“Hands on our hips.” I check the reflection in the mirror to see if the girls are following. “All right, now wave with your hand like this. That’s it, well done! Wave at the mirror, yes, point those feet.”
I do as I say, the classical music mixing with the girls’ giggles.
“Miss Grace, like this?” Taylor asks as she waves at her reflection and shifts from one little leg to the other.
“Yes, Taylor. Well done!” I beam. “Now, girls. Watch this. Arms out.” They copy my movements. “Relevé and turn.”
The girls giggle as they spin around the classroom, and I laugh with them. The Christmas recital is still months away, but even so, I don’t think we’ll get very far with the choreography. Grabbing the attention of four-year-old girls for a whole hour is as stressful and difficult as it sounds, but I wouldn’t trade my job for anything. Plus, the parents don’t care about perfect movements or synchronized dancers—all they want is to see their little ones having fun on stage, and I can assure them that will definitely happen.
“Good, well done,” I praise the class as I glance at the clock. Only five minutes left. “You did beautifully today, girls. Now’s time for some free dancing, yes? I’ll play some music and you can do any moves you want.”
The girls cheer and get ready in the center of the class. Despite only being our third lesson of the semester, the ten girls are already very tight friends. I press play on some Offenbach, because they don’t care about the music and I love his pieces, and watch as the parents gather on the outside of the classroom, ready to take their children home.
Adelaide—my boss and the owner of The Dance Palace—had to leave early to take her son to a birthday party, which means I’m closing the studio today. This is my last class of the day, and I can’t wait to go back to the dorms and take a much-needed shower.
I’ve been practicing ballet for the last seventeen years, and at some point I thought I would become a professional dancer. My plans changed when I discovered my love for literature and now I want to be a writer if the stars align, but I refuse to give up on ballet when it’s given me so much over the years.
It gave me confidence when I lacked it, friends when they were scarce, and a purpose when I was all but lost. And now, it provides me with a job I love and a stable income.
The first thing I did when I moved to Warlington was to find a good ballet studio. Adelaide offered me a try-out lesson four years ago, and the rest is history. On top of teaching the younger kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as some older girls, I also take lessons with Adelaide’s most advanced class.
Sometimes it’s a struggle to balance it all with school, but I’m not willing to give up on ballet for anything in the world. It keeps my body and my head in check, and I need the latter more than my next breath.
Once I announce that the class is over, the girls and I do a round of applause before they sprint outside to meet their awaiting parents.
“Goodbye, Miss Grace!” they all shout and wave at me as they disappear down the narrow hallway towards the front door.
“Bye, girls! See you on Thursday!”
I unplug my phone from the speakers and take a sip of cold water. I gave two lessons today, one after the other, and despite not being too physically demanding, keeping so many girls in check for so long is as draining as it gets. Honestly, I don’t think—
“Miss Grace?”
I almost jump at the sound of the little voice behind me. When I turn around, I see one of my students, Maddison Stevens, standing right outside the room with her little thumb on her mouth, chewing it nervously.
“Yes, sweetheart?” I kneel at her eye level. Her big brown eyes look worried, and I freak out. Why is she here? Where’s her mother?
“Mommy isn’t here yet.” Mystery solved, I guess.
I soothe my voice before speaking. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure she’s stuck in traffic or something.” I point to the small leather couch by the front desk. “Why don’t you sit there for a bit while I call her? I promise I won’t leave until she shows up.”
Because I know how a kid’s mind works, and the last thing I want is for Maddie to start crying because she thinks I’m going to abandon her in the studio and go home.
When she nods, I look through her file and dial her mother’s number on my phone. No answer.
I ring her again. No answer.
Maybe she really is driving and can’t pick up right now.
I steal a quick look at Maddie, who’s dangling her short legs on the edge of the couch, her eyes glued on me. “Did you call her yet, Miss Grace?”
I bite my bottom lip. “I’m on it, sweetheart.”
As much as I need a shower, I wouldn’t mind staying here with her until her mother shows up. It’s not a big deal.
But it only takes one look at the girl to know she’s not enjoying this situation. She chews on her thumb nervously and can’t sit still as she glances at the front door every few seconds.
Quickly, I scan her file again and… Bingo. There’s a different number saved in here. Crossing my fingers so that the person picks up, I dial again.
Nothing. But I wait. And wait. Thirty seconds. Forty…
“Hello?”
Finally. A second later, however, I register that it’s not a female voice greeting me on the other side of the line, but a very deep, masculine rumble.
A shiver runs down my spine, and this time it’s not from uneasiness.
“Hey! Um, I’m calling you from The Dance Palace. Your… Your phone was listed in Maddison Steven’s contact information—”
“That’s my sister,” the man interrupts, a sudden edge to his voice. “Is she okay? Did something happen?”
“She’s… She’s fine, sir.” I clear my throat. “It’s just that her mother was supposed to pick her up a few minutes ago, but she hasn’t shown up and I can’t reach her on her phone.”
“Shit.” I hear a buzzing sound in the background, and the man covers the speaker for a second as he talks to somebody else. “Okay. I’m working right now, but I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Maybe I could make it in fifteen.”
And because the distress in his voice is so genuine, I say, “That’s all right. Take your time. I can stay with her until you get here. This was our last lesson of the day, so I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
It sounds a bit sad when I say it out loud, but… Well, it’s true. Other than a shower and eating with Em at the dining hall, I don’t have any other plans tonight.
“You’re a lifesaver.” The man sighs into the phone, making my skin prickle. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thank you so much.”
“That’s—” But before I can finish my sentence, he hangs up. Well then. I guess he truly is in a hurry.
“Did you talk with my mommy?” Maddie asks in a small voice.
“I talked to your brother.” Her face lights up at my words. “He’s coming to pick you up after work. He should be here shortly.”
She beams at that. “Yay! Sammy!”
I smile, the tension gone from my body now that she looks happy again. “Hey, how about we dance some more until your brother gets here?”
***
Exactly sixteen minutes after I take Maddie back to the classroom so I can show her how to do a pirouette (per her request), the doorbell rings. I locked the front door before coming back here, so I stop the music and Maddie and I stroll towards the front. She runs ahead, but because the lock is so high up, I don’t worry about her reaching it and opening the door to a potential murderer.
“Sammy! Sammy!” I hear her excited squeals as I reach her.
And when I do, I freeze into place.
On the other side of the glass door is none other than the guy from the tattoo parlor.
Callaghan.
Wait.
That’s Sammy? That’s Maddison’s deep-voiced brother?
He hasn’t spotted me yet. His dark eyes are glued to his little sister, who jumps up and down while buzzing with excitement, and he wears the softest, most heart-melting smile I’ve ever seen in any man ever. It’s kind of mesmerizing.
I unlock the door and Maddie instantly throws herself at Callaghan’s long legs, the only part of his enormous body she can reach.
For real, the man is shaped like a brick wall.
“Hey, peanut.” He bends down and picks her up. Then he finally looks at me, and I can tell the exact moment realization hits him. “Grace?”
I give him a small smile. “That’d be me.”
“I didn’t know you worked here,” he says, as Maddie clings to his neck. “Easy, baby. You’ll tackle me to the ground.”
She laughs, and the loving smile that touches his lips makes my stomach jump.
“Yeah, I’m a teacher here,” I say awkwardly. Jeez, did I forget how to have a normal conversation with a guy? Well, not with a guy, really—Sammy right here screams man all over.
“Thank you for staying with her after closing hours,” he says. “I owe you one.”
I wave a nonchalant hand. “It’s nothing. We had fun dancing some more, right Maddie?”
“Yes!” Her little finger traces the inked rose on Callaghan’s neck. “I had so much fun with Miss Grace. She’s the best teacher ever!”
And now I’m pretty sure I’m blushing. “I’m just fine.”
Callaghan clicks his tongue. “Nah. I’ll say you’re way more than fine. More like pretty awesome. Right, Mads?”
God, is he flirting with me? An alarm goes off in my head, but I’m surprised to realize it’s not the ‘you should flee right now’ kind. It’s more like ‘shoot, how should I respond to this?’.
What the hell is happening to me?
“Right!” Maddie agrees.
“Well, thanks again for staying with her.” Callaghan smiles, and something in my chest constricts at the sight of such a beautiful, genuine gesture. “Say goodbye to Miss Grace.”
“Bye, bye, Miss Grace!”
“See you soon, Maddie.” I smile, then nod at her brother. “I’ll see you around.”
Really? Will I be seeing him around? Why did I say that?
Oh, my god—
He smirks. “You know where to find me if you ever change your mind about that tattoo.”
And with that, they leave. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider the tattoo, after all.
