When the front door opened up and blew in a few handfuls of snow flakes, a bright-faced girl stumbled in with them. Kelly looked up from her computer and turned to Laura with mock surprise. “Well, will you look at that. Frosty the Snow Girl!”

Juliet laughed as she pulled off her gloves and unwound her scarf. “I felt like one of those mimes.”

Laura’s expression was a pensive one. “Trapped in a box?”

Juliet set her bag down and shook her head, shaking lose a few snowflakes. She started undoing the buttons of her coat. “Walking into the wind. Only I didn’t have to pretend.”

Laura stepped up to work on the buttons. “Your hands are probably freezing, how long have you been walking?”

Juliet didn’t answer right away, her eyes were focused on Laura’s hands as they worked the last two buttons loose.

When they were open, Laura took Juliet’s hands and held them between her own.

“Goodness,” she leaned forward and blew into a small gap between her thumbs.” Looking up at Juliet, she wondered, “Better?”

Juliet nodded, her eyes fixed on Laura’s face. “My friend Shay lives a couple blocks away. Her mom said she could drop me off here, but I told her I could walk.”

Laura’s expression turned down the corners of Juliet’s smile.

“I don’t think your father would be happy to hear that.” She looked out through the door and the building snow on the parked cars on the street. “With the weather-”

“I know, but it wasn’t far, and I promise I was careful.” Juliet read Laura’s expression and sighed. “You’re going to make me tell him, aren’t you?”

“He’s your dad, Juliet. He needs to know things so he can help keep you safe.” She pulled Juliet into a hug. “Just thinking about all the things that could have happened to you, I would never forgive myself if something did.”

“But,” Juliet hugged her back so tight, “I’m okay.”

Laura heard the truth in her words, but she couldn’t escape the worry that had settled in her chest.

“We’ll talk about this later, okay?” Laura needed a distraction from her unsettling thoughts. “Please tell me you brought your shoes.”

Juliet seemed almost as eager for the distraction and bent over to pick up her bag. “I have them right here.”

“Oh good.”

Laura turned to Kelly. “When Matthew comes,” she stopped at Kelly’s pointed look, “when Mr. Benson arrives, please let him know we’re in the break room.”

“Yes, sir! Ma’am, sir!” Kelly saluted Laura as if she was a General in the military and Juliet giggled.

Laura put a gentle hand on Juliet’s back and steered her out of the room.

When the door opened about an hour later, they were almost done with the second pair of Juliet’s pointe shoes. She knew it was Matthew walking up to the table, but it wasn’t until he was standing next to her that she smelled his cologne. It was a fresh, clean scent that tickled her nose and put a smile on her lips.

“You two look like you’ve been busy.”

Juliet looked up at her dad with a beatific smile. “She showed me how to take the shine off my pointe shoes.”

Matthew pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. It probably didn’t mean much, if anything, but Laura was glad that he sat down next to her.

He leaned his arms on the edge of the table and looked at the items they had placed on several layers of old newspaper. Reaching out a hand, he picked up the pale pink bottle of lotion and narrowed his eyes at the label.

“Calamine Lotion?”

Laura heard the disbelief in his voice. “We used this when Juliet had the chickenpox.”

“Like many things,” Laura reminded him, “it has more than one practical use.”

“Is it going to break out in bumps?”

Juliet sighed loudly. “Dad!”

Picking up one of the dried shoes, Laura held it up for him to see. The satin had gone from shiny pink to a soft pale peachy color. “It blends into the ballet pink tights.”

Picking up a cotton ball lying on the edge of the newspaper, Matthew turned it over and wrinkled his nose. “I’ll never understand girls as long as I live.”

“That’s okay, dad,” Juliet laughed and dabbed lotion along the side of the slipper, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand boys, either.”

Laura saw Matthew turning her way and she met his eyes, sparking with humor.

“That’s one less thing to worry about,” he told her, “I was starting to worry that she’d start liking them.” He shuddered for effect.

Juliet didn’t even look up from her work, smoothing the lotion into the fabric, following the grain. “I didn’t say that I don’t like boys, dad. I just said I don’t understand them.”

Laura saw his face as Juliet’s words worked their way into his brain. To say he was stunned was an understatement. He turned to look at his daughter and then froze there.

“Juliet, sweetie?”

“Hmm?” The young girl turned slightly in her direction but kept her mind on her work.

“I think you broke your dad.”

Juliet turned to look at him and saw him sitting quietly at the table, a stunned expression on his face.

Setting the shoe and cotton ball down on the newspaper, she waved a hand in front of his face. He barely blinked.

Laura leaned closer to Juliet and whispered. “Quick, say something about boys being icky.”

“Oh yeah,” she giggled and then straightened in her seat. “Don’t worry, dad, I’ll still probably think they have cooties until…” she looked off into space for a moment, before turning back with a grin, “at least until next week.”

Matthew clutched at his chest. “Next week? Give a guy some warning!”

Laura turned in her seat. “What do you need a warning for?”

“Well, I have to go to Google and look up at least ten ways to intimidate a young man. I’ve got to make sure he treats Juliet with respect.”

“Dad, don’t be silly. You don’t have to.” Juliet picked up the bottle of lotion and blotted some on the cotton ball between her fingers.

Matthew looked affronted. “Of course, I do. How else will the young man know how he’s expected to behave around you?”

Laura didn’t know what he expected Juliet to say in reply. Maybe he didn’t even expect her to say anything.

“It’s not just about what he knows, dad. I know. I saw you and mom. I saw how you treated her, how you showed her how much you loved her. So, I know how I should be treated and I won’t take anything less.”

Juliet continued to work on her shoes, probably unaware that she’d just dealt her father a solid blow.

He wasn’t hurt, but he looked haunted.

Laura reached across the table and wrapped her hand around his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

He didn’t move at first and Laura worried that’d she crossed over a line.

She was one moment away from taking her hand away when he squeezed her hand back.

Turning slightly on the chair, he drew their joined hands down off the table top and set them down on his thigh. He cupped his hands around hers and smoothed his thumb back and forth over the top of her hand.

“I feel like I’m going to wake up tomorrow and she’ll be leaving for college.”

“You have a few more years for that, Matthew.” She enjoyed the way his touch was making her feel, but she also hoped that he was getting some comfort from their touch. “And when she goes, where ever she goes, she’ll be ready for it, because of the love you’ve given her. Because of the home you’ve made for her.”

The words seemed to sink in and she saw the lines around his eyes smooth the littlest bit. “Do you think Aimee would be happy with how I’ve raised her?”

Laura couldn’t say she was shocked that he’d asked the question. “You know,” she shifted on the seat and moved closer to the edge, “after the cab dropped me off at my apartment I went to my photo album from Juliet’s last year with me. Aimee,” she smiled at the memory of sitting on the floor beside her bookcase and opening the padded album on her lap, “made the album for me and included pictures of all of the children in different combinations and by themselves. She even included a DVD of the recital in a plastic sleeve in the back of the album. She loved to see Juliet dance and encouraged her to reach for the stars when she loved something.”

She shifted her hands, gathering his hands in hers before she lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t have to answer your question, Matthew. You already know it. When you watch her dance. When you see the joy in her face, and the way her body moves through the air like it was meant to fly.” She blinked back a tear. “How can you see this amazing little girl with her personality and her sweet and gentle heart and think that Aimee wouldn’t be anything but proud of you?”

He drew in a breath, his shoulders losing some of the tightness that had been there a few minutes before.

“Thank you.” He let the breath out on a long sigh. “Thanks, Laura.”

“Nothing to thank me for. I’m so happy to be a part of this with the two of you. I get to see one of my babies take flight. It makes me so proud.”

“I did it!”

They turned, losing contact with each other’s hands.

Juliet held up the pair of pointe shoes on the flats of her palms. I got all of the spots coated and they look so pretty.”

“Just wait until you see them on,” Laura grinned at her. “Your legs will look extra-long and so gorgeous!”

Both of them stood up and Laura saw Matthew looking on in confusion. She turned to look at him as she reached down beside her chair and lifted the small break room trash can onto the newspaper. “It’ll just take us a moment to clean up and then you and Juliet can go home.”

Juliet set her shoes back into the box they’d come in and set the box down on her chair. “Thanks again, Miss Laura. It’s so awesome to have you helping me, I’m starting to feel like a real dancer.”

“Hey,” Laura reached out and gently took hold of Juliet’s shoulder to still her movements, “you are a real dancer. Anyone that dances with your skill and your heart is a real dancer and don’t let anyone else tell you any different.”

Juliet’s smile was incandescent a moment before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Laura’s middle.

If it had been any other moment, any other person, Laura would have pulled back gently, needing air in her lungs, but she stood there and wrapped her arms around Juliet and laid her cheek on the young girl’s head.

Talking to Matthew before, thinking about Aimee, it had all been tumbling about in the back of her head.

As she held Juliet, she tried not to hold on too tight, but she wanted to.

Aimee had been so lucky, blessed with a wonderful family. Her husband was handsome, kind, and attentive. Their child was beautiful on the outside, but she had a feeling that Juliet’s heart would outshine her outer beauty all the time.

And suddenly, what she wanted more than anything was a chance to be a part of their lives after the Nutcracker was over.

Even if it was only for a dinner here, or maybe a day at the park there. She wanted just the littlest bit of their time and she’d be happy.

When Juliet stepped back and smiled shyly, Laura grinned. “All right, let’s get this cleaned up and-”

The table was cleaned and Matthew was putting the rolled-up newspaper into the trash can. “I thought I’d get everything cleaned up so we could go eat something. I know Juliet can eat her weight when she’s been working hard.”

“Dad!”

He shrugged and gave her a wink. “What? It’s true!”

Laura took the trash can from him and walked it over to the counter. “Go on, you two. I’m going to help Kelly lock up and then I’m going to head home.”

When she turned back around, she stopped short.

Both father and daughter where still standing there.

“Did I forget something?”

“Duh! Hey!” Juliet waved off her dad’s hand that was trying to tickle her side. “What was that for?”

“Don’t say ‘duh’ to Miss Laura.”

Juliet’s shoulders sagged. “But I say it to you!”

“Okay,” Laura held up her hands, “what’s going on?”

Giving her dad a pointed look, Juliet tapped her foot on the floor.

Matthew’s smile was a big lop-sided grin. “We want you to join us for dinner.”

Laura waved off the offer. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Juliet and I talked about it last night when she made plans to meet you tonight. We thought it would be our way of saying thanks for your help with her shoes.”

She wanted to beg off. It really would have been a good idea to do it. Laura was beginning to enjoy their company too much.

What was going to happen when this was all over and she went back to being Juliet’s ‘old teacher’?

If she continued to spend dinners and other time with them it was only going to make it harder to go back to being just herself instead of a step-in mom.

But there was that part of her heart that told her to ‘go.’ To enjoy it while she could.

And honestly, that part of her heart was much louder than the cautious voice in the back of her head.

“Okay,” she smiled at the happy expressions on their face at her answer, “where are we going?”

Juliet answered this time. “Your choice! Whatever you want.”

She couldn’t tell them that what she wanted was standing right there in front of her.