by Shéa MacLeod
"No way. Believe me, everything else can be worked on and improved. You have conquered bedtime. That's like winning the Pulitzer right there."
She laughed, and this time there was no strain. "Viola is going to quit when she sees that mess."
"We'll clean it up. She'll never know. It'll be our little secret."
Bella suddenly reached out and gave me an impulsive hug before drawing back, clearly embarrassed. "Thank you Anna."
"For what?"
"For not judging me or making fun of me."
"I would never do that, Bella. I'm too far from perfect myself to ever laugh at someone else's screw-ups." I stood up and started for the door. There was a huge mess to clean up before I could relax for the evening.
We began in the kitchen. I started with the spilled milk. "Can I say something that might come off a little personal?"
She paused in the middle of stacking dirty dishes and cleared her throat. "Very well." She seemed to brace herself for some kind of attack. I kept cleaning up the kitchen, nice and slow and easy.
"Sometimes it almost seems like you think the twins are some kind of alien life form. They're not. They're little boys w grieving their parents and trying to figure out their place in this world."
She swallowed. "I understand that, of course. It's just… Evander is so very good with them. They love him. I'm not like that."
"Of course not. You're a totally different kind of person."
"Isn't that the truth."
I carefully rinsed out the mop and tucked it back in the closet. "I mean, you are going to have a different relationship with them than Evander has, and that's okay. Because they need lots of different kinds of relationships in order to grow and develop into well-rounded individuals."
"I don't understand."
I leaned against the counter, facing her. "When I was a kid, my parents were very strict and sort of regimented."
"That doesn't sound fun."
"It wasn't. But it gave me structure and a sense of security. And that's important for a kid. I had other people in my life who gave me other things. I had an aunt who played fairy princess and had tea parties with me. And another who did art projects and got messy. They gave me a sense of wonder and sparked my imagination. I had a teacher who, while very proper and teacher-like, built up my self-esteem and encouraged my strengths. It takes a lot of people to raise one kid, let me tell you."
She opened the dishwasher and began filling it. "So you're saying there's a place for me, too."
"Of course there is. Find something that you have in common with the boys. Or something they need that you can give them. Tutoring in math or whatever you're good at. Give them that. Right now, you are stability in their world. Let them know you will continue to be that. The rest will follow. It just takes time."
She smiled a little. "You're very good at this."
"You're not the first parent I've met who was having a meltdown over not being good enough."
"Parent. That's a scary word."
"But that's what you are now. And it can be a wonderful thing. Believe me. I've seen that too."
She nodded. "Thank you." She started the dishwasher. "And thanks for the help cleaning. I should get to work. I've got a mound of paperwork to do." She started for the kitchen door, then paused and turned back. "Every year I hold a big party on Valentine's Day here at the house. Dinner, dancing, plenty of champagne."
"I'll be sure to keep the boys out of the way."
"That's not what I meant. Viola will stay with the boys through the party. She's already agreed. I wanted to invite you."
I swallowed. She wanted me to attend her posh Valentine's Day party? "I don't have a date." Heck, I didn't know anyone but her and Evander.
Viola smiled, this time a real one. "You don't need a date. That's the whole point."
"I don't have anything fancy to wear."
"You let me worry about that. Just promise me you'll come."
What the heck? What else was I going to do on Valentine's Day? Sulk over being alone? Moon over Evander?
"Sure. Okay. I'll come to the party."
"Good. Trust me. It's going to be fun."
I wasn't sure Bella's idea of fun was the same as mine, but I smiled anyway. "Can't wait."
"Oh, and don't forget." Bella whirled back around. "There's a forró: dance-off."
I blinked. "A what?"
"We always have a forró: dance-off. It's tradition, so brush up." And with that she swept out of the kitchen. I was still staring at the empty doorway when I heard the front door slam and realized I was alone.
Forró:. Holy crap. How was I going to learn forró: in two weeks? And what on earth was forró: anyway?
# # #
"Bella tells me you're coming to the Valentine's Day party," Evander said. We were strolling through the park a block away from Bella's house while the twins tore around like they'd never been outside before. It was two days since Bella had asked me to the party and the first time it hadn't rained since I got to London. Although overcast and the temperature hovering somewhere in the forties, it seemed the perfect time to get the kids out of the house. Evander had caught us as we were coming down the walk and had joined in the park adventure. I was beginning to wonder what he did for a living that he could take all these days off. When I'd asked, he'd mumbled something about investments. I was guessing hedge fund manager or something boring and lucrative like that.
The park was one of those private green spaces surrounded by a tall, wrought iron fence like in the movie Notting Hill. Only the local residents had the code to the gate. To keep out the riffraff, I guessed. It was deserted that afternoon except for the four of us.
"The party, yeah. She invited me. I agreed to go, but I think that was a mistake."
"Why?"
"She said there's a forró: contest. I don't know how to dance. I mean not like that." The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of Bella's posh friends.
Okay, if I were honest, it was all about Evander. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him. I mean, I knew it was useless, me mooning after him. He was taken, something Tamzin had made very clear. Still, I didn't want him thinking I was a total loser.
"Are you familiar with salsa?'
"I've seen it done."
"Forró: is a Brazilian dance similar to salsa. I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. I could teach you."
I glanced at him. The wind ruffled his dark hair, sending a curl tumbling across his forehead. I resisted the urge to brush it back. "You know forró:?"
"Of course. My mother made me take ballroom dancing from the time I was six."
Of course she had.
"Granted, forró: wasn't part of the deal, but I picked that up later," he said with a grin.
"I don't know. The party is less than two weeks away. I'm not sure I can learn a dance that quickly."
"Sure you can. It's easy. Here." He grabbed my hand and twirled me around until I laughed breathlessly. Then he placed my right hand on his shoulder and his left hand on my upper back, keeping my left hand in his right. "Now listen." He hummed a few bars of music, his body swaying to the rhythm. I tried to sway along. Not bad. Okay, swaying I could do.
"Now move your feet like this." He demonstrated.
I tried to follow and promptly stepped on his foot. "Oh, crap, sorry." I glanced around to make sure the boys hadn't caught me swearing. They were busy running circles around a small pine tree.
"Don't worry." He smiled down at me, green eyes sparkling and dimple flashing. I felt my heart melt. "It just takes practice. Now again."
We tried, but I kept tripping. "Maybe this is too complicated for me."
"Nonsense. What we need is real music." He pulled out his phone and swiped the screen, scrolling until he found what he wanted. He pressed Play and sat the phone on a nearby bench. What came out was music so charged and full of energy, it set my feet tapping. I had no idea how to do forró:, but suddenly I couldn't wait.
Excited, the boys joined us, dancing around our feet, laughing and shouting like it was the best game ever. Soon the four of us were cavorting like a bunch of pixies on glitter.
"Well, isn't this just the sweetest little tableau," someone sneered.
We all froze, glancing toward the park gate. There stood the Wicked Witch of the East. I felt like dropping a house on her.
"Tamzin. Hello." Evander slowly released me. I stepped back, flushing. I couldn't even look at him. "I was teaching Anna to dance."
"So I see." Her tone was dry as dust. "Did you forget we have a dinner with Lady Forsyte tonight? This is very important, Evan."
"Sorry." He turned to me. "We'll have to finish our lesson another time."
"Sure," I said with a nod.
He swooped down to give the boys hugs and then strode across the park toward Tamzin. His girlfriend, I reminded myself. I had no hold on him whatsoever. Just because he made my heart flutter didn't mean I did the same for him.
"Aw, I wish Uncle Evan could stay and play with us," Reece grumbled.
"I don't like that Tamthin," said Riley. "She's mean."
"Come on boys. Forget them. Let's practice forró:'."
"YAY!" they cheered.
I'm pretty sure no Brazilian alive would have recognized our version of forró:, but we danced until it turned dark and the street lamps turned on.
Chapter 7
"Anna!"
I paused as I came down the front walk, trying to hide the automatic wince. "Tamzin. What are you doing here?"
"I heard it was your day off."
It was the Sunday before Bella's Valentine's Day party. She'd taken the boys to an indoor playground. Viola had the day off. Left to my own devices, I'd decided to do a bit of shopping on my own. What I did not want is to deal with Tamzin Berkshire.
"So it is," I said, letting myself out the gate. "That still doesn't answer my question."
"I wanted to invite you to join me for lunch. My treat."
I stared at her. She seemed sincere enough. "You want to have lunch with me?"
"Of course. " She flashed a wide, guileless smile.
"Forgive me, Tamzin, but you haven't exactly been very welcoming. Why do you want to go to lunch with me all of a sudden?"
"About that," she said, laying her hand on my arm. "I am sorry. I was jealous, you understand? I mean, Evan is a very attractive man, wouldn't you say? So many women would do anything to get his attention. But, of course, I should have known better than to worry about that with you."
I wasn't sure whether to take her comment as an insult or not, but she gave me such an innocent look. "Sure. Okay."
"You'll come to lunch?"
I shrugged. "Why not." She was buying, after all. I had gotten my first paycheck, but London was more expensive than I'd realized. I didn't want to blow it all in the first week. And if Tamzin was holding out the olive branch, the least I could do was listen.
She took me to a posh joint in Knightsbridge not far from Harrod's, the iconic department store. It was the sort of place that had white linen tablecloths and matching napkins. The glasses were real crystal and the silver actually was, well, silver. It was so far out of my budget, it was laughable.
"This is one of Evan's and my favorite places to brunch," she said as if it were a weekly occurrence. "He had to work today, though. He's had to take so much time off to deal with those twins."
She said "those twins" much the way someone might say "those rats" or "those weeds." Any points she'd earned in her attempt to make up with me were immediately erased. I felt like turning around and leaving, but I admit I was curious.
"Table for Berkshire," she said to the maî:tre d'. The man nodded and led us into the dining room. I was a little surprised she had a reservation. Seemed she was awfully confident I'd say yes.
We stopped at a table smack dab in the middle of the room. Two other women were already there. Both of them wore expensive clothing and jewelry. Designer bags in bright colors designed to catch the eye were slung across the backs of their chairs, not because it was good manners, but because they clearly wanted everyone to know they could afford twelve hundred pounds for a purse. My most expensive purse cost fifty bucks.
The maî:tre d' seated us, and a waiter appeared to hand us hand printed menus. After the two men disappeared, Tamzin made introductions.
"Antonia, Valerie, this is Anna Lucas, Bella Talbot's nanny." Was it me or was there just a little too much stress on the word 'nanny?' "Anna, these are my very good friends, Antonia Musgrave and Valerie Burton-Hill. We were at school together."
"Nice to meet you," I said.
Antonia quite literally stared down her aquiline nose at me. "I'm sure." She had one of those ridiculously posh accents where the person practically spoke out their sinuses. She tilted her head slightly to allow her dark, glossy hair to fall just so, catching the light from the window overlooking Kensington Road.
"Lucas," Valerie said, catching my attention. "What sort of name is that?" She eyed me like an eagle eyeing its prey. She was plain compared to the other two women, but every inch of her was so carefully polished that, unless you looked deeper, you only saw the gloss.
"It's my name," I said firmly.
The other three tittered. I gave Tamzin a hard look, but she avoided my eye.
"You know," Antonia said, "it's really too bad you're forced to work with children for a living. I mean, they are just full of disgusting germs, aren't they? Runny noses and such." She gave a delicate shiver.
"Reece and Riley are amazing boys. Very smart and funny. I'm privileged to work with them."
"To work for Bella Talbot, you mean," Valerie said slyly. "Bet you think you can get your claws into that brother-in-law of hers." She glared at me with gimlet eyes. It didn't take a genius to realize Tamzin had brought me here, not for the purpose of apologizing, but to try and humiliate me with the help of her nasty friends.
"You know," I said calmly, laying my menu on the table. "I've suddenly lost my appetite. Must be the company."
And with that, I got up and walked out, leaving the three women gaping behind me.
# # #
I went straight home from the aborted lunch date. I'd lost my appetite for exploration too. Instead I slapped together a sandwich in the kitchen and took it up to my room. Hiding out for a few hours felt like a good thing to do.
I sat down at my laptop and Googled forró:. A video popped up on YouTube, and I watched as the couple swirled through the moves of the dance, starting slow and moving faster as the music picked up. It was fun and fast, the sort of dancing that left you flushed and breathless. I had my doubts as to whether I would embarrass myself at the party, but at least I'd try.
I was about to shut the laptop when curiosity got the better of me. I typed Evander's name into the search field. I wasn't at all prepared for what I saw. I very nearly choked on a bite of sandwich.
"Oh, holy crap," I whispered. "This can't be right. There must be a mistake." But there wasn't. There was no way in hell I could go to the party. No way I could face Evander ever again.
# # #
The day of the party dawned bright and cold. Even the clouds cooperated, parting to let through steams of sunlight. Viola took charge of the boys, hauling them to the zoo in hopes of tiring them out while we got ready for the party.
At ten, Bella's crew arrived to begin decorating. By noon, the caterers were setting up in the kitchen. I felt a little lost, not sure what I should be doing, so I stuck to my room, giving myself a manicure and pedicure, and pretending I wasn't nervous as hell.
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A knock sounded on the door, and Bella popped her head in. "I have something for you." She came in carrying a large, silver box tied with shimmering white ribbon. She handed it to me with a look of excitement.
Eagerly I opened the box. Inside was the most gorgeous dress. The rich purple fabric was slightly ruched over the bust and gathered in at the waist with a wide band. The skirt was short and narrow but covered in layers of fluffy tulle like a fairy dress. Thin straps of tulle went over the shoulders and random crystals sparkled from between the folds of soft material.
"Oh, my," I gasped, stroking the silky fabric. "It's absolutely stunning."
"And perfect for you. You're going to look unbelievable."
"Thank you, Bella, but I can't accept it," I said, reluctantly closing the lid.
She crossed her arms. She was wearing a pale blue terrycloth robe, her blonde hair up in curlers. "Why not?"
I sighed. "I've decided not to go to the party."
She frowned. "Why?"
"I don't belong there, and you know it."
Bella narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I don't know it. What's the problem? Is it the forró:? You don't have to do it, you know."
I swallowed. "Um, no. It's not that. Evander taught me the dance…" I trailed off as Bella's eyes grew wide.
"Oh, my word, I am so thick." She sank down next to me on the bed. "You fancy my brother-in-law."
That was one way of putting it, although it wasn't the reason. "I know Tamzin will be there, even though it's supposed to be a date-free zone, and I don't think she will be thrilled with me attending. She is Evander's girlfriend, after all. And after what happened Sunday…"
Bella frowned. "What happened Sunday?"
I told her about Tamzin inviting me to lunch, claiming it was to apologize, and how it had turned out to be just another one of her twisted games. "Her friends are as nasty as she is."
"You didn't stay, did you?"
"Are you kidding? I got up and walked out. I have no time for people like that."
Bella snorted in a surprisingly unladylike fashion. "Good for you. Tamzin Berkshire is a bitch."
I stared at her, eyes wide. "I thought she was a friend of yours."