The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,33

again, especially not in this situation. Her gaze snagged on a pair of green eyes. Gray Atwell gave her an almost imperceptible smile along with an encouraging nod. Was Violet part of this stunt?

Had he known Avery was being set up this way? Not that he owed her any loyalty, but it still stung.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” she lied to Josie. All Avery had was time. Time and a growing balance of credit card debt.

“Then let’s get started.” The older woman took Avery’s hand in hers. Josie’s grip was sure, her skin soft in the same way Avery remembered from her mother. “Available students in each class, from the tiny toes to the teens, have put together a short demonstration of their current program. It will be like a mini recital.”

“Oh, joy,” Avery muttered.

Josie squeezed her fingers, tucking Avery and Spot closer against her side. She smelled like some sort of overflowery perfume or lotion and Avery could just imagine the multitude of wee dancers in Magnolia who’d grown up only to have the scent of roses carry them back to their childhood. She almost laughed at the fact that this woman holding her hand had reminded Avery of her mother. Melissa Keller didn’t hold hands. She rarely showed any sort of physical affection, unless straightening Avery’s school uniform counted.

Josie and Avery walked into the open dance studio, which was bright and welcoming with large windows, polished floors in honey-colored wood and a row of ballet barres in front of a wall of shiny mirrors. “We hold our seasonal recitals at the elementary school,” Josie explained. “But this will do for today.”

“It isn’t going to change anything.” Avery felt compelled to say the words out loud.

“Maybe not,” Josie agreed with a sad smile. “But the kids wanted to try.”

Avery plastered a smile on her face as Josie led her to a row of chairs situated against the far wall. What else was she supposed to do? The parents followed, filling in the seats around her, although no one sat directly beside her until Carrie and Gray approached. Her sister took the seat to Avery’s left and Gray to her right. Spot remained in her arms, happy to be cradled like a baby. Avery tried to take comfort in the dog’s steady heartbeat. At least someone was happy with this turn of events.

“Sorry,” Carrie mouthed, patting Avery’s leg as she tucked her purse under the chair.

“Nice mini cow,” Gray told her. He reached out to scratch Spot’s back, earning a soft snuffle from the animal.

“Did you know about this?” Avery demanded under her breath.

He shook his head. “Not until one of the moms called me to say she was picking up a few of the dance class girls early from school.”

His words eased a bit of the tension spiraling through her. “It’s ridiculous,” she whispered.

“Josie has a special way with the kids,” he countered gently. “She’s an institution around here.”

“I’m not debating that. But—”

She broke off as Josie introduced the first group of dancers. Five young girls and two boys filed out from a door at the other side of the studio. They couldn’t have been more than three years old. The girls wore pale pink leotards with tulle tutus, tights and soft ballet slippers. Several of them looked nervous while a couple of the girls offered gapped-tooth grins to the audience. One of the boys, a skinny towhead, waved at his parents.

Spot perked up, shifting in Avery’s arms as if intrigued by the performance. They watched as the kids began to move through the choreographed positions. Avery had expected it to be adorable. She wasn’t completely unaware of the charm of children even if she typically remained immune to it.

But Gray had been correct. Josie was amazing with the kids. Her love for dance and teaching it was palpable. None of the kids was going to give Misty Copeland a run for her money, but each of them danced with an infectious joy that couldn’t be denied.

After a few minutes, the music ended. The first group of dancers bowed and then filed out of the room, replaced