"It's worth your time, I assure you," he adds softly.
"Oh, and why is that? Got another contract for her to sign?" Cleo interjects.
Nate doesn't take his eyes off me.
Suddenly very uncomfortable with everyone staring at us, I nudge Cleo lightly.
"It's okay, Cleo. Can you give me just a sec?"
"Let me introduce you to your date first,” she says.
Damn it, Cleo. Swallowing hard, I smile at the man standing next to Mark. She’s right, though. I’m being rude by ignoring him. Offering him a hand, I try to act relaxed and casual. "Hi, I'm Piper. Nice to meet you."
"Andrew Madison," he says, his grip a little too hard around my hand.
His eyes dart to Nate. Dammit, now I have to introduce them.
"Andrew, this is Nate Windemere, my…former business associate."
A small muscle jumps in Nate's jaw as he hastily shakes Andrew's hand. Andrew pulls away a bit aggressively, and I wonder just how hard Nate clenched his hand. He probably deserved it.
"Give me just a minute, would you please?" I say.
Cleo looks pacified, for now. "We'll meet you at our table. Hurry up, though. Dinner's going to start soon.”
I grip the clipboard so hard the sides press indents into my palms. I'm starting to sweat in uncomfortable places. I worked hard on my makeup and my hair is pulled into a perfect ballerina’s bun. I don’t want to be sweaty and gross when I go on stage.
Cleo was fibbing. Dinner is after the recital, but I don’t call her out on it. I wait until she’s out of earshot to address Nate.
"Look, I have a lot to do this evening, so let's make this quick." I don't look at him.
"I won't keep you. I see you have a date."
It takes all my will not to roll my eyes. "It's not a date. It's a—you know what, never mind. It doesn't matter what it is. But I do have to be on stage soon, so how can I help you?"
It feels weird being so abrupt with him. I don't like it and it feels wrong. But if it affects him at all, he doesn't show it.
"I had a meeting with my partners,” he says. “We’ve decided that the fee your father paid for your original contract last year should go to a charitable cause. We wanted that money to mean something."
That's…not what I was expecting to hear. In fact, I'd never given much thought to the fee my father had paid, even though it triggered my whole interaction with Nate to begin with.
"How noble,” I say coldly. “If you'd like to write a check, I'll make sure it gets to the appropriate person. Otherwise, you can contact our accounting clerk during business hours."
He looks confused for a minute. "I will make a donation to the fundraiser tonight, of course. But that's not what I'm talking about."
Suddenly I'm very interested.
Lifting my chin, I muster up my courage and meet his eyes. The warmth there reminds me of everything we've done together. My old feelings come flooding back, and I want more than anything to run my fingers over his smooth, tanned jaw.
"Then what did you mean?" I ask, a slight wobble to my voice.
"You're a very talented dancer, Piper. And I know how much teaching means to you.” He clears his throat and an anxious expression crosses his face. Taking a deep breath, he goes on, “The Quattuor Group bought a dance studio for you. So you can operate a ballet school. You told me once how much you’d like to help underprivileged kids learn dance, and we think that's a very worthy cause. Of course, your student demographics will be completely up to you. You can teach as you wish, when you wish. The entire business will be in your hands."
I blink. And then blink again. "Are you…serious?"
He nods. His eyes roam over me as if he’s trying to memorize me. It's only been a few weeks since I left his home, but it feels like an eternity since I've seen him. Does he feel the same way?
"Completely serious,” he says. “My lawyer will contact you with the details and you can let him know if you’re interested at that time. Does that sound agreeable to you?"