charm the boy into accepting that these lessons were important. As it was, Tony expected another visit from the court investigator any day now, and when the woman showed up, he wanted to reassure her that he had adequately handled Johnny’s declining grades.

“Hello, Miss Morgan.” Tony chose to use her formal name, not only for Johnny’s sake but also because it felt good to put a little distance between them with their dance lesson less than a couple of hours away.

“Hi.” She flashed him the remnants of the smile she’d shared with Johnny. Her gaze slid to the stack of books he carried. “Are you returning all of those to the library?”

Tony cleared his throat and held out the books to her. “Actually, they are for you. They’re the books I borrowed from the school and some workbooks I bought to help Johnny. I marked where we left off.”

Her pencil-thin brows rose as she reached out to take them. Their fingers brushed, sending a tingly sensation up his arm. Boy, if this was the way his body reacted every time they touched, he’d never make it through their dance lesson.

Get a grip. She’s just Johnny’s tutor. She’s not right for a one-night-stand. Definitely not.

And he couldn’t—wouldn’t—start something more.

“These will be a great help. Thank you.” Turning to Johnny, she said, “Shall we go inside? I have a spot reserved where you and I can go over the material your uncle gave me.”

Johnny shrugged. “I guess.”

He wasn’t exuberant, Tony mused, but then again the boy hadn’t outright refused Ella’s offer. That was a start. Johnny might keep a tough shell around himself most times, but Tony knew firsthand how sweet his nephew could be, if given the chance. Now if only Ella had the patience to get past the boy’s defenses.

Ella and Johnny had started into the building when Tony called out, “His grandmother will pick him up at a quarter after five so you’ll have plenty of time to get to the dance lesson.”

Ella’s face creased with worry lines before she nodded. So he wasn’t the only one having reservations about their lesson. Was she worried about his capabilities? Or was her concern far more personal?

♥♥♥

Less than five minutes in Tony’s presence, and he’d totally unnerved her.

Ella mentally chastised herself. She had to do better—for all of their sakes.

She turned her full attention to Johnny as he sat at one of the library’s large tables, looking utterly bored. “From the size of this stack of books, it looks like you and your uncle have been working hard.”

The boy shrugged his thin shoulders. She needed the boy to interact with her if they were going to make any progress. Tony might think the distance between her and Johnny was beneficial to this venture, but she disagreed. She needed Johnny to relax so he could absorb the information they were about to cover.

“I hear you’re having most of your problems in math. Is that right?” she asked, still trying to break the ice.

Again, the boy’s shoulders rose and fell. “Why do you care?” Johnny mumbled, then his face pinched with anger. “You want to take away my puppy.”

She wished Tony had never considered her giving the puppy a home. “Johnny, I do care about you. As for the puppy, I didn’t say I would take him.”

The boy slanted her a suspicious look. “But Uncle Tony said he thought you’d change your mind.”

“He did?” This was news to her.

The boy nodded.

“Well, he’s mistaken.”

Johnny’s eyebrows lifted as his skeptical gaze met hers. “Really?”

She nodded. Not letting the dialogue lapse, she said, “I hear you’re very smart. Your mom must have been so proud of your good grades.”

Johnny’s face filled with a startled expression. “You knew her?”

“No. But from what I’ve heard, she loved you very much, and she wanted you to do well in school.” Ella didn’t know this for a fact, but she couldn’t imagine a mother who wouldn’t want the best for their child. “Don’t you think?”

He gave her a small smile before nodding.

Happiness welled up in Ella that he’d finally smiled, which was a good sign that he would eventually open up to her. “How about we start with math?”

Ella grabbed the workbook Tony had given her and flipped through it. She noticed the strong, sure writing, obviously Tony’s, and some shaky numbers, which must be Johnny’s. What bothered her was that most of the writing was Tony’s. Instead of making Johnny work his way through the problems himself, it appeared that Tony had intervened far too often. He was obviously full of good intentions, but not good at sitting back and letting the boy use what he’d learned.

“My mom used to help me with math. Every night. Then she’d give me Oreos and milk before I went to bed… I…I miss her…”

The little boy’s whispered confession tore at Ella’s heart. No child should lose a parent. “I’m so sorry that she’s not here. But I’m sure she’s watching over you and wanting you to do well in school. You wouldn’t want to let her down, would you?”

He shook his dark head.

The remainder of the session flew by. In fact, it went so well that they ran a little late. After Johnny’s grandmother picked him up, Ella grabbed her belongings and rushed for the door. She hated to be late for anything, but second thoughts about agreeing to be Tony’s partner had slowed her pace.

By the time she stepped foot on the asphalt of the small parking lot, she was leaning toward calling Tony and telling him that she just wasn’t up for dancing that night. After all, the kids had kept her on her toes all day. And then there had been her somewhat stressful session with Johnny. Who would blame her for taking the rest of the evening off?

Yet as she searched her purse for her phone, her fingers brushed against the latest estimate she’d received for a new roof. She pulled out the yellow sheet of paper and unfolded it. The price included the cost of new windows, which she hadn’t realized were in dire need of replacement. Her chest tightened as she thought about the rate at which the repairs were accumulating. And these were just the ones she knew about. How many more would be uncovered?

She couldn’t back out of the dance lessons, no matter how tempting the notion. The prize money was her only hope to pay the taxes and repair the cabin.

Once behind the steering wheel, she reached forward to start the engine and noticed her wrists. Blotchy skin sneaked out from beneath the long sleeves of her blouse. The sight of the web-like scars made her inwardly cringe.

She reached inside her purse and pulled out a tube of makeup. With a twist, she removed the cap and gingerly applied a dab of concealer to each wrist where the marks were obvious. She didn’t stop until she had significantly camouflaged the scar tissue. Satisfied that she’d done her best, she put the car in gear.

When she turned the corner near the dance studio, she spotted Tony already waiting. He was propped against the tailgate of his pickup. His black T-shirt hugged his muscular chest and broad shoulders. The temperature inside her car rose dramatically, and her mouth grew dry.

This is a very bad idea. But it’s too late to back out now
.

♥♥♥

Where is she?

Tony checked his wristwatch for the fifth time. Maybe Ella had changed her mind. He grabbed his cell phone. No missed calls. And no new messages. The hum of an approaching vehicle caused him to glance up. Spotting Ella in the driver’s seat, he drew an easy breath. He slipped the phone back into his pocket. When her car slipped into a spot across the street, he strode over.

He opened her door for her. “You showed up.”

She shot him a guilty look. “Sorry I’m late. Johnny and I were on a roll.”

“Seems I’m not the only one who loses track of time. So it went well?” he asked as they made their way to the sidewalk.

She stopped and turned to him, lifting her dimpled chin to look up at him. “It took a bit for him to relax and realize I wasn’t the enemy.”

“Why would he think you’re the enemy?”

She pressed a hand to her hip. “It would appear you told him that I’m taking his puppy.”

“I did not. I—” Tony stopped his defense as a memory came to him. He shook his head, realizing where Johnny might have gotten that idea.

“What?” Ella sent him an expectant look.

“He must have overheard me talking with my mother.”

“And you were telling her that I would change my mind about adopting the puppy?”

He shrugged, feeling like a student who’d been caught talking during a test. “I said I hoped you would change your mind.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” He was confused. “Okay, what?”

“You explained. I understand. Let’s move on.”

So the little lady could be reasonable. He liked that about her. In fact, if he was honest with himself, there was a lot he liked about her. Beauty and spunk, quite an attractive combo.

“Come on.” She started across the street. “I have a contest to win.”

He rushed to catch up to her. “You mean
we
have a contest to win. But don’t worry, with me having the prettiest partner, the judges will be so distracted we’re bound to take first place.”

She paused and glanced at him. Surprise danced in her eyes as color flared in her cheeks. He’d never met a woman who could blush so easily. How could someone as gorgeous as her be so unaccustomed to flattery?

She hurried past him and entered the modest brick building where the soft twang of guitar strings accompanied a soft male voice singing about heartache. Oh, this wasn’t a good way to start their six-week affair—um, arrangement.

The tip of his cowboy boot struck the doorframe, and he lurched forward. Thankfully, he quickly regained his balance, and Ella didn’t indicate that she’d noticed his klutziness. Why did this teacher with her long-sleeved blouses and skirts unnerve him? Even when she’d blushed at a casual compliment, it gave him a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach.

“Hello, Tony.” Josie, the dance instructor, smiled at them. “I still can’t believe you arranged for dance lessons, but I’m glad you’re up to the challenge.”

Not thrilled with the idea of making a fool of himself on the dance floor, but needing to follow through with this plan, Tony kept his reservations to himself. “I’ll do what it takes.”

“Great.” Josie crossed the room and turned off the stereo. Her petite figure still looked as fine today as it had when she’d danced on Broadway. He remembered as a boy how proud the town had been when she’d made it big in New York. When she’d gotten older, she’d returned to her hometown a star and started this dance studio.

“I’ve had this long-standing dream of becoming the next Fred Astaire.” He forced a laugh that sounded hollow even to his own ears.

“I don’t know if we have that much time.” Josie smiled, letting him know she was joking. “Want to introduce me to your friend?”