“Oh my God.” I let out a huge breath. “I have time. I can make time for as many classes as you’re willing to teach.”
“Is everything okay?”
My teeth gnaw on my lower lip. Do I tell her?
“The truth is, I need to fill some more classes. And there’s not a ton of kids in town that aren’t already students. But there are plenty of adults.”
“So why don’t you teach the adults?”
I visibly shudder. “That is my last resort. Like, absolute last.” Although, if I don’t come up with another solution I may have to, even though teaching adults is my idea of torture. They’re either so self-conscious that they don’t relax and let their body do what it wants to do, or they think way too highly of themselves and don’t take instruction very well. Either way, as a teacher, it’s not my idea of fun.
Summer giggles. “You’re ridiculous. But I’m happy to help you avoid your nightmare. Why don’t we add two extra classes a week? I can do one more morning flow and an evening yin, if that works. Those seem to be the most popular.”
My shoulders sag in relief. “That would be incredible. Thank you, I’ll start contacting the waitlist tomorrow.”
That’s one step in the right direction. I only need, like, a thousand more and I’ll be fine.
I’m in the middle of dancing freestyle to a playlist of classical music when a knock at the studio’s front door startles me out of position. It’s late, so the blinds on the large front windows are all down, making it impossible to see who it is. Cautiously, I lift the corner of the blind and see a cop car parked out front. Going to the front door, I call through it, “Who is it?”
“It’s Leo.”
There’s a fluttery sensation in my stomach at his rumbling voice and I cover it with my hands. Breathing deeply, I turn the lock and take off the chain, letting him in.
He steps over the threshold, big and looming in his uniform. “Hey, sorry if I freaked you out. I’m on a night patrol and saw the lights on. Thought I’d check in on you, that’s all.” He runs his hand through his hair, and the obvious nervous gesture makes me melt a little inside.
“Thanks. I was just messing around.” I turn and head back into the studio space and shut off my music. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk across the floor, and unbidden, my hips sway just a little bit more. When we were younger, Leo would tease me about having a sexy walk. I could see it written on his face.
I wonder if I’ll see it when I turn around.
“What are you doing on patrol? I thought you were here to be some bigshot assistant something or other?” I ask, turning slowly in place. Yup. There’s the look, and that fluttering in my stomach starts to heat up and spread slowly through my limbs, turning into something other than anticipation. We’re alone for the first time in twenty years.
Leo chuckles. “Yeah, deputy chief. But they figured since I’m new in town, it would be a good idea to pull a few shifts on the beat just to make sure I know the lay of the land.”
My eyes roll up. “Right, because Dogwood Cove is such a hotbed of crime.”
Leo’s gaze turns serious. “You can never be too careful, Tippy, no matter where you live.”
“Okay, officer safety,” I say, my tone mildly mocking.
Leo stalks over to me. “Serena, don’t joke about it. I need to know you’re safe.”
My brows pull together over his serious tone. “Leo, is there something going on?”
His shoulders drop. “No. No. I guess it’s just hard for me to shake the city cop mentality. Sorry.”
On impulse, I reach over and take his hand. “Hey, don’t apologize. I know you’re just trying to look out for me.”
We exchange a look, one loaded with history. I know Leo’s story, why he became a cop in the first place. It’s the same thing that caused our one and only serious disagreement when we were younger; the debate about having kids when we were older.
I know that he’s always been worried about something happening to someone he cares about. And I know that his biggest fear was something happening to him and leaving behind me and his mom. It was the subject of a lot of conversations that were probably way too heavy for a couple of teenagers. But he needed to know I supported his dream, no matter the risk, no matter the sacrifice. I would have given up my desire for a family if it meant he got his dream of being a police officer.
His hand gently squeezes mine as he lifts it up slightly, his thumb running over my knuckles. “I wanted to thank you for what you’re doing with Violet.”
The abrupt change in subject jars me. “What are you talking about?”
“The way you got down on the floor yesterday and talked to her made her feel so happy. She hasn’t connected with someone so quickly, well, ever. And since her mom took off, she’s been even more withdrawn.”
The raw pain behind his words hits me right in the heart. But without knowing if that pain is because of Violet, or Violet’s mom, I tread carefully.