…………….
An hour later, Bret hit the shower and Selena headed back to the kitchen to finish making the coffee she started earlier. She texted Jenny to give her a call.
Bret emerged from the bathroom dressed. He wrapped his arms around her and the smell of cedar made her giddy.
Bret gazed into her eyes. “I can’t tell you how many times I thought of you while I was deployed. You were always on my mind. Of course, it didn’t help me that you were on the cover of every magazine.”
Over the years, Selena had received fan mail from many men in the military. She was gracious and would send them an autographed picture and a note back. But she always wondered if any of them served with Bret and somehow they’d be able to connect again. “Well, I hoped you would see my pictures 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 Pin Up costume, I was thinking of you. Did you see it?”
A lustful smile broke across Bret’s face. “Yeah, I saw it. Everyone of my men had it plastered on their rack. Honestly, I got sick of looking at it.”
It has never occurred to Selena how hard it must’ve been for Bret to see her dressed like that. He’d always been so protective of her. She changed the subject. “What do you want to do today? I’m so excited we have the next full week off since Xavier and Robyn are out of town.” She had planned to spend the week with Dima in San Francisco but was thrilled to spend some quality time alone with Bret.
“Well, I’d wanted to go camping in China Camp with Banjo. But you probably want something more high end. You want to go to Sonoma?”
Selena loved the wine country! Wine, cheese, good olives, antiques. Maybe they could go to a spa. She knew it wasn’t exactly Bret’s idea of a vacation so it meant even more to her that he would suggest it.
“Oh yes! I’d love, love to. Are you sure you don’t want to go camping?” She poured two cups of coffee.
“It’s fine. I just want to make you happy. We need to make a lot of decisions, Sel. Let’s just go there and relax and try to think through everything. Our future. How we can make this work.” He turned her to him and placed his hands on her shoulders. “But I already told you—I’m not leaving the Marine Corps.”
Selena shuddered. She knew Bret loved her and prayed they could find a way to build a life together. A life that allowed her to still dance and have him.
“We’ll figure something out. I can make reservations.”
“Fine, just make sure they take dogs. We’re taking Banjo.”
Selena took one sip of the coffee, and spat it out. “This coffee is horrible, Bret. Can you go to Bayside Café really quick and get some while I get ready.”
“Sure. Banjo needs a walk anyway.” He kissed her, leashed up Banjo, and left the houseboat.
Selena figured Bayside Café would be packed with the weekend breakfast crowd so she’d have time to take a relaxing bath. She took a wine bottle and a glass, went into the bathroom and drew herself a bubble bath. Just as she was about to jump in, the phone rang. “Pardon me, bubbles,” she said giddily, “I’m being summoned.” Having a day off was rough—normally she’d already be by Dima’s side teaching students for the competition.
She went out to the kitchen and grabbed her phone on the third ring. “Hola?”
“Hey, Sel.”
She jerked the receiver away from her ear. Jenny talked loud even on the phone. “Hey girl.” She moved the phone a tad closer. “I’m so glad you called. You won’t believe what happened yesterday. Dima wanted to get back together and get married. But I told him it was over forever!”
“Shut up. You did not.”
“Yes, I did. He said he never wanted kids. And 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?” She leaned into the bathroom to see if her 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.” She stopped ogling the bubbles. “But I called Dima this morning and he doesn’t want to dance with me anymore.”
“I can’t believe this. Are you sure this has nothing to do with Bret? Don’t lie to me Selena.”
“Oh, c’mon. This had nothing to do with Bret at all.” She poured herself a glass of Chardonnay. “But we did hook up last night.”
“Hooked up? Selena! Did you sleep with him?”
Selena nearly dropped the Chardonnay bottle. “Yes! It was amazing. He’s incredible.”
“You are such a tart,” she finally said. “Just kidding. 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 this out and ruin Bret’s life.”
There was a big sigh on the other end of the phone. Selena tightened her towel and looked longingly at her bath.
“Are you going to tell Bret about the miscarriage?”
It was Selena’s turn to sigh. “Yes, of course I am. I just need to find the right time.”
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, Dima, and Selena’s mom were the only people who knew that Selena found out she was pregnant weeks after Bret went to boot camp. Selena was unable to call him. She could’ve written him a later but had decided to wait to tell him in person at his graduation. She had every intention of turning down Dima’s offer to dance with her and starting a life with Bret. Then she miscarried. She was devastated over the loss of their child. Her mom convinced her that the tragedy was an opportunity to began a new life with Dima and achieve her dancing goals. Maybe the situation would’ve been different had she been able to talk to Bret but his communication with her was limited to a scripted phone call the day he arrived at boot camp and a weekly letter. She had promised him that she would wait for him but she thought seeing him would remind her of their loss. Dima dumped his partner and offered her a chance to dance with him, one of the best professionals in the world. She didn’t have the strength to say no.
“Selena, are you still there? You realize your career is over, don’t you?”
She was such a drag. “No, Mom, I didn’t.” Selena didn’t need this lecture right now. She considered dropping the phone in the bath and pretending she got disconnected.
Luckily for Jen, she changed her tone. “I’m happy for you, Sel. But you better make sure there are no paps around or it will be all over TMZ.”
Selena’s bubbles were bobbing in the tub. Enough waiting! She took the phone to the bathroom and slipped into the foamy heaven. Ah, bebita. This was the life. “Don’t worry,” she said, settling in, “we’ll make sure to keep a low profile.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know if Dima starts running his mouth. You need to get Dima to agree to release a statement. And you need to tell Bret as soon as possible.”
“Okay, okay.” She lifted a pile of bubbles on her palm. She briefly considered mentioning the fact that she and Bret had already professed their love to each other, but decided to keep it to herself. She didn’t even know what it meant yet. “I’ll catch you later. Love ya, kisses.”
“Yeah, love you, bye.”
Selena turned on the tap to let in more hot water then sank lower into the glorious warmth. She let her mind wander to Bret. He was probably just caught up in the moment. They always used to say they loved each other when they made love, so it was just natural. She wasn’t sure if he meant it.
She blew the bubbles off her palm and watched the glistening cloud float to the water. She was so glad she did this show. Not that it was all bubbles and baths. She was starving. She would practic
ally kill for a heaping plate of chorizo nachos with mounds of guacamole, sour cream, olives, and cheese, not to mention chicken mole verde and her mom’s fresh homemade pumpkin empanadas. Her nana made the best empanadas ever. The meal plan Dima had her on was horrible. Egg whites, spinach, tofu, and veggies. That was it!
“And I chose that?” she muttered to her bubbles. “What an idiot.” Maybe Bret was right? How ‘bout a normal life? What would that be like? Falling in love and not worrying about choosing between him and my career. And starting a family. She would love to spend her days playing with her kids at the park. Ooh, and drinking Starbucks Venti Caramel Frapaccinos with whipped cream, and eating plates and plates of Round Table’s King Arthur Supreme Pizza with shrimp and anchovies, and inhaling chocolate pecan pie a la mode and Pina Coladas without reporting to step classes five minutes later. And letting her natural hair color grow out. That would be something. She hated being blond! She was Latina—it wasn’t right. She could stand not being a tanorexic. And how about saving the lives of the minks who had died for her fake eyelashes. And a vacation, what was that like? Selena wanted to find out. She wanted to live her life her way. She wanted a life off camera, period!
She scooped up bubbles with both hands and lifted them to her face, staring into a billion sudsy prisms. She loved the glimpse into this world that Bret had. She wanted more.
Hell, she deserved more.
The bathroom light twinkled in the suds.
Yeah, I could stand this life.
She closed her eyes, made her wish, and blew hard.
Jive
Dancing by himself in the middle of the floor, he jumped, bounced, and spun. Annoyed at his arrogance, she slid beside him and matched his every flick and point. He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. She ran from him and he snapped her back like a rubber band. The music broke and he released his hold on her. She trotted off the floor, counting the minutes until they could boogie again.
Chapter Fifteen
After checking in and dropping Banjo in the hotel room, Bret and Selena pulled up to Mustards Grill in Napa. His father had always taken him here when he was a boy. It was his favorite restaurant—just good, hardy, all-American food without a hint of pretension.
The drive over had been pleasant but awkward. Sure, Selena now placed her hand on his leg while he drove and they bonded over idle talk about how much they missed each other, but they still hadn’t had the difficult conversation. Bret knew Selena had deep feelings for him. That was clear. But was he just a rebound? Could she really give up her world of celebrity for the simple life of a Marine Corps wife? Was she ready to start a family?
Bret was determined to find out.
“Bret, I love this place. So rustic. What are you having?”
“The calamari and the hangar steak. And a beer. You?”
Selena perused the menu. “A burger sounds good. I’ll have the mushroom and spinach burger.”
Bret laughed. “You realize that’s not actually a burger right? It’s made out of vegetables.”
“Oh I know. I just haven’t eaten meat in, like, five years.”
Bret sighed. A vision of future family dinners made with tofu and tempeh flashed before him. Bret loved to barbeque chicken, ribs, hot dogs, and burgers with his buddies. But he’d be happy to throw some zucchini on the grill to make her happy.
A cute waitress stopped by the table and took their order. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Selena but if she recognized her, she didn’t let on.
They held hands across the table and made plans for the weekend. Bret wanted to take a long bike ride the next morning. Selena wanted to book a couples massage in the afternoon, which Bret agreed to as long as he had a female masseuse. He didn’t want some dude rubbing his hands all over him.
The waitress delivered the calamari and Selena’s salad, with dressing on the side.
Bret pierced a crunchy calamari ring with his fork. He watched as Selena dipped her fork first into the dressing and then scooped up a piece of lettuce.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, it’s a diet trick Vika taught me. Instead of pouring the dressing on your salad, you just dip your fork before every bite.”
Bret shook his head. “You realize how weird you are, right? You weigh barely a buck and you don’t have an ounce of fat on your body. How is a little dressing going to hurt you?”
Selena dipped her fork again in the dressing. “It’s not that simple. Everything shows in the costumes. I just want to be careful.”
“Well you aren’t dancing with Dima anymore. I think you’re too skinny. Live a little. Pour that dressing all over your salad.”
She looked up at him and smiled. She picked up the little dressing dish and saturated her salad with blue cheese. Her fork scooped up the now soppy greens and she stuffed them in her mouth. “You’re right, it tastes so much better this way.”
Bret laughed. “Okay, Selena. Seriously. Last night was incredible. And I want to make this work. Do you see us having a future?”
Selena took a long sip of her glass of water. “Well—you are stationed at Camp Pendleton, right? That’s only two hours from Los Angeles. We can live off base in Orange County. Maybe Laguna Nigel? Or Ladera Ranch? I have a friend who owns a dance studio down there so I can still teach. My students will come to me. And I can commute during the tapings.”
Bret was impressed that she’d at least already thought some logistics out.
“Ladera Ranch or Laguna Nigel? Yah, I mean the location is great because they are both close to the back gate of Pendleton and I work right there. But those places are so expensive. My housing allowance with dependents would be two thousand a month. So that could maybe work if we get married.”
Selena spit out her water. “Married—we just made love for the first time in ten years last night and you’re talking about getting married? Was that your version of some proposal?”
Bret’s lips burned, and it wasn’t from the Fresno chilies on the calamari. “No, Selena, when I propose, you’ll know it. And it sure as hell won’t be in a crowded restaurant. But let’s cut the crap. Marriage is where this is heading, right? You didn’t just ruin your career to have a one-night stand with me, did you? You want kids and a family. I didn’t just pick you up last night at a bar. We have a past. And hopefully a future. Plus, I’m a Marine. If we aren’t married, you won’t get any benefits, and you’ll have a hard time getting on base or being involved with the community of wives. I’m a Staff Sergeant. If we stay together, I’m going to need you to help the younger wives of the men in my unit when I deploy. That will be part of your duty as my wife.”
Selena’s fork pushed around the lettuce on her plate. “Sorry, Bret, I didn’t mean that. I’m just so overwhelmed. Please forgive me. Of course, I’d love to eventually get married and start a life with you. I’m just really worried about the tabloids. They’re going to have a field day with this story. They’ll paint me as a vixen in some weird twisted love triangle.” She paused and her lips parted. She shook her head as if she changed her mind as to what she was going to say. “Who knows what other lies they’ll make up?”
Bret wondered what she had wanted to say and if she was hiding something from him. But he kept his concerns to himself.
Selena continued. “It will be awful. I just know it. And I don’t want to scare you away.”
Bret’s eyes blinked. She was right–—everything she said. What had he been thinking? Being on the show was one thing. He’d agreed to do it for his friend. Being a tabloid kicking toy was another. His mind raced. This could ruin his career. His ex, Jessica, used to read those magazines all the time. Would they interview his friends, family, his ex? Would they twist his motive to going on this show as a devious attempt to get Selena back?
“Bret, babe, we can make it through this. I can talk to my publicist. But we just have to plan it.”
“I love you. But I refuse to be made the laughing stock of the Marine Corps.”
“You don’t have to be. I think the best route is to keep our relationship private, until the season is over. Who knows? By then, Dima may have a new partner and we’ll be off the hook.”
“I’m not going to lie. We didn’t do anything wrong and I’m not embarrassed by you.”
She squeezed his hand. “Perfect. I’ll contact my publicist and see if Dima will agree to a joint statement, saying that we’ve ended our professional relationship. It’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Bret tossed a calamari into his mouth. She was in the public eye, he knew this. He loved her and never liked to talk about his personal life anyway. Why should this situation be any different?
“Fine, Sel. I’m in. Just tell me what to do.”
Selena’s eyes scanned the room. Her voice lowered, “Bret, I have to tell you one more thing. About why I broke up with you.”
“It’s the past, Selena. I know we were really young. Let’s just try to move on.”
Selena bit her lip. “But I just really need to tell you . . . Bret, when you were in boot camp, something major happened to me.”
The waitress delivered their burgers. Selena gave a small smile.
Bret didn’t want to hear about how Dima seduced her. He had been so lonely in boot camp—the thought of Dima touching Selena had tortured him. “Look, I know what happened. And I really don’t want to think about it again. I’m not going to lie and downplay how much you hurt me, but I just really don’t want to discuss it.”
Selena’s shoulders dropped. He knew she just wanted to try to make herself feel better about the way she had treated him and relieve some of her guilt. But Bret had been so destroyed when she left him that he was still unable to listen to the details of her betrayal.
“Okay. I’m sorry. But we do need to talk about it one day.”
They enjoyed the rest of their dinner, and Selena even indulged with him in a hazelnut truffle tart. Bret was happier than he had been in years, but all he wanted was to finish up this season as fast as possible and return to his normal life. Except this time, he wanted Selena by his side.
Love Waltzes In (Dancing Under The Stars) Page 10
