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“Absolutely. I’ll try to manage her rehearsals better from now on.”
That was a relief. At least I wouldn’t be at the studio for extra hours and no pay. I wanted to figure out a way to contribute better to my family’s finances, anyway.
“I’ll bring you my three ideas tomorrow,” I said.
“Great. Thank you again, Ivy. You’re a lifesaver.”
I hung up the phone. Time to get to work.
“Superheroes?” A little blonde named Savannah wrinkled her nose. “I wanted to be a princess.”
I sighed. I thought my team of novice minis would be excited to be strong superheroes, but my announcement was not going over as I expected. They were disappointed that they weren’t unicorns, princesses, or some frightening combination of both. I thought Amy said that hybrid creature was in The Office, but I couldn’t stand that show. Not that I would ever admit that to her.
I gathered the girls into a circle and sat down with them. “Superheroes are awesome. You know why?”
They shook their heads.
“Because they save people from things when they have no hope. Superheroes are strong and brave. And I know that you girls are strong and brave, too.”
They still looked skeptical.
I sighed. “The costumes will be super sparkly, don’t worry.”
They erupted in a loud cheer and danced around the room. I shook my head at the silly scene, but at least they were excited.
A gorgeous red-headed young woman poked her head in the door. “Hi, are you Ivy?”
I waved her in. “You must be Thea. Welcome to the circus.”
She smiled warmly. She looked a little younger than me, dressed in a fashionable skirt and crop top. She was tall and slim, with curves like a Victoria’s Secret model, and held herself with poise and grace. Katy would have died over her red hair; she was a modern-day Anne Shirley. Too bad I wasn’t coaching Katy’s team this year.
“Nothing I’m not used to,” she said. “Although I grew up on the ballet side of the dance world.”
I nodded. “I could tell you had some kind of dance background.”
“I was always jealous of the competitive jazz girls. They had the most fun costumes. So, I started sewing them myself.”
I eyed her carefully. “Why haven’t I seen you around here before? I feel like I would have remembered you.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I just moved up here a few months ago from San Diego. I needed . . . a fresh start.”
I nodded. “And you get the highest paying clients up here.”
She smiled widely. “Exactly.”
I surveyed my circus monkeys, who were leaping and jumping around the room. Maybe that would have been a better theme for them. “We should probably get started. At this rate, we’ll never get them measured in time.”
“You underestimate me,” she said.
Within fifteen minutes, she had all the girls measured. I had never seen a seamstress so effective.
“I’ll see you this week for your other teams,” she said on her way out the door.
“Thank you, Ms. Thea!” the girls called. With a big smile and a pageant-like wave, she exited the room. I would have hated her if she wasn’t so genuinely nice.
We spent the remainder of rehearsal practicing a few combinations that would be in their dance. While I couldn’t ask them to execute the most elaborate turn and leap sequences, they were pretty good at picking up dance break sections. And I could always help them work on their facials and personalities. At some competitions, that was more important than the actual dance technique.
To finish class, I gathered them into a circle once more. “I can tell you girls have been stretching and doing your exercises. I am so proud of you. Keep it up, don’t get lazy or think you’ve done enough. Great work today. Review the combinations we learned, and next week we’ll add more.”
