She giggled before digging her face in Harper’s neck.

“Now you know you make her giddy, Phillip,” Harper joked before turning her attention to Claire. “Hi Claire, I hope that we make you feel at home.”

Claire shrugged her shoulders as she kicked at the ground.

“She is occasionally a mute. I don’t remember if I told you that,” Phillip said, pinning her with a look.

Claire rolled her eyes before looking up at Harper with her mouth set in a straight line.

“Hi.”

Wow, a whole word. For f**k’s sake. Please Lord, let this go okay.

Harper smiled at him as she said, “Don’t worry, I have a feeling we will be great friends.”

Claire scoffed and then said under her breath, “Yeah, right.”

Looking up at the ceiling, he counted to three before looking back over at Harper.

“I told you she could be a brat, right?”

Claire glared up at him as Harper shook her head.

She looked over at Claire, meeting her gaze before saying, “Nope, you told me she was a sweet girl and that once she gets to know my family and me, she will learn to love us, like we are going to love her. We are a big family, us Assassins, you see, and I know you’ll fit in great.”

Looking down at Claire, Phillip suspected she thought that Harper was full of crap, but all she did was look away without a word. Thank God. Meeting Harper’s gaze, he mouthed, ‘Thank you”. She smiled back at him before kissing Ally’s cheek.

This was going to work.

It had to.

When a knock came on Reese’s office door, she looked up to see the mother of Kelsey Writhenmen. Her heart dropped as she motioned for her to come in. As she entered, Reese shut her computer and opened Kelsey’s file. Kelsey was new to the studio, and was on probation while Reese decided if she was a good fit for the company. Kelsey was a beautiful girl, with big green eyes, long brown hair, a great body, and great technique. She had trained in New York since she was two, and Reese thought she was going to be exceptional. The only problem was that she was a little brat that thought Reese should be honored to teach her. Needless to say, she wasn’t a good fit. Even though Reese hated this part of her job, she really didn’t feel that bad about letting her go.

“Hey Mrs. Writhenmen, thanks for coming in.”

She smiled curtly before crossing her legs. “Of course, what is this about?”

Always to the point, she thought as she said, “Well, as you know, we are at the end of Kelsey’s probation.”

She waved her hand dismissively.

“Yes, and?”

Man, I’m not going to miss these people, Reese thought, taking in a deep, calming breath.

“Well, I’ve decided that I will not be keeping Kelsey on.”

Mrs. Writhenmen looked up from where she was examining her nails and said, “Excuse me?”

“I said that I will not be keeping Kelsey on. She isn’t a good fit in my studio.”

“She is the best you have.”

Reese shook her head. “Actually no, she is not. I have amazing dancers. Even though Kelsey has beautiful technique, she doesn’t have a good attitude.”

Mrs. Writhenmen’s chest puffed up, and Reese prepared herself for the lashing.

“You are getting rid of her because she doesn’t have a good attitude? She is confident, knows what she wants! She is the best damn dancer you’ll ever see!”

“Again,” Reese said calmly, “that is your opinion, but what matters is what I want since this is my studio. Here is a reimbursement for half the month, and I wish Kelsey the best in her future dancing endeavors.”

Kelsey wouldn’t make it anywhere, not with that shitty attitude. Maybe being kicked out of this studio would straighten her out, but Reese highly doubted it.

Mrs. Writhenmen looked from the check up to Reese before her face became red with anger.

Shit, please be done, please just walk out, and leave me the f**k alone. I really don’t want to cuss you out, lady.

She snatched the check and stood up. Reese thought she was going to leave quietly, but then Mrs. Writhenmen turned with pure hatred in her eyes.

“You are making a mistake.”

Reese shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t feel the same.”

She shook her head as she held Reese’s gaze. “You are nothing but a cold-hearted bitch. I’m not surprised you didn’t make it in New York because you wouldn’t know talent if it bit you in that fat ass of yours.”

When the door slammed shut, Reese shook her head. Her heart was beating in overtime, and her hands were shaking.

“Actually, you’re wrong again. I did make it. I just chose to come home because I couldn’t be in the same city with my ex. Plus, my ass isn’t as big as yours, you stupid, stuck-up bitch.”

It felt good to say it, but it didn’t make her feel better. No one knew that she had come home because of Kevin but family. When people asked why she didn’t stay in New York, she always said that she was homesick. She would tell the story of how she always wanted to own her own studio and teach young minds. It was a bunch of bullshit, but it got people off her back. Now that she was two years into the studio, she did believe that this was her calling, but she still missed the stage and lights.

Leaning back in her chair, she let out a breath before shaking her head.

“Well, that went awesome.”

Pulling into Harper’s driveway, Reese took in a calming breath. She didn’t want to come over here or do anything for that matter, she just wanted to go home. Mrs. Writhenmen’s words played over and over in her head, and it was driving her crazy. She wasn’t cold, she was actually nice to the kids, and tried to be to Kelsey, but that little girl needed a good slap across the face and a kick in the bottom. Two things Reese couldn’t do without a lawsuit on her hands. The fact that she had called Reese cold wasn’t what was bothering her… it was the fact she brought up New York. Reese tried very hard to forget that city and the man that was there, but it seemed that she never could. She wished she wasn’t so weak, but for some reason, she was when it came to Kevin and the Big Apple. It was a place of lost dreams.