I thought Nadir was more upset over my leg than anyone else. She had held out the hope that I would soon “come to my senses” and come back to her. That was gone now, but still, she had helped me out with the business.
I knew how hard it would have been had I been starting from scratch.
And I needed this.
I had been lost and directionless for so long, this had been my lifesaver. It was also then that I knew I needed to get the funds from somewhere. I could have asked Ethan for some capital, but at that time, Ethan had just opened his tattoo parlor. He wasn’t exactly struggling, but he hadn’t been rolling in money either.
I also knew I could have asked my brother-in-law for money. But something about that didn’t sit right with me. So I made a decision. One I didn’t regret, but I didn’t find my mind sometimes wandering over my decision. I didn’t know if there would be any repercussions down the line, but right now, things were okay, and I didn’t want to dwell.
I closed my office door and sank down in my desk chair, letting out a small sigh as I stared at the black computer screen.
My office would be the last place to be renovated in the building. It was a work in progress and no doubt would take a while before I found enough funding to splurge on it.
By the time I had finished remodeling the dance rooms, I had very little money left to get me through the month. I would be counting pennies for the unforeseeable future until the studio would make me any profit.
I didn’t hate the business aspect of this.
I knew my mom didn’t enjoy this part of the business, and for the longest time, my dad had been coming in during his day off from his construction work to help her with the paperwork. I knew she missed dancing.
But I didn’t miss it.
I loved the challenges of owning my own studio. I didn’t know everything, and I had been so young when my mom had owned hers, so I didn’t learn anything from her.
I had to figure out how to stand on my own, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t mind it.
I turned on the computer, and then I got to work.
* * *
I rubbedmy bleary eyes and looked away from the screen.
It was late.
Later than I thought I would have been here, considering how early I had come in this morning.
My eyes moved to the huge mirror I had rested against the side of my desk.
I could hear the subtle thumping of the music playing from the three classes that were being taught now. It was soothing.
The studio wouldn’t close until nine o’clock.
We were only open six days a week, from Monday through Saturday, but Saturday was a half day, and we didn’t open until one on weekdays.
I had come in this morning to make sure everything was going fine, and that I didn’t miss anything, and Mary had volunteered to come in with me to help. But starting tomorrow, I wouldn’t need to get here so early.
I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do with all those extra hours.
I jumped when my office phone beeped, indicating a call from the front desk. I answered and put the phone on speaker.
“Yes?”
“Ms. Adler. There is a man here to see you,” Kaley, the evening receptionist, said.
I frowned. “See me?”
No one knew I was here except for my family. But Ethan was back in Boston.
“Yes. He said he’s a friend.”