The muscles in his forehead crease. “Don’t you have to go to work in a few hours?”
“Yes.” It’s going to be another long day too. We haveforty-eight hours left. “But if I know I’m only going to sleep about four hours, I’d rather just stay up.”
“You wouldn’t even cat nap?”
“No. It ends up making me more tired.”
“That’s crazy.” He fights another yawn and tenses his jaw.
“Did you have a little time to talk things over with your sister?”
“I did.” Sam nods. “I made sure she got it into her head that Mum won’t be able to do anything to take her away from me. I have sole guardianship over her and Sarah.”
“Will that stand up in a court of law?”
“It had better. I spent a fair amount to have a top solicitor draw up the legal documents in case something like this ever happened.” Sam’s lips thin. “I’m willing to bet a month of stable duty that Mum only wants the girls in her care for the child maintenance payments.”
“Would she do something so bold to get them?”
“Celine’s deviousness comes from Mum.” He sighs. “The moment I turned sixteen and Dad was no longer legally tasked with giving maintenance payments for me, she was quick to ask me to move out.”
“Your own mother asked you to move out?” I stare in disbelief. What kind of person does that? The more I’m hearing about Sam’s mother, the less I want anything to do with her. She sounds like an incredibly seedy character.
“Yes. She said she needed the space for a home office.”
“That’s BS.”
“I agree with you, but it was a long time ago.” He sits on the arm of the couch. “The important thing is that tomorrow, I’ll sort things out for Celine.”
“What are your plans?”
“I’m going to take her back to school to speak to thisheadmaster in person. As much as I’d love to have my sister stay in town for a few days, it’s best if she doesn’t miss too much schooling.”
“Hopefully Sarah can keep an eye on her.”
“She would if they were at the same school, but they’re not.”
“Oh?”
“Sarah changed schools a year ago to be closer to a better gymnastics training facility. Celine didn’t want to change, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her ‘no’. But after last night and hearing how unhappy she’s become, my gut instinct tells me this is a sign I should enroll Celine in a dance-centered training school.”
“If Celine is serious about having a shot at being a professional, that would be the best thing for her. From my own experience, when a dancer turns twelve or thirteen, you either have to commit to training hours a day or decide it’ll be something that’s recreational. Getting into the school isn’t always straightforward either. There’s usually an audition process.”
Sam hesitantly reaches for my hand, as if asking for permission. I hold it up and nod as he pulls me into him. I sit on his lap and rest my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around me. I’ve missed this.
“Is that what you did when you were her age?”
“It is. I moved to Los Angeles when I was about your sister’s age to train full-time. I loved every moment of it. We had six to seven hours of dance every day.”
“You’re describing Celine’s idea of heaven.” He chuckles. “Mmm, you smell so good. Like oranges.”
“Jo Malone.”
“That’s some high-quality fragrance, Fashion Guru.”
“It is, but I need to treat myself to something every once in a while.”
His chest rumbles with more low laughter. We’re both finally relaxed. My heart aches for Sam. As if he didn’t have enough on his mind already, now he has to worry about this stunt his mother is trying to pull. I’m starting to gain a better understanding of what Sam has had to deal with for most of his adult life.
