Perfect Enough

Chapter Seventeen – Sophia

Chapter Seventeen

SOPHIA

Smiling, I set my phone down on my desk and glanced up when I heard a knock on the door. When I saw Chloe’s smiling face, I nearly groaned. It was way too early in the morning.

“It’s too early for you, Chloe.”

She glanced at her watch and replied, “It’s ten o’clock. How is that too early?”

“It’s been a long week.”

Frowning, Chloe said, “It’s only Monday, Soph.”

“I know. But it feels like it should be Friday. My mother cornered me first thing to ask me about Josh.”

“Well, you did stay with him all weekend after the wedding. Of course she was going to ask about it.”

“ You , I can see asking. But my mother? No. I’m not about to have a conversation with her about my sleepovers with Josh.”

“But that’s not the case with me, right? You’ll tell me everything?” She grinned.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Her mouth fell open. “I’m sorry…let’s back this train up, okay? You stayed with him all weekend , Soph. Does this mean you’re dating officially, by the way?”

My eyes went to the open door of my office.

Chloe got up and shut it. “Well?” she prompted. “Are you dating?”

I couldn’t help the smile that grew across my face. “Yes, we are officially dating.”

Chloe clapped her hands, bounced in her seat, and screamed.

“Shh! You’re going to make my mom come in here!”

With a wave of her hand, she replied, “She’s teaching a private class.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

With a half-shrug, Chloe said, “I know all things.”

“Oh, you do not know all things, trust me.”

She leaned in. “Is he big? He looks like he’d be big. Are you sore? It’s been a while since you’ve had a dick inside you.”

“Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously, Chloe, you did not just say that.”

“It’s the truth.”

I slowly shook my head. “For your information, we haven’t slept together yet.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Why not?”

“We’re taking it slow. I will say he can do wicked things with his tongue.” Despite teasing Josh at breakfast the other morning, I hadn’t actually told Chloe anything about his talents when she’d called and woken me up—though she did ask about the sex, of course.

A wide grin appeared on her face. “Shut up! Did he?”

“Oh, he did, and it was amazing. Best orgasm of my life. He knows how to use his hands as well.”

“Wow! Okay, now we’re getting somewhere!”

Laughing, I held up a hand. “That’s all I’m saying. It was amazing to fall asleep in his arms, then wake up to find him in the kitchen, making us breakfast before he left for the station.”

Chloe sighed. “Sometimes, I think I should find a guy to settle down with.”

I dropped back in my seat and stared at her. “Really? Are you ready to settle down?”

She shrugged. “I think about it sometimes. But I like sex and the no-strings-attached kind of thing too much.”

“You’d like Josh’s cousin, Nathan—Nate, I think he likes to be called. He’s of the same mindset as you, I believe.”

Chloe perked up. “Really? From what I remember of our internet search of Josh, he’s pretty cute.”

I nodded. “Cute doesn’t begin to describe him. And I don’t think Nate’s quite as handsome as Josh, but I’m biased. Nate can still make the heads turn.”

“We should do a double date. I’m running out of guys here in town.” When I blinked at her in surprise, she simply raised her brows. “What? I am.”

“You really should see someone about your addiction to sex.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

The door to my office opened, and my mother poked her head in. “Oh, I’m sorry, girls. I didn’t realize you were in here, Chloe.”

“I was passing by on my way to the gym, so I thought I’d stop and say hi to Soph.”

“It’s good seeing you. Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?”

“Us?” I asked.

“Don’t you remember? I asked you last night if you were free for dinner this evening since I couldn’t make it last night.”

My eyes darted to Chloe, who shrugged. When I looked back at Mom, I hedged. “I thought I said I had to check to see if I had plans with Josh first.”

“And do you?” my mother asked.

“Um, actually, no.”

“Perfect,” she replied, looking at Chloe rather than me. “Dinner this evening after my last class then. Think about where you girls want to eat.”

She turned and headed out of my office, leaving the door open. Chloe got up and shut it once again. Giving me a look, she asked, “What was that all about?”

“I’m not sure. She’s been acting strange ever since the wedding.”

“Guess we’ll find out later. Back to Nathan…”

“No, Chloe. I am not setting you up with Josh’s cousin.”

She pouted. “You’re no fun at all, but fine. I get it. He’s your boyfriend’s family, so I’m sure you don’t want him to be devastated after he sleeps with me and finds out within seconds that I’m not interested.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Chloe stood. “I’ve got some errands to run before the gym, then I need to head back home and do some work before dinner tonight. You’ll let me know where and what time?”

“As soon as she tells me, I’ll let you know. Want me to pick you up and we’ll drive together?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Chloe stated as she opened the door and waved to me. “Talk later!”

I focused on my computer and pulled up my email program to send out the weekly newsletter for the dance studio, when a new email caught my eye. It was actually the subject line.

I expect more.

“More of what?” I asked as I clicked it open.

Dear Ms. Montgomery,

I am writing to let you know that I’m not happy with the way my daughter, Olivia, is progressing in tap. It has been three weeks, and she can barely do a few little steps. I plan on speaking with your mother to see if I can get my daughter into a more experienced teacher’s class. Maybe if you had some dance experience yourself, you might be a better instructor.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Dorothy Habernathy

I stared at the email for two minutes before starting to laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It wasn’t the first time a mother had emailed to complain about me as a teacher, but they usually went straight to my mother. And it always seemed to be the moms whose husbands brought the kids to class who ended up having a problem with me.

Sighing, I stood and left my office to go find my mother. She was currently in another private lesson, so I made my way to my studio to get ready for the next class—the class that just happened to have little Olivia as a student. I took some time to stretch before anyone arrived. Slipping on my tap shoes, I drew in a few deep breaths. I was banking on Mrs. Habernathy bringing her daughter today.

Twenty minutes later, the kids all started to pile in, and I gave them a few minutes to prepare themselves. I saw Mom enter the waiting room then glance into my dance studio. Sure enough, Olivia’s mother was with her. They both took a seat on a bench.

I drew a deep breath and wondered why her email suddenly bothered me. The ones I had received in the past I just let go, but for some reason, I was pissed.

“Okay, let’s all get lined up, please!” I said as I clapped my hands a few times. “This is our fourth class, and do you remember what we learned during our first lesson?”

A few littles raised their hands. Olivia was one, and as much as I wanted to pick her, I didn’t. “Lynn?”

“We learned rhythm!”

“That’s right! Rhythm is a pattern we learn and repeat. Remember the clapping?”

They all shouted yes.

“Everyone, sit down, and let’s hug our knees.”

Once they were all seated, I said, “Which is our right foot?”

When they all held up their feet, I said, “You know what to do!”

As a group, they each started to tap their right foot.

“Count it out.”

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!”

“Great job!” I said with a big smile. “Let’s do our left foot.”

The kids repeated the same process with their left foot.

“Let’s do our right heel.”

The kids tapped the right and left heels eight times.

“Great work! Now, what do we do?”

“Tap both feet super-fast!” Olivia called out.

“Yes!” I replied, fighting the urge to look at my mother and Olivia’s mother while sticking my tongue out at the latter. “Let’s stand up and get ready to do our ‘Baby Shark’ dance.”

The kids all stood. Some jumped in place, and some did a little spin. They were mostly six, so I wasn’t about to wrangle them all. Once the music started, they would fall in line.

“Bend your knees! Great job. Now tap your right toe. Now your left.”

They moved onto their heels as the song went on.

“Good job, friends. What comes next?”

Olivia was one of the first ones to shuffle, and I nearly exploded with happiness. “Jump out, now in—and clap!”

The song ended, and all of the kids jumped for joy. Now, it was time for me to show off my skills, petty as that may have been.

“I’ve got a special treat for you tonight. Who wants to see me do a little Irish step dancing?”

All the kids cried out yes. Laughing, I motioned for them to sit down. I glanced at my mother and saw she was holding back a smile.

“Okay, I’m going to make a fist with each hand and keep them at my sides. My carriage is straight and tall, right?”

A chorus of kids replied with, “Yes!”

“My right foot comes out in front like so.”

Two of the dancers stood and followed my lead. I expanded the dance a bit more, went through the steps a little slower than normal for a few minutes, and once I was finished, all the girls ran up to hug me.

“I want to learn to do an Irish dance!” one of them called out.

“Maybe someday soon, but let’s get back to class.”

Once the class was finished, I made my way to my mother and Olivia’s mom, who’d both entered the studio. All the other kids had left to find their parents, except for Olivia, who took her mother’s hand.

“If that little show was for me, you failed to prove you’re a decent teacher.”

“Now, hold on one minute,” my mother said, as she stepped in front of Mrs. Habernathy. “You have no right to speak to Sophia that way. She’s been dancing since she was able to walk. She has a degree in dance and has been invited to join some of the most sought-after companies.”

Mrs. Habernathy folded her arms over her chest. “Then why is she working at her mother’s dance studio?”

My heart sank at her words. I glanced down at poor little Olivia, who was staring up at her mother in confusion. She clearly had no idea why her mother was upset. Before I could offer to speak to the woman in private without little ears listening, my mother calmly responded.

“I believe you need to find a new dance studio, ma’am. I will not have you disrespecting one of my teachers, regardless of whether it’s my daughter or not. If you’re such an expert, teach her yourself.”

The woman’s mouth fell open. “I’ve never in my life—”

“I find that hard to believe. If you’ll excuse us, this conversation is over.”

Turning on her heel, my mother left the studio, leaving me with the angry mom and her bewildered child.

I looked at them and said, “For Olivia’s sake, I was hoping this conversation would go in a different direction.”

Without saying a word to me, Mrs. Habernathy grabbed Olivia’s hand and started for the door. Olivia waved back at me, and my heart broke for the little girl.

Once alone in the studio, I changed my shoes, grabbed my bag, and headed to my office. I sat down and stared at my computer for what felt like a lifetime before I heard the soft knock on my door. Lifting my gaze, I smiled sadly at my mother.

“I’m sorry I lost my cool with her.”

“It isn’t like you to do that, but it’s okay.”

She pulled out a chair and sat down. “You looked like you were lost in thought.”

I nodded. “I was thinking about how my whole life, I always wanted dance to be my career. Whether it was teaching, or moving to New York and pursuing a different dream.”

“You don’t think that way anymore?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure anymore. I used to get so much pleasure from teaching, but with more and more parents breathing down my neck, telling me I’m not teaching the right way or complaining that little Suzie didn’t get to be in the front during the first part of the show…it’s slowly sucking all the joy away. And I didn’t fully realize it until today—when I put on a show to prove to a parent that I could do my job. What does that say about me, Mom?”

“You were hurt by her words and wanted to prove her wrong.”

I shook my head. “Yes, but I would have ignored her email six months ago.”

My mother drew in a deep breath. “A lot has changed in the last six months.”

Glancing down to the picture of my parents on my desk, I softly replied, “It has.”

“This might be the perfect time to tell you something I’ve decided on.”

Lifting my gaze from the picture to her, I asked, “What is it?”

She sat back in her chair. “I, too, have realized a few things. One is that I’ve been…oh, what do the kids say? All up in your business way more than I should be.”

I smiled. “I don’t think they say that anymore, but your statement is true.”

“Are you happy with Josh? Or did you start dating him because I was pressuring you?”

Chewing on my lower lip, I quickly weighed my options before answering. I could be honest with her, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I talked around the truth a bit.

“Do you know how I met Josh?”

“No, how?”

“I sent a text to Dad’s phone number during a very low moment, and Josh replied. We struck up a friendship before we even met one another. And to answer your question, I’m dating Josh because I like him, Mom.”

Her eyes lit up, and she smiled. “You do?”

Nodding, I said, “I do. He’s not like any other guy I’ve ever gone out with. There’s something… different about him that I just adore. His heart is so full of kindness, he’s a gentleman, he’s supportive. And the way he looks at me, Mom…it makes my heart feel like it’s floating in my chest.”

She reached across the desk and took my hand. “I’m so happy, sweetheart. I know your past relationships have been…difficult, for lack of a better word. It makes me happy to know you’ve found someone who makes you feel the way you do.”

“I can see myself falling head over heels in love with him.”

“By that smile on your face, you might already be.”

I let out a soft chuckle.

“Well, my news might make dating him even easier.”

Frowning, I asked, “What is it?”

Looking down at our clasped hands, she closed her eyes. It was almost like she was trying to find the strength to say what she wanted to tell me.

“Mom, it’s okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Her face lifted, and our eyes met. At that moment, I knew our lives were about to change significantly.

“I’ve decided to sell the dance studio.”

I heard the words, but they took a few extra moments to sink in.

“You’re selling the dance studio? Why?”

“It was always a shared dream with your father, and now that he isn’t here…something’s missing. We had talked about selling and traveling, and sometimes I wonder had I let go of this place sooner, if he might still be here. But at least I’ll be able to travel after I sell the studio.”

“Mom,” I said, squeezing her hand, “we don’t know why Dad did what he did.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she let out a long, shaky breath. “Sweetheart, that’s the thing…I know why.”

I jerked back, taking my hand with me as I stared at her. “What do you mean, you know why?”

She stood and started to pace my small office. “I didn’t want to tell you because I knew it would break your heart if you ever found out the truth, Sophia.”

It was my turn to stand. “Mom, tell me.”

When she stopped walking and faced me, tears fell down her cheeks. “It was guilt.”

“Guilt?” I asked in confusion.

“Oh, God, this is harder than I thought it would be,” she said, with another trembling breath. “I have the note if you want to read it. But in it…he confessed to an affair he’d been having for the last year.”

I dropped back down into my chair when my knees shook. “What?”

She nodded slowly. “I had no idea. And I didn’t think anything about the number of times he went out of town to tour a dance studio, or when he claimed he’d started taking a financial course in the evening. Apparently, he was with her .”

I covered my mouth with my hand. Instinctively I wanted to argue, tell her she was wrong. My father would never do that to either of us—but when my eyes met hers, I knew she was telling the truth.

“Mom…why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you deal with that, along with his death!”

She shook her head and replied, “I didn’t want you to think less of your father. I know how close the two of you were. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you. In the note, he did ask for your forgiveness, as well.”

“Now I know why you were so much angrier than me after his death and that’s why you were so angry after what Drake did. I thought it was just part of your grief.”

“It was. It is , and I’ve been seeing a counselor about that, and she was the one who told me I needed to be honest with you. I’m so sorry, Sophia. Truly, I am.”

I stood and walked around the desk to take my mother into my arms. “Oh, Mom, you have nothing to be sorry for! Nothing at all.”

In that moment, I was so angry at my father for not having the guts to tell us he was having an affair, and that he chose to remove himself from our lives permanently instead of owning up to what he’d done.

She stepped back and wiped the tears from her face. “Not to keep dumping things on you but…I’m going to sell the house as well. I don’t need that giant place when it’s just me. And when I start traveling more, I won’t be there often anyway.”

“I understand completely. You have to do what’s right for you , Mom.”

“You’re not upset that I’m selling the studio and the house?”

Studying her for a moment, I shook my head. “I’m not. Something inside of me today clicked after reading that email, and I think I want to do something different with my life. I need a break from dance. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember and the passion for it is…gone.”

“You don’t want to dance?” she asked, her brows pulled down. “Don’t let one email get you down like that, sweetheart.”

“It’s not just the email, Mom. I’ve felt a shift the last few weeks, and after spending the weekend with Josh, I feel like it’s time for a change.”

“A change? For goodness’ sake, you’re only twenty-two, Sophia.”

“And I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember. I understand your desire to make changes. Are you saying you can’t be supportive of mine?”

“I can!” she quickly said. “I will . I’ll always support you, but I simply don’t want you making a rash decision.”

“Well, if you’re selling the studio, I’d have to make a change regardless.”

She looked away for a moment, then back to me. “I guess I figured you’d stay on and teach with whoever bought the studio. That is, if that’s something you’d want me to work into the sale.”

Laughing, I said, “So you would make it a part of the sale that they had to employ your daughter? No, Mom, I don’t want you to do that.”

“What will you do?” she asked, worry taking over her face.

I shrugged. “I’ll figure something out.”

“But you don’t have any experience in anything other than dance.”

Rounding my desk, I sat in my chair and nodded. “That’s true, but I think I’m going to look at this as a new beginning. Besides, I’ve been doing our books and running this studio, even when I was in college. Yeah,” I said after a moment. “I can do other things besides dance and teach.”

“How will you afford your apartment if you’re not working?”

“I have savings. I’ve saved up a good amount of money, actually, and if I have to get a temporary job walking dogs or waiting tables, then that’s what I’ll do until I can figure it out.”

She smiled. “It looks like we’re both going to be starting over then.”

“We are, and no matter what we do, we’re going to kick ass!”

My mother laughed, and for the first time in a very long time, she seemed happy, and I felt a sense of…relief.