"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.
Evander swept me into his arms. My heart beat wildly in my chest, and I swear I could feel his pulse pounding, too. Was it me or just the music? At that moment, I almost didn't care. He twirled me around and moved me back and forth until I began to feel the rhythm. The movements began to make sense. Exuberance sparkled up inside me like champagne bubbles. I giggled and Evander's smile widened, that wicked dimple winking at me.
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
