I'm back with another story! It is completely AU. I plan on working in as many original characters as I can, but they may or may not have the same profession. :D I hope you all enjoy.

A HUGE THANKS to IReadAndWriteSometimes for the beta and support. You are truly amazing.

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. Any mistakes made, are mistakes of my own.

CHAPTER ONE

Andy glanced at his wristwatch for the third time in the last two minutes. He was sitting in the front lobby area of the dance studio. It almost resembled a waiting room, but more inviting, less clinical. Instead of the typical industrial fabric-covered chairs, there were plush couches and armchairs. There was a coffee and other side tables adorned with ballet magazines. Andy had flipped through most of them in the past hour and thirty-seven minutes he had been sitting there. The boys' lesson was supposed to conclude more than five minutes ago.

Nicole had called last minute asking if he didn't mind taking the boys for the night. She and Dean had an important dinner meeting and their usual sitter was unavailable. Andy didn't mind really. He didn't have any plans for the evening other than watching ESPN. He had grown quite fond of the boys over the last year. They recently started calling him Grandpa and when they visited, Jake and Ethan seemed to like helping him in the kitchen. Andy was only pleased to share his passion for cooking with anyone who showed interest. He just couldn't say that he shared the same passion for ballet that the boys seemed to have.

However, the more he watched, the more he realized that his oldest grandson was more interested in the ballet instructor, Miss Emily. The boy had talked non-stop about her on the way over.

"Miss Emily is our new instructor. She offers private lessons in addition to our class. She moved back to California after living in New York for a few years. She's a really good dancer. She has the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker this year, which is a really important part. She's a really good dancer."

Andy wanted to point out that he had already mentioned how good she was at dancing, but didn't want to embarrass the boy. Jake was seven and seemed to be infatuated with his first crush. Andy chuckled to himself at the thought.

He was about to glance at his watch again when he heard a commotion coming from the door. When he looked up, the sunlight from outside reflected off her vibrant auburn hair. It was striking. He moved his eyes down to take in the rest of her and was immediately drawn to her legs. Andy always appreciated a nice pair of legs, and this woman's were memorable. The pencil skirt she was wearing mostly covered them, but if he had to bet, they went on for miles beneath that skirt. She had a pair of nude heels on that accentuated her toned calf muscles. When he finally moved on from her legs, he realized she was struggling to get through the door. He almost felt like an ass for ogling her instead jumping up to help her sooner. Almost.

She had her phone pinned between her ear and her shoulder and her hands were full with a bag of take-out in one, and a drink carrier in the other, along with her purse thrown over her shoulder. From the sound of it, she was not having a pleasant conversation. She let out a frustrated growl. "James, you promised me that you would be able to cater the charity event for me. That nothing would prevent you from helping out."

Her purse had slipped from her shoulder, which caused her to lose her grip on the drink carrier. Andy shot up from the chair and crossed the room to assist her. With one hand he grabbed the drinks before they could tip over and with the other he pushed the door open wider. His actions startled her and she ended up dropping her phone. He was not being as helpful as he had hoped.

"Oh, you scared me! I'm sorry." It was then that she looked up at him. There was a nice pink flush to her cheeks. Andy didn't know if it was from embarrassment or the exertion of getting through the door. He rather liked it. She dazzled him with a wide smile that lit up her face even more. She really was stunning. He was gawking again and had to physically shake himself out of his stupor as she continued rambling. "I was not expecting anyone to be here. Emily said she didn't have any lessons. I'm sorry for making such a racket. Thank you so much for your help. If...," Before she finished her thought she seemed to realize she was just in the middle of a call before she dropped her phone. "Oh!" She bent forward and hastily picked it up, "James, I'm gonna have to call you back." She pulled the phone away from her ear and realized she had it upside down. "James..."

Andy had to turn away before he burst out laughing; a small chuckle still escaped him though. This lady was a hot mess. He walked back over to the seating area and placed the drinks on the table as she finished her phone call. He had to smirk to himself when he saw the logo on the cups. It was from his restaurant, and if he wasn't mistaken, the cups contained their signature Bellini Tea.

She let out a long sigh as she dropped her phone in her purse. Andy watched as she appeared to take a moment to collect herself before looking up to apologize again. "I am truly sorry. I'm usually not so all over the place. That phone call has me flustered. Emily told me she didn't have any lessons this evening. Just solo practice. I was not expecting anyone to be here and didn't think I would disturb anyone. Thankfully you were here. If you had not interceded, I would've spilled tea everywhere. Thank you again for your help."

Andy lightly chuckled. She was rambling again and he found it endearing. "My pleasure. It is my understanding that the lesson was very last minute since I was only informed when I picked my grandsons up. The boys wanted a little more solo practice before dress rehearsal and the show."

"My daughter is notorious for changing plans last minute and not telling anyone. This is not the first time, and won't be the last time, that I have arrived at a scheduled place of meeting and she had changed her plans on me. I choose to admire her free-spirit rather than be endlessly frustrated."

It was then that she finally took the time to admire her helper. She found him to be quite handsome. He had salt and pepper hair, more salt than pepper, but it gave him a very distinguished look. And that smile of his. It lit up his entire face, especially his eyes. It was infectious. Then she got to the rest of him and she couldn't help but think it was a shame such a good looking man had no sense of style.

Andy shrugged his shoulders. "I understand. My daughter is the same way, except less of the free-spirit and more of the juggling-too-many-things-at-once." He found himself begrudging her of that fact at the moment when he noticed the pretty lady looking him over. He was still wearing his striped chef pants with a white undershirt and a jean jacket thrown over it. He looked quite ridiculous. He didn't give it a second thought when Nicole had called needing his assistance. After leaving work, he had expected to get the boys and head to his house. When he arrived, Nicole had informed him of the lesson. If he had known sooner, he would've taken the time to change.

"Those are some interesting pants." He realized she hadn't intended to vocalize that thought when her eyes widened and a blush formed on her cheeks. He couldn't help but chuckle. She was something else.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I mean they are nice. They look...," she paused as she tried to figure out the least insulting word and inwardly groaned when the only thing that came to mind was, "...comfortable." She quickly added, "I don't think I've seen any like them before."

He chuckled. There she went with the cute rambling. "It's really okay. I get it. Who would wear something like this, right? In all fairness, I was expecting to go home after work, not here." Before she could ask where he worked, he answered as if he knew that would be her next question. "I'm a chef and these are part of the standard uniform. Well, one of the styles. My kids got me these for Christmas one year." He then gave her a wink, "And yes, they are quite comfortable."

She felt the blush rise up in her cheeks. She had no idea what made her say that. She was flustered, and now not only from the phone call. His smile seriously was disarming. "I didn't realize that chefs actually wore such things outside of the movies."

He snorted. He had been told that many times. "Well, I didn't initially, but one time someone asked to speak with the chef and I was only wearing a grungy t-shirt and pants. Not even my apron could disguise how hideous they were. The woman looked like she wanted to change her mind about extending her compliments because my clothing had her second guessing what was in the food. From then on I've made sure to wear something more presentable. I do have some "normal" pants, but I have come to notice patrons happen to like the baggy striped ones most." He gave her another wink, "It must be the whole movie experience thing."

She wasn't sure if her cheeks could get any redder. He liked making her blush. "Do you even wear the funny hat?"

His look quickly turned serious, "No. I tried that once and I was the butt of all the jokes from the kitchen staff for a month. I will never wear the hat again. Just pants, coat, and apron."

"That's a shame. I would really like to see the full effect, hat and all. So, for which restaurant do you execute your culinary skills?"

Andy's smile widened. She made it sound like he was competing for Master Chef. "Oddly enough...," He answered by way of gesturing towards the bag she was holding.

Sharon looked to where he was motioning. She had almost forgotten that she had picked up Emily's and her dinner. The same dinner that Emily requested, and then apparently forgot about. "You're kidding! You're the chef at Sicilia?" He gave her one of the smiles that she couldn't help but reciprocate and nodded. "I eat there more often than I'd like to admit because it's right around the corner from my gallery. I'm surprised I haven't seen you before."

Andy shrugged. "I mainly stay in the back. I leave the front to my sister."

"Is she the lovely lady that's always attending to the wine shop? I was very pleased when that was added on. I have been known to buy a bottle every now and then."

Andy scoffed. "I don't know that I'd call her lovely, but yea, that would be her. When I bought the place from her, I decided to remodel and expand. That's when we decided to open the wine shop. We had many customers buying by the bottle since we import it from Italy. We also support the local wineries." He shrugged his shoulders, "Figured we would try it out, and if the wine didn't sell, we could always turn the area into more seating."

Sharon's eyes widened. "You own the place and you're the chef? How do you find the time? I know how busy owning your own business can be."

Andy chuckled, "Yea, I don't enjoy the business aspects of it. Other than the nightly deposit, I'm mostly in the kitchen, though I do two other chefs and we rotate the schedule." With a smirk he added, "Plus, I was able to hire an accountant with the extra income from the wine shop."

Sharon giggled, "The wine is beneficial in more ways than one. It was a wise decision to add it on."

He waved off her compliment. "I honestly have nothing to do with it. That's all my sister. It was her idea to put it in when we expanded. So you said the restaurant is around the corner from your gallery?"

She nodded, "Yes. Roslin Studio and Art Gallery. "

He tapped the tip of his chin with his finger as he tried to recall why that sounded familiar. "I think I got a flyer or something recently promoting a fundraiser you're doing in a couple of months."

Andy enjoyed the way she beamed at the mention of the fundraiser. "Yes. We're trying to get the word out early so hopefully we have a good turnout. I have asked several known local artists and students from the art schools in the area to donate pieces for silent auction. All proceeds will go to a local youth shelter Covenant House."

Andy knew exactly which shelter she spoke of. He had donated to them on multiple occasions. "That's very admirable."

She blushed again and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know about that. I have the space and it's a cause that has become very dear to my heart."

Before Andy could respond, the two were interrupted by door to the practice room being flung open and the youngest, Ethan, loudly announcing, "Alright Grandpa, lets go. You promised we could make pizza."

"E, not so loud. We will still make pizza, but only if you behave on the way home." He looked up to see the oldest walking through the door with the instructor. "Come on, Jake. Your brother thinks his stomach is going to eat itself. Let's get back to my place so we can make that pizza I promised you."

"I'm so sorry, I lost track of time and didn't realize the lesson went long," Emily gushed.

Sharon gave Andy a look that said, "See what I have to deal with?"

Andy chuckled quietly. "It's not a problem really." He thanked Emily as Ethan impatiently grabbed his hand to lead him toward the door. He turned to say goodbye to Sharon, but her daughter was already drawing her attention.

Emily threw her arms around her mother in a tight embrace. "Hey, mom. You're early. And you brought food! Oh wait. We had dinner plans. Sorry, I forgot. You're the best. By the way, Dad called me looking for you..."

She gave him an apologetic smile and small wave from behind Emily's back. As his grandson dragged him out the door, Sharon realized she didn't even get his name. It was a shame really. He seemed to have a good sense of humor and he was really nice to look at. Her daughter interrupted Sharon's reminiscing. "Mom. Mom, did you hear me? I said Dad called."

"Yes, yes. I heard you. He called me, too. Don't worry about it, Em. Your father is just... being Jack. I don't think he will be looking for me again anytime soon." She didn't want to tell her daughter that he was drunk and had stopped by the condo the previous night trying to give her money (that he most likely won gambling, despite his claims that it was a bonus from a case) to 'compensate for all the years he was gone and didn't contribute.' He was calling today to apologize for his behavior and the unfortunate condition he was in during his visit. She refused to have further contact with him. Sharon quickly changed the subject, "So how was your day?"

Outside, as Andy got the boys and their bags loaded into his car, a little of his good mood had deflated. He never even got to ask the pretty lady for her name or number. It was probably for the best. He would have only embarrassed himself when she turned him down. He didn't see a ring, but that didn't mean anything. He heard her daughter mentioning the husband trying to get a hold of her. It was a shame really. She was the first woman he had any interest in recently, and it appeared she was married. That was just his luck. He probably wouldn't be seeing her again anyways to find out. She had mentioned going to the restaurant for years and he never once saw her. He definitely would've remembered that smile and those eyes that could light up a room. Andy shook his head to clear his mind and prevent his thoughts from lingering on her. He started the car and put it in reverse. As he looked back, he smiled to himself and listened to the boys talk animatedly about the lesson. He needed to focus on them. Pining after the woman whose name he didn't even know wouldn't do him any good.

-TBC-

AN: Please let me know what you think! I love reading your feedback in the reviews. Chapter 2 is already in the works and I hope to post is soon.