Ryan pressed a kiss to her temple. “Good night, sweetheart.”
Julia closed her eyes. “Good night.”
She sensed the moment Ryan fell asleep. Her muscles ached from exercise and exhaustion pulled at her mind. Yet she was nowhere near falling asleep. She’d had the perfect opportunity to tell him about their baby, but even after their discussion about honesty and openness, she’d choked. Heck, she’d opened her mouth to confess, but the lump in her throat had prevented her from speaking. And the longer she’d left it, the harder it was to tell him about the child she’d wanted so badly, about the never-ending guilt inside her. A tear squeezed free and ran down her cheek.
Maybe she’d tell him another time.
Anguish twisted in her as she recalled the baby she’d lost. Another tear escaped, and she let it, crying for the past and lost opportunities.
The hen’s night passed without a hitch, and the women loved the burlesque lessons. They were equally complimentary about the music and the routines Julia and the other dancers did for them. Now it was the unofficial opening night. As Julia had planned, they’d saved the advertising for the following weekend, wanting to iron out any problems before they attempted to attract customers.
“Are you sure you want to dance tonight?” Julia asked Christina and Susan.
“Heck yeah,” Susan said. “It was such a rush dancing at the hen’s night.”
“You just want the gazes of the male customers crawling over you,” Maggie said.
“Ah, but they won’t recognize me,” Susan said triumphantly. “Not when I’m wearing a wig, a sexy mask and one of the classy costumes Christina has organized.”
“But their eyes will still crawl over you,” Maggie pointed out. “And not in a good way.”
Susan grinned. “You’re just ticked because Connor won’t let you dance. You’ve spouted his reasons.”
Maggie rubbed her backside, her manner rueful. “I’m allowed to help out if Julia is desperate, but I have to seek his permission first. He was clear about that.”
Susan poked her fingers in her ears. “La. La. La.”
“Have you found more dancers?” Christina asked.
Julia sighed. “No, and it’s a worry. I can’t be here all the time, and I can’t keep relying on my friends to fill in the gaps.” She glanced at Susan. “Even if they’re naturals on the stage.”
“There!” Susan said, snapping her fingers at Maggie. “Julia said I’m a natural.” Her eyes glowed with pleasure.
“Nothing less than the truth,” Julia said. “Anyone have any ideas about where to find more dancers?”
“Have you tried some of the dancing schools?” Christina asked. “Now that there’s no stripping involved, some of the dancers might take an interest in earning money doing burlesque.”
Julia clapped a hand to her head. “Why didn’t I think of that? I still take a few classes between my keep-fit sessions. I’ll ask the school owner.” She hurried off, aware of the low hum of nerves in the pit of her stomach. She’d either thrive or sink in obscurity after the formal opening night because she had no intention of borrowing more money from Ryan. It was a point of pride.
A ten-minute chat later, she was back with a bounce in her step. “The owner asked for volunteers and I have ten dancers arriving in an hour.” She clapped her hands together. “Maggie, will you cue the music?”
The day passed way too quickly with the thousand and one details she needed to take care of before they opened to the public.
Now, at eight in the evening, Julia took a deep breath and opened the front door toMaxwell’s.
Stan, her doorman, switched on the new neon sign and walked outside to view the bright violet against black. “That’s real classy, Miss Julia.”
She nodded, pleased with the effect. “It looks stylish.”
“I hope it’s enough to attract the crowds. It would be nice to have a queue like the opposition,” he said.
Julia’s eyes narrowed on the premises of their closest competitor. “I wonder if we should rent a crowd for the official opening night.”
“Elise used to distribute flyers with a coupon for a free drink.”
“That might work,” Julia mused, glancing down at her black trouser suit. Professional? Yes, but she needed in-your-face sexy for this situation. “But for the next few nights I’m going to try the old fashioned carnival way. I’ll be back in a sec.” She strode back into the club, spying Connor and Maggie standing by the stage.
“Connor, just the person I wanted to see. I need your help. Maggie, can I borrow him? He might need to flirt with a few women, but I promise there will be no touching involved.”
