“Too bad, so sad,” she retorted, snatching his phone back. “I’m all about making new friends. Hi there!” She waved at the screen again, then shot him a smirk.
He fought a grin. She was ridiculously pretty, and he kind of loved how she took charge like that. She might look sweet and innocent, but she was tough, too.
“So, what do you guys want to know?” Bailey grinned at the screen. “Do we need to start a private group chat for behind-the-scenes Luc dance talk?”
“Yeah!” came a variety of voices.
“Look, don’t tell them,” he begged, reaching across to grab the phone, his arms tangling around her, as his friends’ faces bobbed away.
“Whoa, it’s Luc Blanchard!”
Luc stilled, as a teenager held up his phone. His hands inched away from where his arms had been around Bailey. She pulled away, straightening, and handed Luc’s phone back. Luc ended the call, then faced the teen. “It’s not what you think.”
“Uh-huh.”
Man. He couldn’t afford to have scandal follow him. Not when he hadn’t even been officially announced as the captain. He peeked at Bailey, who still wore her own wide eyes, and murmured, “I’m sorry.”
“We’re on show now, aren’t we?” she whispered.
He nodded. Truth be told, he’d always been on show. That was why the club insisted on players wearing suits to game days, to show they were professional. He couldn’t afford to be caught in any compromising position—or any position that could be misunderstood or misconstrued—especially now.
She glanced at the boy, who was still filming them. “Excuse me, but you know you’re supposed to ask before filming someone, don’t you? Otherwise it’s a breach of privacy, and you could get charged.”
The teen lowered his phone. “I thought you and him were just on national TV.”
She nodded. “We were. After agreeing to that. And now we’re here as private citizens. And I don’t consent to you filming me without my permission. Would you like me to film you without asking your permission?” She retrieved her phone, and started recording.
“Bailey,” Luc murmured.
She shrugged. “I just think it’s rude to do that. And I don’t know that this young man has ever thought about what an invasion of privacy that kind of behavior can be. Or,” she added in a louder voice, “whether it’s something that needs to be reported to the police.”
“Bailey,” he hissed, as the kid swore and moved away.
“What?”
The team had plenty of media training to deal with similar things. “You can’t go rogue on the public like that.”
“Even though he’d just gone rogue on you and me?”
“But what if he gets ticked, and finds out where you live, or where your studio is? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Like people trashing her apartment, or her business. Or hurting her. His stomach clenched.
“What do you think could happen?”
Man. If she really didn’t know, he wasn’t about to tell her. “I just want you to be safe, that’s all.”
“Look, I’m sorry if that was uncomfortable for you, and I get that you’ve got a reputation to protect. But I’ve looked into this. I’m used to having to get all kinds of permission for parents to film when we have ballet concerts, so he needs to know this is wrong.” She held up her phone. “And now I’ve got proof of who he is.”
A reluctant wave of admiration swept through him. She was a lot tougher than she looked. Which meant there was no way she could connect with his friends, who would only tease him more and probably tell her all kinds of things he really didn’t want her to know. Especially since he had lied before about not wanting any kind of relationship with her.
CHAPTER 6
He didn’t want a relationship with her.
Well, that was great. That was wonderful. That was fantastic, because she felt exactly the same. Exactly the same.
She closed her eyes, the memories of yesterday’s airport lounge encounter floating through her brain as she ignored the camera crew setting up in the corner of the studio. They’d arrived not five minutes after she’d opened the studio today. She’d missed the chance to do her personal unwind after returning home yesterday, then staying up far too late with Poppy and filling her in on all the goss, and trying to get her head around all that was involved.
She had to choreograph the routine they would be dancing live next Sunday. Next Sunday. She had a week—no, not even that, only five days or so—before they had to fly back to Toronto, and prepare for everything from costume fittings to rehearsing the pro dancers’ group routine. Then it was camera blocking—in front of the producers, which meant Luc needed to know the routine by then—and the dress rehearsal, before a full day Sunday doing hair, makeup, and costumes, then filming in front of the live audience that evening. Then they’d jump back on a plane, and start rehearsing the next dance, before returning on Thursday to do it all again.
Maybe they were crazy with all this travel by returning to Winnipeg instead of staying in Toronto like most of the other couples. Staying in TO would allow them more rehearsal time. She might have to suggest that to Luc. Except he had hockey commitments here, which meant he’d scheduled four hours a day for dance rehearsal, giving him more time for hockey, although she was willing to bet he’d need more than four hours.
Lord, help me! And him! Her body wanted to shake with the intensity of it all. She’d give anything to release the crazy nerves in a dance-off of her own.
She peeked across at where Ella, the producer, and Ben and Tony, the camera guys, were setting up. Maybe she still had a few minutes to get her nerves under control.
She moved closer, smiled. “Hi there.”
“Hey Bailey. You all good?” Ella asked.
She nodded. She had to play nice seeing they would be her and Luc’s own little production crew for the duration of the series. And while they might be here filming for four hours to find sixty seconds of footage, she wanted that footage to be of the more positive variety, rather than focus on the stuff people didn’t need to see. Like picking a dance thong from her butt. “I just wanted to take a moment to dance if that’s okay.”
“Honey, that’s why we’re here. You do you, and forget we’re here.” Ella smiled. “Most of them do.”
Another nod.
“Just don’t go forgetting too much, if you know what I mean.” Ella winked, then tapped her ring finger.
