Chapter 13
Louisiana
Today was competition class for Amy which meant I had to drop her off in the early afternoon, she had a break around dinnertime, and then I had to take her back for classes that went right up until bedtime.
Competition classes were no joke, and everyone was expected to be there, including the moms. One thing about working for my sister was that she understood all the crazy in my life and when I needed to step out to do something for Amy, it was never a problem.
“So I sketched this out, and tomorrow I’ll go and start working on it.
” I handed Carrie the drawing pad where I’d laid out the mural I was going to paint downtown.
“Amy has ballet tomorrow and I don’t have to stay at the studio for that class, so I can at least get the first coat of white on, and we can go from there.
” I grabbed my purse from under the counter.
“We gotta go or we’re going to be late.”
“I’ll meet you out there tomorrow and help since the shop is closed,” Carrie called as Amy and I left.
“Sounds good.” I waved as we ventured out into the summer heat.
We were right in the middle of the worst part of summer right now, and whether the air conditioning was on or not, it was hot.
The two-bedroom apartment I was renting in town for Amy and I was on the second floor.
It was so hot during the day that I’d turn the air down, so it didn’t run constantly.
By the time we got home in the evenings, the sun was setting and it was cooler outside.
I kept it cool in the apartment to sleep, and then we ended up leaving for the day, so it didn’t matter if it got hot.
This is part of the reason that I hadn’t let Amy get the dog she’d been begging for. We’re never home, and it was hot.
“When we get home, I need you to quickly change so we can get to the studio on time tonight. Ms. Rachel hasn’t been happy with the fact that we’ve been late the last couple of weeks.
” I glanced over the seat where Amy was tapping away on her new phone.
I broke down and got her one last month so she could call me from the studio if I wasn’t there. She’d been messaging Jack a lot lately.
“I know.” She sighed. “I’ve been in the back row for the last two numbers. Ms. Rachel says she can’t have someone in the front who’s not on time; it’s not fair.” Amy rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand why I get punished. I mean, I can’t drive so it’s not like I can control if I’m late.”
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. I’m doing the best I can.
” I understood her frustration. She was right.
She can’t drive. None of the kids in her class can.
She’s ten, and the oldest kid in the group is thirteen.
The parents were the ones who had to do all the work, and I had to have a job to pay for these classes.
It was like a giant circle of problems that I couldn’t seem to break.
“Did you wash the tan tights?” I parked in front of our building.
“I did. They’re hanging in the bathroom. Two of your leos are too.” We rushed up the stairs, keys clutched in my hand. I unlocked the door, and a rush of hot air blasted us as we went inside.
“It’s hot in here,” Amy whined. It was hot, much hotter than it should be.
I usually kept the air at like seventy-five during the day and then turned it down to around sixty-eight in the evening when we were going to be home.
Based on the level of heat at the moment, it didn’t seem like the air was on at all.
“Let me check.” I rushed down the hall and saw that the thermostat was reading eighty-five.
I pushed the button to lower the temp and nothing happened.
The air wouldn’t come on. “Go change. I need to call the super.” I dug in my purse for my phone while Amy went to change.
It was hard enough to get tights on when you were in a rush, but when you were sweating too it was so much worse.
Of course, it was hot as hell and I got the super’s voicemail. “Hey Shawn, this is Lou from 2B. Something is going on with the AC in our unit. I’d appreciate you checking it out this evening. Thank you.” I stuffed the phone back into my purse just as Amy was rounding the corner.
“Let’s get out of here. Mom. It’s hot.” She was gathering her hair in a ponytail with her dance bag bouncing along behind her.
Ooooooooo
When we reached the studio, I let Amy out by the door so she could get into class quickly.
It was always hard to find parking spaces, and I knew I’d end up somewhere in the back.
I pulled in at the end of the row of cars just as a pickup was rounding the corner.
Dust flew up as it came to a stop and a little girl flung open the door and jumped out.
Music filled the air until the girl closed the door.
A man, who I’m assuming was her father, quickly cut the engine and climbed out.
He was dressed in dark jeans and a white button-down shirt, and a black cowboy hat sat atop his head.
“Hallie! Wait for me!” he called as the little girl rushed across the parking lot.
“I’m late!” she yelled as she reached the door, flung it open, and disappeared inside. The man kinda trotted after her, his boots clicking against the pavement. I laughed to myself thinking this guy didn’t look like the typical dance dad.
Ooooooooo
Isaac
As soon as I bought the Henderson farm and moved us here, my daughter, Hallie, started begging me to bring her to Art in Motion Dance Academy.
I promised I would and when we stopped in last week to meet with the owner, she immediately requested that we join the competition team.
Now, I’m just trying to keep up with all the classes and everything at the farm.
When I stepped inside the studio lobby, the cool air was refreshing. I’d been in meetings all morning with my trainer and accountant. We’d just paid a stud fee for the filly I bought. I’m hoping she has a winner when we breed her next month.
“Hi.” I went over the counter where several moms were paying the monthly tuition.
“I think I owe for the extra classes still.” I pulled out my wallet and handed over a hundred-dollar bill.
“Just put the extra on next month’s.” The girl nodded and I turned to try and find a seat.
There wasn’t much to do when class was going on.
Ms. Rachel made it clear when we were here last week that I was expected to stay during competition class.
I didn’t really understand that. What did I know about dance other than the fact that my daughter loved it?
I found a seat in the corner next to a woman dressed in jean capris and a pink top. Her brown hair was tied back and she was reading a book. “Mind if I sit?” I motioned to the spot beside her. She was taking up one half of a loveseat and the empty half had a dance bag on it.
“Not at all.” She blushed as she removed the bag and dropped it on the floor.
“Isaac.” I held out my hand as I sat beside her. “My daughter, Hallie, just joined the team.”
“Lou. Amy’s mom. Just joined? She must be really good. Ms. Rachel is very picky about who she lets join late.” She smiled as she held the book in her lap.
“We just moved here from Kentucky. As soon as we moved, Hallie started looking at studios in the area. She told me this was the best one, so here we are.” He chuckled.
“She’s right. It is the best. It’s nice that you’re involved with her dance. My ex never wanted to come to dance stuff and I don’t think he came to the studio once.” Her lips twisted as the words fell from her mouth.
“Well, dance has never really been my thing, but now that it’s just Hallie and me, I figure I better jump on the dance train.
” My heart squeezed as I thought about Hallie’s dance career.
My wife got Hallie into dance when she was two.
She practically lived at the studio. We used to joke that Hallie was sleeping in her ballet shoes to practice.
After the accident took her from us, I stepped in and became her replacement.
“Hallie makes sure I know what to do.” I laughed.
“So, what do you do when you’re not at dance?” She seemed genuinely intrigued.
“I race horses.” I glanced up and noticed quite a few of the other women staring at me.
“Oh, like the Kentucky Derby?” Her eyes went wide.
“Something like that.” My phone started vibrating and I needed to answer. It was my trainer. “Excuse me.” I weaved through the mess of dance bags as I made my way outside.
“What’s up, Craig?” I clicked to answer the call.
“Sir, they want to move up the date to next week. I’m not sure that’s feasible. We have to get ready for the Green Oaks Stakes. Lucky Star needs my attention right now.” He sounded both frantic and anxious at the same time, which was so unlike him.
“Ok, Craig. I’ll call someone in, or I can go when we take her.
We’ll make it work.” I sighed. This entire deal had been a pain, but Eric’s last two studs produced winners.
I was making it work in hopes of getting a winner out of this.
I needed to put Sunlit Acres back in the spotlight.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and went back inside.
Just as I sat down, class let out and the lobby filled with girls dressed in tights and leotards.
Hallie came rushing over all smiles. “Daddy!” she gasped.
She was out of breath. “We have a competition in two weeks. We have to get my costume made. Ms. Rachel is going to get the parts, but it has to be sewn and stoned.” She bounced on her toes.
“Stoned?” I was confused.
“Rhinestoned. We have to add extra. It’s never sparkly enough,” Lou chimed in. “One of us can help you if you’ve never done it.” She motioned to the six other moms sitting there.
“Ok, great.” I began to gather Hallie’s things. “I guess we need to talk to Ms. Rachel.” I stood and Hallie began to drag me over to the hallway that led to the practice rooms.
“In here.” She tugged and we stepped into one of the studios. Ms. Rachel was rummaging through a box in the corner.
“I found a top and a skirt. This is where we get the tights from, and you can borrow someone’s makeup kit for this one while we order one for you.” She handed us a bunch of fabric. “This is what it needs to look like.” She thrust a piece of paper at me with a dancer on it in the costume.
“Thanks.” I stared at the photo and then looked at the pieces she was holding. There was going to be a giant learning curve here, and I wasn’t sure I was up for the task.
“Daddy.” Hallie tugged on my arm. “We have to go. The next class needs to get in here.”
“See you tomorrow for ballet class.” Ms. Rachel waved as we left. When we got out to the parking lot, I could see Lou talking on her phone. She was standing beside her car and she looked rather upset. As I got closer, I could hear that she was talking to someone named Shawn.
“But I really need you to look at it tonight. I understand that. Shawn, it’s hot in there. I understand. You better.” She hung up and then shook her head no at her daughter.
“But Mama…” her daughter whined.
“I’ll call Grandma. Maybe we can have a sleepover,” Lou suggested.
“Anything I can help with?” I didn’t want to butt in, but it seemed that something was wrong.
“Our air conditioning is broken, and the super won’t fix it tonight,” her daughter grumbled.
“Amy, that’s enough,” Lou scolded.
“Thank you, but I got it.” She smiled before climbing in her car.
“See you tomorrow.” Hallie waved as they drove away.
I stood there watching as Hallie climbed in the truck.
I didn’t know what it was but there was something about her that made me want to help.
I didn’t know if it was the defeated look she gave me when she told her daughter she’d handle it or the fact that she was so quick to volunteer to help me with the costume.
There was just something telling me that I needed to do what I could to help her because I thought I might have been the first person other than family to offer her any kind of support.