Book excerpt: Elisa’s dream was to follow in her mother’s footsteps and take the stage as a prima ballerina. For a while, all was going according to plan, until she was derailed by an injury that forced her to give up her lead role in The Nutcracker. When this devastating setback was closely followed by romantic betrayal by a man who loved her talent more than he loved her, she is forced to flee back to her hometown in search of a new plan. Showing her childhood crush, Christian Phillips, that she’s not that awkward teenager he once knew is a big part of the new plan. When the local gym owner, Derrick Brooks, waltzes into her life, he has her spinning around in circles and challenges her in ways she doesn’t expect, giving her the confidence to dance again. Despite the growing attraction they feel for each other, Elisa keeps him at arm’s length and sticks to her original plan to capture Christian’s attention. But what better way to do that than make him jealous by pretending to date Derrick? All she has to do is put on a good show. She’s performed on stage many times as a ballerina, so this should be a piece of cake, right?