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I gotready for the day quickly, then looked up the hours of the dance studios in town. One of them was mostly an after-school thing for kids, but the other one had all ranges of ages, as well as all kinds of class times. That one would offer more hours, I assumed, so it would be ideal.
There was a gap between classes from six to six-fifteen in the morning, so I hopped in my car and headed out. Kai hadn’t grabbed Lucas’s car seat, so I figured he must’ve had a backup or something.
The drive to the class was short, and I walked past the empty reception desk, peering in through the window as the class ended.
A pretty brunette was teaching a class of adult women. My eyes lit up when I saw Charly in there, and then noticed June too. I’d never gotten around to having dinner with their whole pack, since I’d been so damn sick, but a few of the other women looked familiar too. I wondered if they were also from Char’s pack.
The room was packed full though, which I thought was pretty cool.
The class got out a few minutes later, and over half of the women beelined it out of there, calling quick goodbyes to their friends. A lot of ‘have fun at work’wastossed around.
I stepped inside the room, slipping my hands into the shallow pockets of my muted floral dress as I crossed the space with my sandals on.
The instructor looked up at me from where she was grabbing her water bottle, smiling as she straightened. “Iris, right?”
“Yep. Is it Lizzy? I’m pretty sure Char introduced us a few months back.”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes! It’s nice to see you again. Are you wanting to join the class? You look so much healthier, by the way. Did you meet your mate?”
“Yes, I did. Kai, in the feral pack. It’s new, and kind of complicated.” I shrugged lightly. “I’m not here for that, though. I used to be a professional dancer, and I’m just poking around, seeing if anyone in town is looking to hire a new teacher.”
Understanding dawned in her eyes. “That’s awesome! We’re actually trying to find someone to take half of this class, so we can expand it. There’s way more interest than we expected, and it’s only been growing. I think we only have two or three other classes that we could use another instructor for, but I’ll check the schedule and see what I can do. I own the studio, so no boss to talk with.” She winked at me, and relief relaxed my shoulders.
“That would be incredible. Thank you so much!”
“Of course.”
“Iris!” Char came jogging over, leaving a few girls in a group behind her. I recognized all of them, and vaguely remembered their names. June, Sabrina, and Del. Teagan and Ebony were missing, but I knew they did something in the medical field, so I figured they were at work. “Damn, girl! Look at you! Who’s the lucky man?”
I tried not to grimace. “You haven’t heard? I figured the gossip could move faster than me.”
She frowned. “No. What gossip?”
“Kai’s her mate,” Lizzy explained, stepping up closer to me and linking her arm through mine. “I met my mate when my son was two, you know. Elliot quickly became the favorite parent. I’d put money on the same thing happening with you and Lucas.”
Charly’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “You’re mates withKaiand no one told me?”
“I don’t think any of them really care. I spent a few hours over there yesterday, and it was so awkward. I’ve never been so thoroughly avoided,” I admitted. “And he made it pretty clear that I’m not going to be involved in Lucas’s life. Which I understand, you know?”
I waited for pity to flood the women’s eyes, but it didn’t come.
“The feral pack are just pieces of work,” Char told me, shaking her head. “Don’t let their assholeish fronts get you down. Give it time; he’ll come around, or you’ll meet someone better. Fate usually fixes its screw-ups.”
I wished time would fix my problem with the fever, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t that simple.
“Thanks. Do you know of anyone else in town who’s hiring? I need full-time work, so I can get out of Kai’s place,” I explained. “I have super-speed, thanks to the vampire thing, so I can be useful in some jobs.”
Charly grinned. “Super-speed? Oh, my sister Violet will kill me if I don’t have you call her. Here; we need to clear out for the next class, but I can give you her number.”
Gratitude swelled in my chest, and I handed her my phone so she could put the number in. “Thank you.”
She waved a hand through the air. “No problem. Call her any time; she’s really blunt and straightforward, just like you.” When she winked at me, I couldn’t hide my grin.
I chatted with the other girls outside the class for a few minutes, before heading out.
SIX
I got backto my place right before Kai was supposed to arrive, googling the company Violet apparently ran while I waited for him. The website was simple but pretty, showing before and after pictures of homes that Violet had renovated. She seemed to be a one-woman show, but maybe she was thinking of expanding or just hiring someone new to help.
