Touch Me and Tango (17 page)

Tanya wanted to blow up and scream at her. Or ridicule her.
She used to do that when she was a teen. But after their argument the first
night here she realized how much that hurt her mom. So she said, “Did the dream
tell you where they were buried?”

Eva sighed. “No, dear. I just saw a pile of sparkling
diamonds on the dining room table. And you, me and a handsome dragon man
dancing around it. Here in this wonderful house.”

“That’s why you refused to put the table in the sale.”

“Yes.”

“But don’t you think we should be prepared in case it
doesn’t happen?”

Eva smiled at her as if she were a child. “It will. I
guarantee it.”

Tanya went to the liquor cabinet that her father had always
kept well stocked. She poured herself a brandy. She needed it.

“Want one?”

“All right.”

Tanya handed her mother a short fat glass with amber brandy.
She gulped some of her own and tried to sort out her thoughts. Unless she
misinterpreted Stella’s diary, those diamonds were long gone. She’d planned to
tell her mother that. She knew she would have to sooner or later. But after
this little tidbit, she couldn’t bear to do it. “I’m thinking of marrying
Mark.”

“Why? You don’t love him.”

“How do you know?”

“I can tell. You know, you
are
my daughter.”

Tanya sipped the brandy, enjoying the warm burn going down,
eagerly awaiting a mild buzz. After another sip, she went for it. “Mark will
give me a million dollars as a wedding gift. I’m not saying I don’t believe
your dream, but a little back-up sure would be nice.”

Eva sat forward. “I won’t let you do it. I’d sooner sweep
streets than have you marry someone you don’t love just to pay my debts.”

“But we get along pretty well.”

“You’re so like your father.”

“Because he married you for your money?”

Eva swiped the glass of brandy off the end table. It crashed
to the floor in pieces. “Don’t you ever say that. When we were first married he
adored me. We were so in love we couldn’t get enough of each other. I know you
think I’m stupid, but I had plenty of boyfriends and I could tell which ones
wanted my money. Your father was just a lousy businessman. And selfish. So when
all his schemes started failing he took care of himself first and the hell with
everybody else.”

“And you think I’m like that? Here I am willing to give up
my freedom to take care of you and—”

“You’re a wonderful daughter. A far better human being than your
father will ever be. But you’re shortsighted like him. You jump into the water
without seeing the depths. And you deny your feelings.”

Once again Tanya thought of the things Parker had said to
her. He knew her better than she knew herself.

Eva went on. “If anyone’s going to marry to get me out of my
mess, it should be me.”

“Joel?”

“But I’m not in love with him.” She shrugged. “Maybe I will
be someday. But let me tell you something. Your father was a selfish man. But
for the first fifteen years of our marriage he worshipped me. And those years
made it all worthwhile. I wouldn’t give them up for anything. And I will never
just rush into a marriage thoughtlessly. It would seem lifeless in comparison.
And render me lifeless as well. Take that route, and there’s nowhere to go but
down.”

Parker understood people had different needs. To each his
own. But he never really liked these kinds of places. Being in the landscape
gardening business, he’d seen his share of fancy homes. A huge percentage of
his business depended on his maintaining the yards of some fabulously wealthy
East End mansion dwellers. As a matter of personal taste, he never saw the
draw. Houses that big made little sense to him. Too many rooms and all those
things. According to this NoFo boy, “The more you got, the more you got to
worry about.”

The palatial digs of the Martin and Stephanie Le Bosse
estate made an ideal setting for the hospital fundraiser dance exhibition
organized and directed by his sister Casey and her dance academy. The main
ballroom was visually breathtaking. It’s high ceilings and walls painted in
lush wedding cake white with ornate golden chandeliers suspended from
intricately designed silver medallions. Full-length drapes framed each of the
arched picture windows lining the spacious room.

Rows of green felt cushioned chairs stood in a C formation
at the far end, offering the audience the option to view the performance from
three different angles.

Twenty minutes until show time and Parker Richardson made a
few more quick hellos before deciding to step out for some air.

He strolled up the front drive and loosened his tie. A pair
of gulls floated effortlessly above. The sounds of closing car doors told him
more guests had arrived.

A spritely valet in sunglasses and white short-sleeved shirt
was jogging over to the car door when he slowed up and removed his shades to
meet eyes with Parker.

Jesse Peterson.

“Where you go, I go,” he said. “Enjoy the show.”

“I will. And try not to steal any cars.”

Inside the house, Parker found Miles and Jenna, who were
helping Billy deal with a touch of pre-performance jitters. Meanwhile, his buddy
was grinning ear-to-ear.

“That smile’s gotta mean something good.”

Billy nodded. “I asked Monique out for dinner. She said
yes.”

“Told you so,” Jenna said.

“Just hope I don’t mess up in the performance. She might
change her mind.”

Jenna smirked. “Doubt either of those things will happen.
Aside that, dancers make mistakes on stage more times than you can imagine,
believe me. We’re just good at covering them up.”

After several dances by younger groups and the especially
popular Cove Corps, the MC announced a show dance by the academy’s ballroom
instructors, Julio Martinez and Tanya Gentilliano.

Parker had seen videos of Tanya dancing, but had never seen
a live performance. This wasn’t exactly London or Paris, but she obviously gave
it her all. They did a stylized cha cha, then went into a tango. Julio had all
the women drooling over his buff, half naked torso. And Tanya? She was hot and
sultry and so womanly his pulse soared just watching her. Her hair was pulled
back tight and she wore a red carnation over one ear. Her costume had a low
back and high slits in the skirt, giving Parker a painful memory of touching
her beautifully muscled limbs and achingly soft skin.

When they finished, the applause was deafening. As angry as
he was at her for playing him once again, for making him think she cared, when
all the time she was engaged to marry another man, Parker still couldn’t resist
moving through the crowd to get closer to her. Most people wanted to introduce
themselves or congratulate her. But Parker wouldn’t do that. Wouldn’t even let
her know he’d come tonight. He just wanted to be near her for a few minutes.

No way would he speak to Tanya ever again. He’d had a tough
time forcing himself to ignore her calls over the past couple weeks. But she
was like a spider that lured him in every time, breaking down his resistance,
owning him and destroying him. He finally admitted he couldn’t win. His only
way of getting back was to cut her off, ignore her. He knew Tanya well, better
than anyone here tonight, maybe better than anyone alive. And he knew one of
the things she hated most was being ignored.

Just as Parker congratulated himself on finally managing to
deal with Tanya in a way that kept him safe and removed, he noticed the good
looking man standing at her side, his hand touching her back. Mark Litchfield.
Her fiancé.

Parker felt like all the blood suddenly drained from his
body. He turned on his heel and pushed his way through the crowd, out of the
ballroom and to his truck. He didn’t even bother looking to notice if Jesse
Petersen was up to anything. He didn’t care that he would miss Billy’s
performance. His friend would have to understand. He needed to get out of here.
To get away from that toxic man-eater. That heartless bitch.

Never again would he allow himself to be weakened by her. To
open himself up so she could stab him in the heart. He hated himself for loving
her. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he let go? He didn’t have the
answer. All he knew was that he wanted her out of his life for good.

***

Tanya smiled at Casey and her drool-worthy husband. She made
polite conversation with all the new faces she was introduced to, people
welcoming her to the community. But was she going to stay here? Or was she
playacting again? She didn’t know and now wasn’t the time to think about it.

Except she did have to think about it. Mark had arrived this
morning and expected her to be flying to London with him tomorrow to start
planning their wedding.

This was it. He had to have her answer tonight. She thought
about what her mom had said. But it was hard to take her wisdom to heart when
the same woman also believed the diamonds in her dream meant they would find
them.

“I’ll see you in a few, Mark. I’ve got to check on my
wheelchair dancers. They’re up next.”

“Oh, by the way, I had something I wanted to ask you,” he
said.

“What’s that?”

“What would you say is the average yearly income for the
people who live on this street? Roughly speaking.”

“Are you joking?” she asked, annoyed.

“Ballpark. I’d guess somewhere between two, three, maybe
four million on the low end to say ten to twenty mil on the upside.”

“That is a really tacky thing to think about at a time like
this.”

“Tacky?”

Her nostrils flared. “A bunch of people strive to put
together a performance showcasing some exceptional individuals who don’t know
the meaning of the word quit and all you have on your mind is income levels?”

“Well, take a look around. I never saw so many solid gold
Rolexes in one room.”

“I’m gonna puke.”

“Why? Nervous about somebody falling out of their
wheelchair?”

This guy was hopeless. What was she even doing with him?
Much less considering marrying him. Urgh. “Excuse me, please.”

“Sure.”

Tanya greeted her dancers, reminding them how many times
they’d rehearsed for this and how good they looked each time. “Just relax and
shoot your moves. Have fun out there.”

As she expected, Billy and Monique captured the spotlight.
She’d created a sexy samba for the two of them that highlighted Monique’s
terrific legs and Billy’s diesel cut physique.

Everyone in the house was moved by their performance and
gave a lengthy ovation. No doubt enough to even grab Mark’s attention. With
that she peered across the ballroom in his direction. There he was, his back
turned, not even looking at the show, cell phone at his ear and covering the
other ear with his hand. No doubt to block out the annoying
distraction—tonight’s performance.

Harvey, an older wheelchair dancer that Jenna chose to work
with, had asked Tanya to choreograph to “Moon River” because it was his late
wife’s favorite song. She used a cut version, since they didn’t have time to
rehearse a longer dance, but she noticed she wasn’t the only one with wet eyes
after they finished.

At the end, all six pairs lined up on stage for a final bow.
Tanya hovered on the side, beaming. But when the applause died, Billy spoke to
the crowd and told how Tanya had pulled him into the class and got him dancing.
The others cheered and applauded her. Jenna pulled her back onstage for a bow,
and Billy handed her a bouquet of flowers.

When the excitement subsided and she walked off with Jenna, Tanya
noticed the bouquet was filled with lilacs. “These flowers. Did they come from
your brother? The gardener? Did he know who they were for?”

Jenna nodded. “He left for some reason. And I wanted to
introduce you to him.”

“Actually, I already know him. In fact, I was wondering… is
he engaged to Bridget Larson?”

“Engaged? They’re not even dating. They’re just good
friends.”

Tanya let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
“Really? Is there anyone he—”

“Ooh.” Jenna flashed her an excited grin. “You want to date
my brother. That would be so cool.”

“Um, remember that ex-boyfriend I was telling you about the
other day in the dance studio?”

“You mean the obnoxious one? The guy who was a real stick in
the glue? Judgmental, controlling?”

“That’s the one.”

“What about him?”

“That ‘him’ is Parker.”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“We had a thing going in our teens and into our early
twenties. For various reasons we kept it secret. But it was pretty intense. Now
after ten years, it’s all still there. That is… what I mean is…well… I’m still
in love with him. But things aren’t going so well. In fact, they’re not going
at all.”

Giddy, Jenna threw her arms around her. “I am so glad.
You’re just the kind of woman he needs in his life.” She put a hand on her hip.
“So, it seems Miss I-don’t-do-love has fallen.”

She breathed in lilacs. “Now I just have to straighten out
the mess I’ve made of it.”

“Want me to talk to Parker?”

“No. That won’t work with someone like him. I’m just happy
to have you in my camp. I’ll find a way to reach him. But first I need to take
care of one minor detail.”

She walked across the ballroom to where she saw Mark cozying
up in a corner with a super hot dark haired woman who looked very familiar.

It was that irritating Alix Nicole.
The woman gets around
.

The sexy Manhattan journalist specializing in high-end
living and the brash, upstart power broker were getting along like two peas in
a pod. Busy giggling and even cuddling. Mark already had his hands all over
her.

Tanya stepped into the midst of their private party for two.
This time three had definitely made it a crowd. “Excuse me, Mark. But I think
we should talk.”