The Swan and The Sergeant - Alana Albertson Page 0,39

help me that you were on the cover of every magazine.”

Over the years, I had received fan mail from many men in the military. I was gracious and would send them an autographed picture and a note back. But I always wondered if any of them served with Bret, and somehow, we’d be able to connect again. “Well, I hoped you would see my pictures from time to time and think of me. I did a few USO shows and always scanned the audience for your face. And when I dressed up in that Marine Corps pinup costume, I was thinking of you. Did you see it?”

A lustful smile broke across Bret’s face. “Yeah, I saw it. Every one of my men had it plastered on their rack.”

It had never occurred to me how hard it must’ve been for Bret to see me dressed like that. He’d always been so protective of me. I changed the subject. “What do you want to do today?”

“Let’s go on a hike.”

“Sounds fun. Can you go get some coffee while I get ready?”

“Sure. I’ll go to the one down the street. Banjo needs a walk anyway.” He kissed me, leashed up Banjo, and left the room.

I figured the cafe would be packed with the weekend breakfast crowd, so I’d have time to take a relaxing bath. And unlike when I was shooting, I was on a small getaway. No need to rush.

I took a wine bottle and a glass, went into the bathroom and drew myself a bubble bath. Just as I was about to jump in, the phone rang.

“Pardon me, bubbles,” I said giddily, “I’m being summoned.” Having a day off was rough—normally, I’d already be by Dima’s side, teaching students for the competition.

I grabbed my phone on the third ring. “Hola?”

“Hey, Sel.”

I jerked the phone away from my ear. Jenny talked loud even on the phone. “Hey girl. I’m so glad you called. You won’t believe what happened. Dima wanted to get back together and get married. But I told him it was over forever. And now he won’t dance with me. We are done after Blackpool.”

“Shut up! You did not.”

“Yes, I did. I should’ve done this years ago. He’s been hooking up with every celebrity partner on the show for the past few years. How could he expect me to wait around?” I leaned into the bathroom to see if my bubbles were going down. Nope. The queen’s bath was still royal.

“Are you serious?” Jenny’s voice changed from her girlfriend-friendly into her professional nagging tone. “What about the studios? Your endorsements? Selena—are you thinking at all?”

“Yes, I’m thinking.” I stopped ogling the bubbles.

“I can’t believe this! Are you sure this has nothing to do with Bret? Don’t lie to me, Selena.”

“Well, maybe.” I poured myself a glass of Chardonnay. “Fine—we did hook up last night.”

“Hooked up? Selena! Did you sleep with him?”

I nearly dropped the Chardonnay bottle. “Yes. It was amazing! He’s incredible.”

“Oh my God—I need details! What are you going to do now?

“I don’t know. You can’t tell a soul until I figure this out. No one can know. I don’t want the tabloids to find out and ruin Bret’s life.” But I knew that it didn’t matter. Dima would tell the world.

There was a big sigh on the other end of the phone. I tightened my towel and looked longingly at my bath.

“Are you going to tell Bret what happened with Dima when he was in boot camp?”

It was my turn to sigh. “Yes, of course, I am. I tried, but he didn’t want to talk about it.”

There was no talking Jenny down a tree once she’d climbed it high enough. “Fine, Selena. But you need to tell him soon if you want this to work out.”

“I know. I’ll figure it out.”

Jenny was the only person I had told about what happened when Bret left for the Marines. I was engaged and madly in love with him. Dima had just broken up with Carrie. He was pressuring me to leave Bret, but I refused.

Until one night.

“Selena, are you still there? You realize your competitive career is over, don’t you?”

She was right. “Of course, I do.” But I didn’t want to deal with it. I considered dropping the phone in the bath and pretending I got disconnected.

Luckily, Jen’s tone changed. “I’m still happy for you, Sel. But you better make sure there are no paps around, or it will be all over TMZ.”

My bubbles were popping in the tub. Enough