Free Say It With Sequins: The Rumba: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance Novella by Georgia Hill Page A

around his flat all night. He was going to have to find another way of getting into it, he thought with a grin. He smiled at Suni and Scott as his mobile went off. He closed the door to his dressing room and, with his heart beating faster, answered the call from
Red Pepper
.
    Julia had picked up her mobile on its first ring, thinking it would be Harri with more news.
    “Julia?” It was Bibi, her agent. “Julia? I’ve had the
Cabaret
people on the phone.”
    “And?” Julia tried not to hold her breath and failed.
    “They want you, darling. Can you meet them later today? They’re going to offer you Sally Bowles!”
    “I’ve got the part!”
    “They’re not going to sack me!” Harry exclaimed at the same time.
    They both screamed simultaneously down their phones before turning to each other.
    “I want to see you now,” said Harri urgently.
    “Can’t, I’ve got a meeting arranged with the director of
Cabaret
.”
    “Uffern dan, I can’t either, I’ve got to train with Eva. See you later tonight?”
    “My place?”
    Harri thought about the reporters nosing round his flat. “Think it might be better. Hwyl fawr am y tro.”
    Julia looked at the blank phone screen and clicked it off. She loved the man but she was going to have to learn some Welsh. She made a promise to herself to look up a Welsh dictionary online, as soon as she got home.” Not knowing what he was on about half the time was driving her insane. Harri grinned as he flagged down a taxi to take him to the dance studios where he was due to rehearse with Eva. He couldn’t believe life could be so good.
Red Pepper
, in acknowledgement of his previously unblemished record, had given him a warning to be more discreet and had let him off. They were so delighted with his unexpected progress in
Who Dares Dances
that they didn’t want to attract adverse publicity by firing him. He and Julia just had to be very, very careful.
    “Ah, so you are here at last!” Eva looked up at him from where she was stretching. “We work hard today Larry. We win!”
    Even Eva at her most ferocious couldn’t dent his happiness.
    He took off his scarf, hung his coat up, and smiled at her. “Eva one thing, it’s Harri, not Larry,” and at this he took the startled Swede’s face in his hands and kissed her fully on the mouth, “and another thing, I will win it. For you, for me and for the sake of international relations!”
    Step Twelve.
    On Saturday night, Julia stood before the judges once again. It was the semi-final dance off and she’d just competed against Suni.
    She knew the result even before she and Jan had repeated their salsa. If the judges voted Suni off in preference to her it would make a mockery of the whole competition. Suni was, by far, the better and more consistent dancer. With meetings with the
Cabaret
people eating into her training time, Julia thought it was high time she bowed out gracefully.
    She and Jan, and Suni and Scott stood in front of the judges as Kevin began to speak.
    Here goes, thought Julia and braced herself for more invective.
    “Julia darling. When you started out in this competition I thought you wouldn’t make it through the first round, in fact I didn’t think you
deserved
to make it through to the next round.”
    The audience began to boo, forcing Kevin to raise his voice. “You were bad, darling; sloppy feet, no heel turns, rotten posture but,” at this Kevin paused for breath and the audience paused too, “in the last two weeks you have changed from being the comic turn, wheeled out by Jan to entertain us all, into,” at this he paused again, this time for dramatic emphasis.
    Get on with it you old queen, thought Julia and fixed a smile on her face.
    Then Kevin suddenly stood up “A dancer! I salute you. Darling, you are
magnificent!”
    The audience took its cue from him and stood too.
    Kevin shouted the last of his comments over the clapping and wild cheers. “I’m voting you into the final!”
    Julia felt Jan