Luna
TWO
“Point your toes, Maci. Pretend you’re reaching for the moon.”
Eight tiny ballerinas wobble across the studio floor, arms lifted high as they attempt their best version of a traveling arabesque. Pink tutus bounce with every step as concentration wrinkles their little foreheads.
I press my lips together, trying not to smile too big as Maci nearly tips over.
“Almost,” I encourage gently. “Try again.”
She sticks her tongue out in determination, lifting her leg behind her again with fierce concentration.
Sunlight spills through the tall windows overlooking Crystal Isle’s main street, giving the place a beautiful golden glow from the waning sunlight.
This has always been my favorite time of day before life outside these walls gets noisy and intrusive.
In here, it’s just music, movement, and the quiet magic of watching someone discover what their body can do.
“Miss Luna, look!” Maci calls proudly. She spins in a wobbly pirouette before landing with both feet planted wide apart and her arms thrown up in victory.
“That was amazing!” I clap, and the other girls immediately attempt their own spins, turning the room into a chaotic storm of giggles and pink tulle.
Maci beams like she’s just performed on a Broadway stage.
Teaching has been one of the best parts of my life. Watching the girls grow, seeing their confidence bloom with every new step—it fills a spot inside my chest that nothing else quite touches.
The music fades as the song ends, and an array of tutus collapse dramatically onto the floor.
“We survived,” I laugh, walking over to switch off the soundtrack.
“Do we get our fairy gift now?” Ellie asks hopefully, her blonde curls escaping from her bun and framing her adorable cherub face.
“Of course. All of you did your best today and worked hard.” I reach for the wooden treasure box covered in bling and flowers that I had painstakingly hot-glued to make it look more whimsical.
A flurry of pink bows and frills runs my way to peer inside the box. A collection of jeweled rings, bracelets, and other fairy-themed trinkets fills it to the rim. They eagerly pick out their treasure, and my heart squeezes at the joy and magic of it all that’s shining in their eyes.
Soon their moms begin filing into the waiting room outside the studio doors, and the girls rush to grab their dance bags and water bottles, chattering excitedly about their new fairy gift.
Maci runs past me but doubles back long enough to wrap her arms around my waist.
“You’re the best teacher ever, Miss Luna,” she whispers.
My chest warms instantly as I kiss the top of her head. “It’s because I have the best students ever.”
She squeezes me tightly once more before she disappears with the rest of the girls out the door, leaving the studio suddenly quiet again.
I glance around the empty room—the barre, the mirrors, the sunlight stretching across the polished floor.
This place has been my world for as long as I can remember.
Dance.
Crystal Isle.
Family.
Everything I love exists right here.
Turning off the lights in the studio, I say goodbye to the last remaining students and their moms before gathering up my yoga mat and purse. Tonight is Thursday, which means I’m meeting the girls for our weekly yoga and wine night.
Securing the lock behind me, I walk next door to my mom’s yoga studio, BellaLuna.
Two years ago, when the space became available, I left my dance teaching job in Bayside to live out my dream of owning my own studio.
With the help of my parents, I secured a loan, and with two years of hard work, the business is now completely in my name and doing better than I ever could have imagined.
Moonrise Dance Studio has quickly become a favorite in our small town, and word is spreading fast in the surrounding areas.
Stepping inside the yoga studio, the scent of lavender swirls around me as I walk across the dark wooden floors to where the class is being held. Various mats are already laid out as people of all different ages are sitting cross-legged, preparing for the start of instructions.
Sneaking in quietly, I catch my mom’s eye sitting at the head of the room and smile before finding a seat next to my older sister, Bella. She gives me a quick grin before our attention is drawn to the front of the room as the class begins.
The air suddenly shifts in the room, and all the worry and stress begin to melt away as our bodies surrender to the movement and flow, letting everything slowly disappear for the next hour until the only thing remaining is our breath.
“God, I needed that.” My sister remains on her back, completely relaxed in Shavasana as the rest of the hot yoga class leaves the room to go home.
“You and me both,” Emma sighs, not moving an inch.
“Mom still teaches a damn good class. I’ll give her that,” I softly laugh, staring up at the wood-planked ceiling and feeling the heat radiate down from the hot panels strategically placed throughout the room.
“Her yoga classes are unmatched,” Emma smiles.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Bella snorts. “You kick my ass every Tuesday morning in yours.”
“Mine too,” Sophia chuckles from my other side. “I can barely walk the next day.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s because of the six-foot-four Montgomery brother that sleeps in your bed,” Bella teases as we burst out laughing.
“Yeah, that definitely has something to do with it,” Sophia says, shaking with laughter. “That man has talent.”
“We are definitely lucky women,” Emma agrees as a blush creeps up her cheek, and I have no doubt my sister-in-law is thinking of my older brother, Noah.
Bella may be my only blood-related sister, but in my heart, I have three.
Sophia’s mom, Maya, and our mom have been best friends for years, so when they planned to have kids at the same time, it was no surprise that when Noah and Maverick came along, they formed a deep bond just like Bella and Sophia did when they were born four years later.
The four of them grew up together, and for a while, they completed the two families until my mom surprised everyone at forty with me.
With a twelve-year age gap between my sister and me, I’ve been the baby of both families and doted on for as long as I can remember. When my sister and Maverick finally admitted they were in love, their marriage permanently linked the Bennetts and the Lanes.
As for Emma, I knew right away I was looking at another sister the moment my brother showed up with her at one of our Sunday family dinners.
Not only is she beautiful with her long brunette hair and sparkling emerald eyes, but she’s also the sweetest person I know.
She had moved in right next door to Noah, and it didn’t take long before my brother fell head over heels for her.
They were married a short time later and now have two beautiful kids.
I honestly couldn’t imagine my brother with anyone else. Watching them together is like witnessing two souls that have done this together in another lifetime. Their connection is truly unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
It’s the kind of love I’ve always believed existed.
The kind I’m holding out for.
Which explains why I’m single at twenty-four, and the only excitement in my life is dance and yoga.
“Are you ladies going to lie there all night or what?” My mom walks back in with Sophia’s mom, Maya, and sees us still sprawled out on our mats.
“That bottle of wine Rusty has for you isn’t going to drink itself,” Maya laughs, helping my mom gather the lavender-scented washcloths from the basket that need to be laundered.
“No, it isn’t,” Bella and Sophia agree at the same time, sitting up with renewed energy.
“Are you coming with us?” I glance over at my mom as I roll up my mat.
“Not this time,” she says, shaking her head. “We promised Mimi we would bring the wine to her and binge-watch a few episodes of The Bachelor.”
“We got her hooked on it and might have created a monster,” Maya laughs.
My grandparents, known to everyone as Mimi and Papaw, built a living space above my parents’ garage when they retired. It was a way for everyone to watch over them, and it just made sense for them not to have to take care of a house anymore and just enjoy life.
Looking back, I loved having them there as I grew up, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I can only imagine her reactions and dialogue toward the TV when you watch it,” I laugh. Mimi might be in her late eighties, but that doesn’t mean anything when it comes to my grandma. She’s as spunky as they come and will probably outlive us all.
“It’s definitely entertaining,” my mom chuckles, dropping the dirty laundry into a bag.
“Do you need any help closing down?” I ask, grabbing my water bottle and tossing my towel in with the others.
“No, we’ve got it covered. You girls go and enjoy your Thursday night together.” My mom embraces me in a warm hug, and I breathe in her calming energy.
I’m the only one in the family who has both my mom’s features. Noah and Bella got my dad’s baby blues, and although Noah got her brunette hair like me, Bella’s hair is long and blonde. We couldn’t look more opposite from sisters if we tried.
Pulling back, my mom’s vivid greens, so much like mine, crinkle at the edges as she smiles at me. Even in her sixties, she’s still the most beautiful woman to me.
Her brunette hair is swept up into a messy bun today, and her bright green eyes are always brimming with so much love. It’s true when they say inner beauty is what shines through the most.
“Text me when you get home safely. Both of you,” she says, pulling Bella into a hug next.
“We always do,” Bella smiles, kissing our mom on the cheek.
“We love you, girls,” Maya calls out as we near the door to the lobby. “Go enjoy your girls’ night.
“We love you too,” Sophia grins, opening the door as we usher through.
My mom and Maya started our Thursday girls’ night the day they first met. It was the opening night of my mom’s yoga studio, and Maya came in to take the class. They hit it off immediately and made plans afterward at Rusty’s to celebrate with a glass of wine.