Gavin: Pure Passion (Hamptons Book 1) (11 page)

“You stupid piece of junk!” I shout at Tiffy as she gives up the ghost right before I reach Gavin’s house. I pop the hood and get out and try to see what’s broken, but I have no clue about cars. I’ll never buy a Ford again, that’s for sure. White smoke is rising from the engine. Unfortunately, I canceled my AAA membership a couple of months ago because I couldn’t afford it anymore. I kick the bumper. “You idiotic vehicle!”

A car stops and parks in front of me. “Madeleine?” someone says, and I turn around. It’s Linden Priest.

“Hey,” I say in greeting. Then I turn back to my smoking Ford.

“Breakdown?” he asks, and comes to my side, peering under the hood.

“Yeah . . . I was just on my way to see Gavin, because I’m Julie’s stand-in, and Tiffy took her last gasp.”

“Shall I have a look?”

“Sure, but I doubt she’s fixable.”

“Did you call AAA yet?”

“I canceled my membership, so no, I didn’t.”

Linden eyes the engine. “Did you check the radiator fluid?”

“No, could that be what’s wrong?”

“No clue, but I can have a look.” He bends down to look more closely and then straightens up again. “It has to go to the garage. The radiator fluid doesn’t seem to be the problem, but maybe it’s the water pump, or maybe there’s a leaky hose.” He gestures to his car. “I’ll take you with me and send one of the security guys to see that your car is towed to the next garage.”

“That would be really nice of you. Let me get my bag.”

“Sure, I’ll wait in the car.”

I grab my handbag and duffle out of the car and lock it. Then I sigh and get in Linden’s car.

He starts the engine immediately. “Be glad this didn’t happen to you on some deserted road.”

“Somehow I would prefer that,” I say, considering. It would be less embarrassing, anyway.

“Believe me, you wouldn’t like it. I once woke up in a ditch in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea how it happened. To this day, I have no memory of how I got there,” he explains. “The only positive thing that came out of it was that I got to know Thalia that evening.”

“You really don’t know what happened?”

“No. The doctors at the hospital thought the memory loss was due to dehydration at first, but apparently it had something to do with a traumatic experience. My subconscious had to have its reasons to bury the memory so deep.”

“That could be true.”

“Another problem was that I was engaged at the time.”

“But you didn’t betray your fiancée with Thalia, did you?”

“No . . . It hadn’t been going so well with Trish anymore anyway, and I think we were both looking for a reason to end it,” he replies. “At least, it was she who left me, after we met Thally on the boardwalk in Miami. According to Trish, I looked at her like it was love at first sight.”

“That’s a pretty dumb reason to break up, if you ask me. ‘Oh, you looked at another woman . . . I’m going to leave you and break off our engagement,’” I say in a squeaky Barbie voice.

“That’s about how it happened, but it’s probably good that way, because then I was free for Thally, and I definitely didn’t want to lose her,” Linden says with a grin as he turns into a private driveway.

“But she’s not from here, is she?”

“No, she lives and studies in Miami, but originally she’s from Texas.”

“How do you manage to keep it together? I mean, you’re surely on the road a lot and don’t have much time, do you?” I ask.

“We see each other at least once a month for a weekend. Either I fly to her, she comes here, or she visits me wherever the band goes. But fortunately I’m on vacation right now, and I don’t have a lot to do, because Gavin is on
Celebrity Dance Hall
,” he says cheerfully.

“Is she here now?”

“She’ll come again this weekend, and stay for two weeks. Then we’ll have a week apart, and then I’ll fly to Miami to meet her again.”

“I wouldn’t mind going to Miami sometime.”

“Then join us,” he offers as he parks in front of an intimidatingly huge villa.

“Unfortunately I don’t have time, but thanks anyway.”

We get out of the car, and Linden heads for the house. “Come on, I’m sure Gavin is already wondering where you are.”

I put my bag on my shoulder and follow him. The house is built of red brick, and the grand-looking front stairs are flanked on either side by stone lions on raised plinths. A bit stuffy looking—and not typical for the Hamptons—but I only have to come here to practice, so I don’t mind so much.

“Stop! Miss Dubois, I’d like to film your arrival!” calls Felix, the guy who’s responsible for filming the backstories for
Celebrity Dance Hall
.

I turn around to face him. “Have you been waiting here all morning?”

“We didn’t know when you’d be coming, so Mrs. Greene told us to be here as early as possible,” he answers breathlessly. “Where’s your car?”

“Half a mile down the road, because it broke down,” I explain. “Linden was so kind as to give me a ride.”

“By the way, I’ll organize a tow truck now, Lane . . . Felix knows where the practice room is,” Linden says.

“Thanks.” I look at Felix. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“We’ll follow you with the camera when you go to find Gavin, film your meeting, and then we’ll be done.”

“Then let’s go,” I say with a sigh.

The film team makes me up, even though I’m already wearing some, and then Felix leads me through the house.

“Are you excited, Madeleine?” he asks suddenly.

“Of course. How often do you get a chance to meet the famous Gavin McLeod?” I answer with the lines I practiced for the role.

“Probably not very often. Are you happy that you get to dance with him, after Julie’s terrible accident?” he wants to know.

“I’m happy I can fill in, but I’m not happy about Julie’s injury. I hope she’ll be better soon,” I answer honestly. I really can’t stand Julie, but I never would have wished injury on her.

“You know that you and Gavin really have to shine with the rumba, don’t you? How do you think it will be to practice with him?”

“I imagine it will be a lot of work, but Gavin will surely be a good dancer, because he has to learn choreography for his shows, anyway.”

We come to a door, and Felix stops. He gives me a sign, and I knock.

“Come in!” I hear Gavin call.

I take a deep breath and turn the doorknob. I suddenly hope he already knows who he’ll be dancing with. “Hi, Gavin. I’m Madeleine Dubois, your new dance partner.”

He looks at me as though someone had just smacked him in the head at light speed. “Hi . . . Nice to meet you,” he stammers as he comes toward me.

I drink in the sight of him. He’s wearing a black muscle shirt and white sweatpants. Both fit perfectly and show off his toned body. “I’m glad to meet you, too. I’m taking Julie’s place so you don’t have to leave the show,” I explain. I’m still speaking the rehearsed lines that I was given before I entered the house.

“Thanks for agreeing to do that,” he says.

“Cut!” Felix calls, and I sigh with relief.

Gavin comes toward me. “What are you doing here?”

“I was asked to replace an injured dancer in the show. If I’d known it was Julie, I wouldn’t be here, believe me,” I answer softly, so the camera team can’t hear me.

“Super.” His disappointed expression speaks volumes. My hope that he forgot what happened in his suite evaporates.

“Believe me, I’m not very happy about it, either, but I need the money, and I don’t want to break my contract,” I tell him. “We only have to see each other to practice, and during the show.”

Gavin nods, but the dark look he gives me shows that he’s not happy about the situation. “OK.”

I clear my throat as Felix comes closer. “Where can I change?”

He shows me a door. “There’s a bathroom back there.”

“Thanks,” I say with a shy smile, before I escape for a moment. “What a fiasco,” I whisper to myself as I put on my practice clothes. It’s the same outfit I wear for teaching, a top, a pleated miniskirt, and leggings. All in black. At least that looks good on camera. When I enter the room again, Gavin is talking to Felix. I stand next to the cameraman and listen carefully to what they’re saying, because it’s about the next scene.

“OK, now you have to dance together. It’s enough if you let Miss Dubois show you the basic steps of the rumba. Maybe a few outtakes, and then we’ve got it,” Felix says.

“Why should I pretend I don’t know what I’m doing, when I already know the basic step?” Gavin asks.

“Little mistakes are an advantage for the candidates, it makes them seem more human and gives people a better connection to them.”

I raise my eyebrows. “We’ll see what we can do,” I say.

Gavin looks at me expectantly, and I wonder what’s going on in his mind. “Shall we begin, Madeleine?”

You know very well how much I hate to be called Madeleine, and now you’re surely doing it to annoy me,
I think uncharitably. “Of course, Gavin.”

He holds out his hand to me, and I take it. “So, we’re doing the rumba. Can you show me the basic step?”

“They’re rocking steps. You start with the left foot forward, I go backward with the right, and then you rock back onto your right foot. After that there’s a side-step for two measures that you lead with the left foot. Does that make sense so far?”

“Yes,” he says.

“The camera is rolling,” Felix reminds him.

“Your arm should be higher,” I tell Gavin and lift mine, so our arms touch. “All right, let’s go.”

He takes the first step forward, and I go back, then he goes back on his right foot. Then we sidestep, and I slide forward a little.

“You need to hold yourself with more tension,” I say as we repeat the basic steps a few times. And then it happens. He steps on my foot so hard that I suck in my breath and my eyes go wide. “Holy sh—” Fortunately I pull myself together the next second.

“Sorry,” he murmurs.

I shake out my foot, which is in a black high-heeled sandal. “That’s OK. Shall we try again?”
Bastard.

“Please.”

We repeat the basic step. “Almost perfect. Just use your hips a little more,” I lecture, being careful to give Gavin a smile at the same time.

“How about the spin?” he asks.

“Are you ready?”

He nods determinedly. “Sure thing.”

“As soon as I go into the spin, you stretch out your hand, because you’re leading.”

We go through the sequence four times, until Gavin stretches out his arm, but he spins me way too fast, and I stumble and fall against him. “Oof . . . Oh, jeez!”

“I guess that was fast enough,” he jokes, and I giggle.

“Cut! That’s all we need. We’ll come again on Thursday to interview you both so we have enough for the introduction clip,” Felix says.

I separate myself from Gavin immediately. “Thanks, Felix.”

“My pleasure,” he answers.

I go toward him with my hand stretched out. “See you.”

He smiles and shakes my hand. “Then I’ll see you two on Thursday.” He and his team pack up and leave.

When the door finally closes, Gavin turns to face me and takes my hand. “Why didn’t you cancel when you found out?”

“I already told you that,” I answer, pulling my hand away.

“Super. I have to dance with a girl who thinks I’m an asshole,” he grunts.

“I’ve had to dance with lots of assholes, so it doesn’t make much difference to me if you’re one or not,” I reply calmly.

He snorts again, and goes over to the stereo. “How do you want to choreograph this dance?”

“As perfectly as possible so we make it into the fourth show.”

“Hmm,” he says and turns to me again. “Then maybe we should leave out the lifts, that’s how Julie broke her leg.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “You broke Julie’s leg?”

“No. She lost her grip and slid, and came down wrong. I tried to catch her, but it didn’t work.”

“Oh, crap,” I say. “So definitely no lifts.”

Then he grins. “I’d advise against it until I get better at this, but on the other hand . . . you aren’t nearly as heavy as Julie is.”

“I still don’t want to risk it, but in the rumba you don’t have to do lifts, anyway.”

“Shall we continue, then?” he asks.

I nod. “You’ve got the basic steps down, we should work more on the spin.” I look around the room. “Let’s dance in front of the big mirror so you can see my movements more easily and copy them. I don’t mean you should spin, too, though,” I say drily, as he spins through the room in his best Fred Astaire imitation. I have to laugh, because he doesn’t stop, and I find myself laughing. “That’s enough, Gavin.”

He comes up to me, takes my hand, and spins us together.

“Come on, it’s really enough.”
Why is he suddenly acting so differently than he was before?

Looking clearly disappointed, he lets go of me. Then we take position next to each other.

“Don’t forget to be looser with your hips. You shouldn’t be stiff as a stick.”

“Sure.” Gavin begins the basic step again, but he still looks stiff to me.

“Wait.” I go behind him and put my hand on his torso. “Every time I put pressure on one side, you swing your hips to the other side, OK?”