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“I love you, Lisa. You’re like family to me. But I’m really hurt about the way you treated me.”
She nodded. “I want to fix it.”
My ears perked up. “How?”
“I already fired Blake.”
I reared my head back. “No way,” I whispered. “Did Vicki call you?”
She furrowed her brow. “Vicki? Not today. Why?”
“No reason.” I wasn’t about to tell her about our conversation earlier.
Lisa heaved a sigh. “This past week has been awful. Blake hardly shows up for rehearsal and doesn’t know how to run a class. I’ve been running everything for her. Now I understand what you’ve been doing for the last few months. And then I saw her on the show tonight and realized that’s why she missed the showcase. I can’t keep overlooking her offenses just for the sake of the moms.”
I nodded. “I’m glad you finally get it.”
“I need you back, Ivy.” She looked me straight in the eyes. “I can’t do this without you.”
There it was. Finally, she wanted me back for the girls. I wanted to do it, I really did, but I also knew I had limits.
“I’ll come back,” I said. Her face relaxed into a smile. “But I can’t take on everything. I’ll coach the novice teams I was originally assigned, but you need to find someone else for Blake’s elite teams.”
Her face fell. “I don’t even know where to start.”
A brilliant idea popped into my mind. “How about Thea?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Thea trained in classical ballet, not jazz.”
“Exactly. The girls know their choreography, but they could always learn more technique. I bet she’d take it.”
Lisa tapped her chin. “Okay. I’ll think about it. But you’ll come back?”
I nodded, and Lisa squeezed me into another tight hug. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered again. Pulling back and looking me in the face, she said, “And if there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”
Another person offering to help. Piece by piece, the village came together to rally around me and my family. “Thank you so much. I’ll let you know.” And I would.
“I’ll let you . . . get back to whatever you were doing,” she said with a wink. Scott huffed a laugh next to me, and she looked over at him, clasping her hands over her heart. “When you caught Ivy, that was so romantic,” she gushed at Scott, putting a hand on his biceps.
“Back up there,” I said, removing her hand. She laughed as I pushed her out the door. “I’ll see you later this week.”
“Bye, Ivy.” She basically skipped back to her car. Once a dancer, always a dancer.
Scott shut the door behind her and leaned his back against it, pulling my hips up against his and leaning in for a kiss. “Now, where were we?”
SIX MONTHS LATER
The lights from the side of the stage were blinding. My heart thumped in my chest, my nerves threatening to overtake me. But this was what I did; this was what I lived for. Dance performances and competitions were like breathing to me.
I took in a deep breath, then turned to my little superheroes. I had to be strong for them.
“Superheroes!” I called to them. They huddled around me, ready to go on stage after the current group was done. “You are strong, incredible dancers. No matter what happens today, I am proud of you. You have learned so much, and you dance with your hearts. Go out there, feel the rhythm, and just have fun.” I gathered them to me and gave them a group hug. They squealed and jumped up and down, big smiles on their faces.
The previous number ended, and it was their turn. “You got this!” I said, and they ran onto the stage.
Watching from the sidelines was a little different from watching in the audience, but it was enough to tell they totally killed it. Was it perfect? No way. But they had learned to dance together, perform with their hearts, and have fun on stage. Compared to their performance at the showcase six months ago, it was a night and day difference. They performed their routine the best they could, and that was enough to fill my soul.
Their smiles as they strutted off stage made my heart sing. I couldn’t believe how well they had done. They tackled me, squealing and laughing. It was the moment I needed after the months I’d had.
