Enchanting Melody by Robyn Amos Page A

the waltz just fine today. I didn’t think you needed any extra help.”
    His words were innocent, but Melody could read the look on his face. He was happy she’d stayed.
    â€œI’m taking my sister’s wedding very seriously. I don’t want her to be disappointed. And Lord knows those stuffy rich types love lame dances like the waltz—so lay it on me, brother,” she said holding out her arms for him to join her frame.
    â€œWell, I’m sure you’ll be able to just bribe the band into playing some punk music to get things going.”
    â€œMy mother would have a conniption—hmm, maybe that’s not such a bad idea.”
    Will put a slow waltz on the stereo, then he walked into her arms and squared up their frame. “Now how are you ever going to get your mother to take you seriously if you keep provoking her?”
    â€œI have to provoke her. Her world is so superficial. She judges everything by appearance…designer labels, money, status—none of those things have any real value.”
    Melody paused to giggle as Will missed a step and faltered for a second. “Ha, maybe I should be giving you lessons,” she teased.
    â€œAnyway, I’ve seen her world, and I’ve seen the real world. There’s no place for me among all those phonies that just want to flash their bling. My friends may look like rejects from the gutter, but they have more class than any of those my mother considers the crème de la crème.”
    Will pulled out of her arms as the song ended.
    â€œYour parents will definitely be proud of one thing—you’ve finally got a grasp of the art of ballroom dancing. Next week is our last class, and we’ll review all the forms I’ve taught so far. Then you’ll be in perfect shape for your sister’s wedding.”
    Melody stood in the middle of the floor stunned as Will turned off the music and began packing up. She knew when she’d been dismissed.
    Â 
    Later that night, Will let himself into his apartment. What had he been thinking? For a few minutes, he’d actually been entertaining the idea of bringing Melody home with him.
    Ever since their date, he’d been thinking about her nonstop. She’d seen to that by placing an image in his mind that he’d been artfully avoiding until that night.
    He’d allowed her to torment him today. He’d arrived resigned to the fact that there was something between them. He had a policy about not interacting with students on a personal level, but rules were the last thing on a man’s mind when it came to Melody.
    He’d thought it would be all right to get involved because their lessons were almost over, but now he realized that would have been a mistake. They were just too different.
    Different hadn’t bothered him so much at first, but after today he knew that Melody would never accept his lifestyle. All the things she was running away from were all the things he was trying to achieve.
    He’d been on the other side of the tracks, literally and figuratively, and he had no intentions of going back. They probably would have had little in common other than sex anyway.
    Will glanced down at the phone number sitting in the wicker bowl on his coffee table. Valencia. He needed a distraction. Maybe it was time he gave her a call.
    If he wanted to be the biggest fish in the ocean, he had to stop swimming in the pond.

Chapter 6
    A s Melody entered Isis, she tugged at the itchy pantyhose her sister had insisted she wear. She couldn’t care less that the Egyptian-themed restaurant was the trendiest new spot in town. What Mel could appreciate was that Stephanie’s pseudo-celebrity status had gotten them on the VIP list, precluding them from waiting in the excruciatingly long line out front.
    So, trying to be on her best behavior, Mel teetered through the restaurant in her strappy gold bridesmaid shoes, wearing a black tank dress her sister had