Page 55 of Save the Dance

But could she live in the same town as the man she’d loved, would always love? One day in the not-so-distant future, Jason was bound to start dating again. Her heart clenched. He might have already. Could she handle meeting him on the street, greeting him with the casualness of an old friend, making the next Ms. Potentially Right feel welcome? She’d have to if she followed her heart, and right now, it was leading her to Heart’s Landing.

She sighed. It was time to go into the office and face the music. The last two months had been quite the roller coaster ride at work. She’d been certain she was about to get fired when Regina had called her into her office the day she’d returned from Heart’s Landing. But no. Though her boss had clearly been unhappy with the decision, the senior editor had explained that upper management had chosen Heart’s Landing as one of the top ten finalists in this year’s competition. It had fallen to Tara to polish her presentation for the final round, a task she’d worked on day and night for four solid weeks. Which hadn’t been easy, considering that every picture, every line of text, reminded her of Jason and the love she’d had and lost. In the end, it had been worth it. She hadn’t been able to contain herself when word had come down that Heart’s Landing had retained its number-one ranking as America’s Top Wedding Destination.

Her first impulse had been to call Jason and deliver the good news personally. She’d stopped herself. Wiping her eyes, she’d let her coworkers think she was crying tears of joy as she stepped away from the phone and accepted their good wishes.

Regina, though, hadn’t been among the many people who’d stopped by her cubicle to offer their congratulations. The night before, she’d flown to London for a preview of Sophie Olsen’s spring line. From England, the senior editor had gone to Paris, where she’d consulted with that country’s top designers in bridal wear. After a lengthy stay in Milan, she’d polished off her month-long sojourn by attending the royal wedding of the prince of Belgium at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. The editor was due back in the office today, and Tara harbored no doubts about the topic of their ten o’clock meeting. She checked her phone. She’d have to hustle if she was going to make it across town on time.

Two hours later, she marched into the lobby of the magazine’s headquarters wearing the only pair of designer heels she owned and a slim-fitting suit that usually bolstered her spirits. A task that became infinitely more difficult when silence fell over the bullpen the instant she stepped out of the elevator. Her knees went weak. The quiet created the distinct impression that she was running a gauntlet. Except, in this case, she was on the receiving end of furtive peeks and sidelong glances instead of sticks and stones.

She squared her shoulders. Ahead, Regina’s office door yawned open. She pressed toward it. Passing her own cubicle, she caught Van’s thumbs-up sign. She managed a shaky smile in return.

She stood in the hall and looked into the office. “Ms. Charm?”

Not much had changed in the weeks since she’d last set foot in her boss’s office. If anything, the piles of paper on Regina’s desk were higher, the frown on the editor’s face more deeply etched. Her glasses, purple this time, twirled from the ends of her fingers.

“Yes, Tara. I appreciate you coming into the office today. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.”

“None at all.” Getting fired, though, that was a huge pain.

“Have a seat.”

She slid onto the guest chair, her back stiff.

“Let’s get right to it, shall we?” Laying her glasses aside, Regina flexed her fingers.

Figuring it might be her last for a while, Tara sucked in a breath.

“You did an excellent job with the Heart’s Landing proposal. Although, I must say, I was surprised by your continued support of the town, considering all you went through there.”

Tara cocked her head. Say what?

In answer, Regina made a dismissive gesture. “Please. I might be in management, but my investigative skills are still as sharp as ever. I know I’m not the only one who lost the love of her life in Heart’s Landing.”

Tara fought an urge to scratch her head. She had fallen in love with Jason. Their relationship had shipwrecked. She was pretty sure she’d never get over losing him. But how had Regina found out about it? Did she have other spies working for her? Whether she did or not, there was no point in denying the truth. “I don’t know where you got your information, but you’re right. My love life aside, though, I still believe in the town and what it stands for.”

Regina’s features, always so stiff and formal, softened. “You’re a better person than I am, Tara. When Robert called off our wedding, I let it color my opinion of Heart’s Landing. I’m glad you didn’t do the same thing.” She picked up the issue of Weddings Today that featured the Captain’s Cottage on the cover. “It is such a pretty little town. You were right to advocate for it.”

Wow. The admission was so far out of Regina’s character, Tara didn’t know how to react. “How long does it take before your heart stops feeling like it’s being ripped to pieces every day?” she whispered.

Regina’s dark eyes watered. “I’ll let you know when that happens.” Perching her glasses on her nose, she assumed her usual distant demeanor. “There was a reason I wanted to meet with you, and it wasn’t to reminisce.” She cleared her throat. “We—and by that I mean myself as well as the powers that be upstairs—were impressed by the work you did on the Heart’s Landing proposal. Your attention to detail, your ability to work independently, your creative flair are exactly the attributes we want in our staff at Weddings Today.”

Tara slowly exhaled the breath she’d been holding. A tiny spark of hope lit in her chest. Regina made it sound like she wasn’t getting fired.

“In addition, your article using a storm as a metaphor for true love was brilliant. Response has been extremely positive. We want to see more of that. That being said, we’d like to offer you the newly created position of Senior Columnist.”

Tara’s breath stalled. This was more than she’d dared hope for. “What, exactly, would my responsibilities be?”

“You’d write a monthly advice column for the magazine. The topic can be anything you like. Subject to my approval, of course.”

Tara nodded. She could live with that. No editor in her right mind would give a brand-new columnist carte blanche.

“A thousand words, max. You’d have your own byline. The offer comes with a commensurate salary bump. You’ll have your own office.” Regina slid a slip of paper across the desk.

Tara stared at the number, her eyes widening. The amount was more than she’d imagined in her wildest dreams. The raise meant she could afford to move to a more spacious apartment. With an elevator. Maybe even a view. But she wouldn’t kid herself. Writing a monthly column about some aspect of love was going to be difficult, given the current shattered state of her own heart.

“Well, what do you think?”

Before Tara had a chance to answer, the intercom on Regina’s desk buzzed. “Ms. Charm. I’m sorry to interrupt, but there’s a Mr. Heart here to see Tara. He’s, um, quite insistent on speaking with her right away.”

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