Page 126 of Take the Lead
Gina rubbed her eyes again. “I think I was falling in love with him.”
Silence.
When she looked, her mother and sister were staring at each other with wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and pursed lips.
“Hey, what did I say about silent eye conversations?”
Araceli shook her head. “Sorry, but this is a first. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use the word ‘love’ about a guy before.”
“That’s because Ihaven’t.” Gina’s gut twisted at the thought of what she was losing, and her lip wobbled in response. “This thing with Stone isn’t like anything I’ve ever felt before.”
“And he doesn’t feel the same way?” Celi asked, her tone gentling.
“I don’t know. He said something about falling for me.”
Celi slapped her forehead. “Are you kidding? Men don’t say stuff like that unless they mean it.”
“He knew how I felt about having our… relationship or whatever it was… be public. He should have told me what he knew.”
“Why, so you could obsess about it like a lunatic?”
Gina glared at her sister. “No, so I could have convinced Donna not to air it.”
“How?” Araceli’s gaze took on a challenging light. “You’ve told me all about that woman. What if she had completely disregarded your wishes?”
“I’d have gotten my agent involved.” The argument was remarkably similar to the one she’d had with Stone in the kitchen. The opposing viewpoint sounded increasingly rational the more times she heard it.
“And then what? If Donna didn’t back down, would you have quit when you were so close to winning?”
“I didn’t know I was going to win,” Gina shot back. “I don’t want my personal life being put on display. Who knows what it will make people think of me?”
“Why do you care?”
“Remember that thing with Ruben?”
“Fuck Ruben.” Celi dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “You’re in the big leagues now. Ruben was small time. Besides, you were—what? Eighteen?”
“Seventeen.”
“Mistakes made as a teenager count as life experience. Learn the lesson and move on.”
“Ididlearn the lesson. Never get involved with someone I’m working with.”And never get involved with someone who won’t stick around.
Celi wagged her finger. “Nope, that’s not the lesson. The lesson is don’t date selfish assholes.”
Benita nodded wisely. “That is a good lesson.”
“Besides,” Celi went on. “It wasn’t even that big of a deal. The kiss was shown, and what happened? Nothing. You still won.”
“But I didn’t want that to be the thing that made me win. I wanted it to be my talent and skill as a choreographer, and—”
“Bullshit.” Celi jabbed a finger in Gina’s face. “You know that’s not howThe Dance Offworks. Fame and personality play a huge part. The bottom line is that it was helping you before the kiss was even aired. You and Stone have what Kevin and Lauren didn’t. Real chemistry, real personality. I know everyone and their mother loves Kevin, but he’s a fake-ass plastic doll. Sure, he’s funny and nice and all that, but he’s fake. There’s something going on there behind that good ol’ boy surface that I don’t trust.”
Gina sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway because I didn’t want all this. I didn’t want to fall in love with someone—anyone—right now. Or ever. Especially not someone who lives in the middle of nowhere on the other side of the country. I have too much work to do to build my career, and a man will only get in the way of that.”
“Esperate.” Their mother held up a hand to interrupt. “Is this because of me and your father?”
Gina pressed her lips together, but she was helpless to remain silent under the pointed stares of both her mother and sister. Whenshe answered, her voice came out quiet and ashamed. “Yes, it’s because of Papi.”
