The Swan and The Sergeant - Alana Albertson Page 0,25

colored planter boxes. I was thankful that my dad had purchased this place, and I wouldn’t have to spend the next fifteen weeks in a hotel room next to Selena.

I opened the door and scanned the room. It was simple and masculine. My father had been in the Navy before his own dance competition days and had decorated the place with a nautical theme. When I’d joined the Marines instead of the Navy, my dad had been furious. I would always tease my dad that the U.S. Marine Corps is part of the Navy—the men’s department.

Banjo ran around the houseboat, checking out his new space. He jumped on me and gave him a slobbery kiss.

“Hey, buddy!” I rubbed Banjo’s ears. Lately, Banjo was the only one who kissed me. It had been a long time since I’d connected with anyone. I wasn’t a monk; I’d found comfort over the years with some women. But I had always been upfront about not wanting a relationship and would extricate myself from the situation if I became too involved.

I put a leash on Banjo and decided to go for a walk to get a bite to eat.

A lady with gray-streaked hair waved to me. “Hello, I’m Gerta. I live in the next boat. You must be George’s boy. He always talks so highly of his hero son.”

There was that word again. Hero. “Hi. Yes, ma’am, I’m Bret. Nice to meet you. And this fellow here is Banjo.”

Her long, flowy dress shifted in the wind. “Your father said that you were up here filming some television show? I don’t have a television, so I don’t keep up with all that Hollywood nonsense.”

At least I’d met someone else who had better things to do with her time than care about this show. “Yeah. I’m one of the new professional dancers on this season of Dancing Under the Stars.”

Gerta’s eyebrows perked up. “Whom are you dancing with up here?”

I had no idea, but even if I did, I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone my celebrity partner until the big media blitz. But Gerta seemed harmless enough; she didn’t even own a television.

“I honestly don’t know yet, ma’am. But I’ll let you know when I find out.”

Gerta’s blue eyes sparkled. “Where are you heading?”

Normally I would’ve been annoyed by this stranger interrogating me, but she was probably just being friendly. “To Fish to get some chowder.”

“Oh, I love Fish. Would you mind some company? I’m a widow and get lonely eating alone—though Issaquah Dock is the best houseboat community. We’re a wonderful group of creative spirits. I’m a sculptor. And we’re one of the few docks that’s dog friendly. If you would like me to watch him on the days while you train, I’d be honored.”

I smiled. That was the nicest offer I’d had in a long time. I hated the thought of leaving Banjo alone. “Banjo would love that. And I’d love for you to join me for a late lunch.” I offered Gerta my arm.

Her shoulders wiggled. She took my arm, and Banjo led the way.

I needed a friend up here. Selena couldn’t be the only one I knew. I couldn’t be around her any more than I had to. In the past twenty-four hours, I had been unable to stop thinking about her. Imagining what it would be like to kiss her, taste her again. But she was completely off-limits. I still wasn’t convinced that she and Dima weren’t involved. And even if she was single, we had nothing in common besides our childhood bond.

I couldn’t allow Selena to make me lose focus of what I’d come here to do. Pierce’s family needed that money. No way could I let myself get wrapped up in some childhood love that couldn’t and shouldn’t ever be recreated.

Selena

I leaned back in the chair and allowed the makeup artist to put the finishing touches on my mascara. I loved the first day of shooting. The celebrities were usually so excited, especially since the reality of the training they were about to endure hadn’t hit them yet.

“There you go, Miss Martinez. Beautiful. The purple eyeliner brings out the golden flecks in your eyes.”

I blinked and stared in the mirror. My eyes did seem brighter than normal, despite the fact that I was exhausted. For the road trip, I had rocked a natural makeup look even though I would’ve preferred to scrub my face clean. But I had been aware of the cameras in the backseat. “Thank you, Heather.”

I had