concentrate on being good dance partners for the next week?"
His practical words sounded good. "All right." She paused, her hand on the door. "Do you want to meet tomorrow?"
"I can do tomorrow evening if that works for you—around eight?"
"That will work. If we could do it at your hotel, we could try out the floor for Monday's classes."
"I'll see you there."
She hesitated, knowing she should just get out of the car and go into her apartment, but she still felt a little unsettled by all the emotions of the last thirty minutes. "Nick—I just want to say one thing."
"What's that?"
"That was a really good kiss."
He smiled. "I thought so, too. Goodnight, Isabella. Sweet dreams."
She had a feeling her dreams would be more sexy than sweet, and a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed man was going to be the star.
Chapter Nine
While her dreams were delicious, Sunday brought Isabella back to reality. She spent the morning at the studio talking to contractors, reading estimates, and reworking the class schedule for the next week.
She had no idea where her aunt was. Rhea had left a message on her phone around ten that she'd stop by in the late afternoon, but so far Isabella had not seen her. That worried her. Rhea had never been a secretive person, and the fact that she was being a cagey about where she was and what she was doing made Isabella uneasy.
Was Rhea going to sell the studio as is? Was all her hard work going to be for nothing if a new buyer stepped in with his or her own plans?
She really needed to speak to her aunt. Nick had offered to help her buy the studio, and while that seemed like an enormous favor to her, maybe for him it was not even close to a big deal. When she saw him later, she'd have to ask him exactly what he had in mind.
She didn't really want to tie herself that closely to him or put herself in a position to owe him more than she could pay, but she really did want to save the studio. She was starting to feel a little desperate about it. If the studio went away, where would she go?
She didn't have another plan. Ever since she'd been injured and her theater career had ended, the studio had been her safe haven. It was the next chapter in her career. While she could probably work for someone else and/or maybe eventually open a studio somewhere else, she couldn't imagine losing this particular dance space. It would be like losing a limb. She had so many memories in this place from the time she was a little girl until now.
Saying goodbye seemed unthinkable.
She looked up from the computer as Ricardo walked through the front door. He wore dark jeans and a gray knit shirt, his black hair damp from a probably recent shower. He looked tired, but there was also an odd light in his eyes.
"I didn't think you were coming here today," she said.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"I hope it's about how to get this studio fixed in record time?"
"Unfortunately, no. But I have some interesting news. I just got off the phone with Hal Tyler."
Her stomach tightened at the mention of her former producer. "Why would you be talking to Hal?"
"Hal and Donna are opening a new show in San Francisco at the end of August. It's a musical. James Bennett is directing. Malcolm Hodges is the choreographer."
A wave of nausea ran through her. She had a feeling she knew what Ricardo was about to say.
"They want us both to audition," he continued. "Donna said she was planning to call you. She was just waiting for their funding to finalize, and now it has."
Isabella immediately started shaking her head. "No, I'm a teacher now. I have classes to worry about. All these problems at the studio have to be dealt with. I can't audition. I don't want to audition. That isn't my life anymore."
Ricardo's lips drew into a tight line. "Isabella. Your aunt is going to sell the studio. You know that."
"Maybe I'll buy it."
"With what?"
"With Nicholas Hunter's money. He told me he might be interested in investing."
"Seriously? Why would
His practical words sounded good. "All right." She paused, her hand on the door. "Do you want to meet tomorrow?"
"I can do tomorrow evening if that works for you—around eight?"
"That will work. If we could do it at your hotel, we could try out the floor for Monday's classes."
"I'll see you there."
She hesitated, knowing she should just get out of the car and go into her apartment, but she still felt a little unsettled by all the emotions of the last thirty minutes. "Nick—I just want to say one thing."
"What's that?"
"That was a really good kiss."
He smiled. "I thought so, too. Goodnight, Isabella. Sweet dreams."
She had a feeling her dreams would be more sexy than sweet, and a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed man was going to be the star.
Chapter Nine
While her dreams were delicious, Sunday brought Isabella back to reality. She spent the morning at the studio talking to contractors, reading estimates, and reworking the class schedule for the next week.
She had no idea where her aunt was. Rhea had left a message on her phone around ten that she'd stop by in the late afternoon, but so far Isabella had not seen her. That worried her. Rhea had never been a secretive person, and the fact that she was being a cagey about where she was and what she was doing made Isabella uneasy.
Was Rhea going to sell the studio as is? Was all her hard work going to be for nothing if a new buyer stepped in with his or her own plans?
She really needed to speak to her aunt. Nick had offered to help her buy the studio, and while that seemed like an enormous favor to her, maybe for him it was not even close to a big deal. When she saw him later, she'd have to ask him exactly what he had in mind.
She didn't really want to tie herself that closely to him or put herself in a position to owe him more than she could pay, but she really did want to save the studio. She was starting to feel a little desperate about it. If the studio went away, where would she go?
She didn't have another plan. Ever since she'd been injured and her theater career had ended, the studio had been her safe haven. It was the next chapter in her career. While she could probably work for someone else and/or maybe eventually open a studio somewhere else, she couldn't imagine losing this particular dance space. It would be like losing a limb. She had so many memories in this place from the time she was a little girl until now.
Saying goodbye seemed unthinkable.
She looked up from the computer as Ricardo walked through the front door. He wore dark jeans and a gray knit shirt, his black hair damp from a probably recent shower. He looked tired, but there was also an odd light in his eyes.
"I didn't think you were coming here today," she said.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"I hope it's about how to get this studio fixed in record time?"
"Unfortunately, no. But I have some interesting news. I just got off the phone with Hal Tyler."
Her stomach tightened at the mention of her former producer. "Why would you be talking to Hal?"
"Hal and Donna are opening a new show in San Francisco at the end of August. It's a musical. James Bennett is directing. Malcolm Hodges is the choreographer."
A wave of nausea ran through her. She had a feeling she knew what Ricardo was about to say.
"They want us both to audition," he continued. "Donna said she was planning to call you. She was just waiting for their funding to finalize, and now it has."
Isabella immediately started shaking her head. "No, I'm a teacher now. I have classes to worry about. All these problems at the studio have to be dealt with. I can't audition. I don't want to audition. That isn't my life anymore."
Ricardo's lips drew into a tight line. "Isabella. Your aunt is going to sell the studio. You know that."
"Maybe I'll buy it."
"With what?"
"With Nicholas Hunter's money. He told me he might be interested in investing."
"Seriously? Why would
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