Heartfall Scavenger Hunt Tour
“
I gotta go. I
’
m sure my mom is waiting on me.
”
“
I need you to put your shoes back on and come with me for a
minute.
”
I shake my head.
“
I can
’
t, Sebastian.
”
His eyes are pleading with me. I
’
ve known him almost my entire life, and I
’
m not sure
why it
’
s so important, but he
’
s serious.
“
She
’
ll be mad if she sees people leaving and I
’
m not out
there.
”
“
Tell her you got held up
…
in trouble with Robins.
”
I laugh.
“
Sad thing is she would probably believe that.
”
“
Hurry up.
”
“
Why didn
’
t you tell me this before I changed?
”
I roll my eyes and plop down on a
bench.
He paces in front of me, rubbing his hands together.
“
Stupid Audrina wanted to practice
something.
”
“
Of course she did.
”
“
C
’
mon, Claire.
”
He rolls his hands together like he
’
s doing some disco dance or
something.
“
Your jig isn
’
t helping. Chill.
”
I take a couple of deep breaths. The truth of the matt
er is
that he
’
s had me breaking all kinds of rules, living on the edge toda
y. My nerves started out as
these perfectly polished and sparkly little crystals. And
then in a matter of hours, he
’
s managed
to add some air and heat then spin them into cotton candy.
Sticky, messy, bundles of the same
crystals waiting for him to slowly devour at his leisure.
“
You
’
re making me nervous.
”
“
You think I
’
m making you nervous?
”
I glance up through my lashes.
“
Yeah.
”
“
Funny.
”
I tuck my bows under the ribbons and stand up.
“
Okay. All finished. Now what did you
want with me?
”
We walk back into the studio through one of the back doors.
Robins is at the front desk
chatting with some of the company moms about tomorrow. Nutc
racker tryouts. I can
’
t believe I
forgot.
Sebastian turns and faces me. We
’
re in the same spot as we were earlier before Audrina
so rudely interrupted us the second time.
I cover my mouth.
“
I forgot about tomorrow being Nutcracker tryouts. Robins di
dn
’
t
even mention it in class.
”
“
I didn
’
t.
”
“
Well, of course you didn
’
t.
”
“
What
’
s that supposed to mean?
”
“
Nothing.
”
It means you
’
re making me a total mess, Sebastian. But of course, you
’
re
completely level-headed. Mom said this would happen. And I
’
m about to get in trouble. Busted.
Probably grounded. Boy trouble. Let the fun begin.
“
What did you want?
”
“
I want you to pirouette then fall backward and let me catch yo
u.
”
“
Absurd. And I don
’
t have time for this.
”
I shake my head.
“
Sebastian, I don
’
t know what
you
’
re trying to prove. It
’
s sweet, but I
’
m never going to be your partner.
”
He balls his fists and clenches his eyes closed. I
’
ve seen him pissed at Robins. They get
into it all the time.
“
Just do it, Claire.
”
“
Fine.
”
I huff. I do a passé relevé, push my feet into the floor,
and pull my ribs in as my
body starts to turn. Finally, when the momentum starts
going, unaware of where Sebastian is, I
have to totally trust him, and I let my body fall backward.
“
Ahh.
”
My scream is muffled as my
body is flipped and my face lands against his mouth. The kiss
is quick.
“
Shh. I
’
ve got you. Thank you for sparing my balls.
”
I sigh in his arms and start to giggle.
He grins and puts his finger over my lips.
“
I don
’
t want Robins to kick us out. Before
Audrina interrupted us, I was trying to show you something.
”
He puts his hands back on my hips.
“
Hand in mine.
”
I put my hand in his, and he rests his other one on my hip.
“
Promenade into an
arabesque en pointe and watch yourself in the mirror.
”
Doing as I
’
m told, I try to forget that my mother is probably ready t
o scold me or rip me a
new one in the car. Never mind the disturbing thought she ma
y have to even come in to get me.
What would she say if she saw me in Sebastian
’
s arms after our conversation last night? She
knows I
’
m not his partner. She knows I
’
m not even doing partners work. Would she be happy for
me? Or would she know I was just doing this because I liked him?
Focus, Claire. Now
’
s not the
time to be distracted. Focus.
“
Do you see yourself, Claire? Do you see what I see in the
mirror?
”
he asks.
I shake my head.
“
I don
’
t know.
”
BLURB:
Claire Ross has never been good enough. Not for the girls in the elite
group of dancers in her class and
certainly not for the approval of her ballet teacher, Mr. Robins. She d
efinitely doesn
’
t like what she sees
in the mirror. Simply put, she doesn
’
t
love herself, so how could she possibly love someone else?
After twelve years of friendship, Sebastian Reyes
’
adoring gaze holds more. They soon find themselves
unable to control their feelings for one another.
When tragedy strikes, Claire finds herself in a very unlikely and unfavorable posi
tion. Regardless of the
weight of the emotion, she must make difficult decisions that impact
the rest of her life.
Will Claire see that her true love has been right in front of her? Happ
ily ever after isn
’
t just for fairy
tales. To get hers, all she has to do is trust, open her heart and fall.
J.B. McGee was born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina. She is the mother
of two beautiful children and
a stay at home mom/entrepreneur. She finished her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Chil
dhood
Education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken in 2006
. During her time studying children’s
literature, a professor encouraged her to become a writer.
In 2011, it was discovered that both her children, she, and her husband h
ave Mitochondrial Disease, a
disease that has no cure or treatments. Being a writer allows J.B. to remain clo
se to her family, raise
awareness for mito, and to lose herself in the stories that she creates for her readers.
J.B. McGee and her family now reside in Buford, Georgia. She is an Amazon To
p 100 bestselling author
of her debut series, the ‘THIS’ Series.
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