“Jazz shoes, no shoes, tap shoes, pick your poison.” Amelia addresses the two girls I don’t know before turning to the other three. Haven’s already tying ribbons around her legs. “Lizzie, get some goddamned tap shoes on. Piper, you do you, boo.”
“I haven’t tapped in years, Min.” Lizzie punctuates her protest by putting her hands on her hips and frowning.
“It’s like riding a bike that’s underwater, upside down, and on fire. You’ll be fine.”
Lizzie huffs but pulls a bin from the shelf along one wall, finding a pair of tap shoes that fit. Piper keeps the tan shoes she’s been wearing on. Amelia takes her sneakers and socks off and drops them in the corner. For the next twenty minutes, an eclectic selection of songs play. Fast, slow, pop, rock, classical… Just a little bit of almost everything. Watching them all dance in different styles to the same songs is amazing. After only a couple of songs, one of the girls from class drops out and joins those of us on the floor. Lizzie lasts another two songs. After one more, Amelia and Piper sit as well, leaving just Haven dancing.
“It’s all you, little mama. Show us why you’re going to play half the parts in The Nutcracker,” Amelia calls out.
“For real. Every time I turn around, Angela’s adding another one to the list.” Haven spins and leaps and dances on the toes of her shoes. Amelia and Lizzie take turns calling out moves, and even though Haven sometimes responds with a “Fuck you,” she performs each one. When the song ends, she bows, and we all applaud.
“God, that was fun,” Amelia says with a smile. “Haven, I swear you get better every fucking time I watch you.”
“You know I don’t even know how to deal when you say shit like that. So I’m going to ignore it, and head home to soak in the tub.”
Lizzie rubs her feet. “A soak sounds good right about now. Dad, your hotel has an actual hot tub, right?”
“Yeah. Feel free to use it whenever you want, kiddo.”
Everyone starts heading for the front door, and only Amelia, Lizzie, and I are left in the studio a couple of minutes later.
“Come sit in the hot tub with me, Minnie.”
“No thanks.”
Lizzie furrows her brow. “But you love hot tubs.”
Amelia’s eyes flick to mine for just a second before dropping away. “Yeah, but it’s been a long day, and I’m ready to just be home for a few hours.”
I know she’s not joining Lizzie because of me, and I hate myself a little more than I already did.
Chapter 25
Fritters and cheese
Alex
When Amelia pulls up next to us with coffee and breakfast Wednesday morning, Lizzie jumps out of the front seat and moves into the back seat.
“What the hell are you doing, Bean?” Amelia hands me the tray of coffees and a pastry bag through the window while scowling at my daughter.
“You’re driving today. What pastries did you get?”
“The fuck I am. This tourist bullshit was your idea. You do the driving, I sit in the back picking music and drinking coffee.”
I put our drinks in the cup holders and pass Lizzie hers before opening the bag to find three cherry fritters. I try to catch Amelia’s gaze, but she pointedly ignores me.
“I already picked some music, so driving’s all that’s left for you to do.”
“You’re such a pain in my ass.” Amelia walks around the car and drops into the driver’s seat with a huff and an eye roll so hard that it looks painful.
“We’ll get there faster if you drive,” Lizzie insists.
“That’s because you’re afraid to pass anyone on the two-lane highway even when there’s a designated passing lane.” Amelia adjusts the seat a little closer to the steering wheel and pulls out of the driveway.
“It’s scary, Min. Give me a three-lane freeway any day of the week.”
“Chicken shit.”
