Chapter Twenty-Five
“No! No! No!” Erik pushed her away as he screamed at her for what had to be the tenth time this past hour. “That is completely wrong. You turn the other way and then you extend your arm. I will lift you from there. Why can’t you get this right, Isabella?”
Sweat dripped down her face. “Maybe because you’re an ass and you spun me the wrong way?”
He stepped so his nose was almost pressed up against hers. His intimidation may have worked before but not anymore. Izzy’s entire life was no longer tied up in the company like it had been the last time. She had the power, so to say, and Erik hated it.
The company had invested everything into her—all of their promo materials for their upcoming “One Night Only” performance featured her image. There was no mention of Erik. He hadn’t been wrong when he said the company was floundering without her. Although she wasn’t sure it was because she was gone or because Erik wasn’t.
“You’ve been back for a month. Why are you still so rusty? We perform in seven days, and we’ll make fools of ourselves at this rate.” Spit flew out of his mouth as he yelled.
She wiped her face and walked away. She knew better than to engage Erik when he was like this. Besides, that was the director’s job.
Izzy wasn’t the problem in this pairing. How had she not seen that Erik wasn’t a strong dancer before now? She’d been so focused on her own insecurities and the dream she felt she had to achieve—for herself, and for her father—that it has escaped her notice how much she actually carried Erik.
Not anymore. She’d proven that she still had what it took to dance professionally. But it turned out the only person she’d needed to prove that to was herself. And she had, even before their performance next week. She couldn’t deny the high at the prospect of being back on that stage, using her body to tell a story, though.
As she waited for Madame Katarina to have words with Erik, she grabbed a towel out of her duffel and dried off her body. Thankfully Erik hadn’t said a word about her weight since she’d returned. She’d never realized that half of her weight management plan had been the hours and hours of exercise she put in daily. Thankfully she hadn’t fallen back into her unhealthy eating habits in the month since she’d been back. She was making smart food choices, and the scale and the weight chart no longer intimidated her. One thing this time away had shown her—she’d had a horrible mental attitude when she’d danced with the company the first time.
This time, she was approaching everything from a much better place.
And this month had shown her exactly how much she missed Tanner. When she wasn’t on the stage, she was holed up in her apartment, staring at her phone, hoping that he would text or call. Her dreams were filled with images of Tanner, his laugh when they’d talk or how his eyes would grow dark when he made love with her. Realizing a dream without the person you love wasn’t all that sweet.
All of that made her decision that much easier.
She snatched her phone out of her bag and stared at the blank screen. She hadn’t heard from Tanner in a couple of days. Sure, they were both busy, but she had meant it when she’d said their relationship didn’t have to end just because she was returning to the company.
Tanner hadn’t brought Hayley to New York to visit. There had been some developments in the string of vandalisms at the center, and he was staying close to home as a result. He couldn’t hide his frustration over the entire situation when they talked, which wasn’t nearly frequently enough for her.
At least she could dash off a quick text. “I miss you.”
She stared another minute. The message indicated delivered but didn’t switch over to read status. Was he busy or asleep? She lost track of time trapped in a studio or on the stage for long hours every day.
She was tempted to send another message, but she refused to be the only one that put any effort into their relationship. Tanner had Hayley to think about, and Izzy understood that took time, but Izzy loved his daughter. She’d never do anything to hurt or confuse Hayley. They could make this work—Izzy was sure of it. Especially considering the plans for her future.
Plans she was longing to discuss with Tanner, if he’d call her back.
“Izzy, you were wonderful. I’m so sorry about Erik.” The director, an older Russian woman, interrupted her thoughts of Tanner. Izzy had always envied her lithe body that looked like she’d never fought a battle with a donut and lost. She’d been dancing since she was a little girl, and after years performing in the Kiev ballet, she had defected. Her gentle tone and caring eyes had always soothed Izzy’s frazzled nerves when Erik was berating her.
“That’s all right, Madam Katarina. We’ll get it.”
“I know you will. Him, I’m not so sure. All of this time, we thought Brittany wasn’t the right fit for Erik when in reality it was Erik who was the problem.” She shook her head. “What are we going to do? We perform in one week.”
Izzy laid her hands on the older woman’s shoulders. “We’re going to rehearse until we get it right. No matter what, I’ve never let you down, and I’m not going to start now.”
Madam Katarina threw her arms around Izzy. “I missed you so much. I can’t believe Erik talked you into coming back.”
“I had something to prove.”
“You had nothing to prove to us, injury or not. We knew you were the wonderful dancer that you always have been. You have innate talent that can’t be taught. We’re so fortunate that someone recognized the ability in you when you were young.”
That was another thing Izzy had discovered during this return. All this time, she’d thought that she had something to prove to her father when she pushed herself so hard growing up, but that wasn’t it at all. Dad had instilled that drive in her, and she was pushing herself. Now that she was older, she understood that. And she couldn’t be angry at Dad anymore. She only wished she’d realized it soon enough to tell him.
There were still a lot of issues she hadn’t forgiven her father for, but pushing her to be the best at what she wanted for herself wasn’t one of them. “My father had a lot to do with fostering my love of dance early in my life. But enough about me. We only have one week until the benefit.”
In addition to being Izzy’s grand return to the stage, the benefit performance would provide a donation for the local boys and girls club in Harlem. After seeing the good things Tanner had done with the center in Cedar Hill, she wanted to help other teens who needed a place, or a person, they could turn to. The company had been thrilled with the idea, and the performance had all but sold out the Lincoln Center.
Working with the charity had made her time in New York almost tolerable. In some small part, she felt connected to Tanner. When she’d left Cedar Hill, she’d been so excited about the prospect of living in the city again. Now that she was here, she wondered why she’d ever liked it in the first place. The benefit performance was what kept her climbing out of bed every morning when all she wanted to do was pull the covers over her head and wish herself back home.
“Your family is coming, yes?”
Izzy smiled. “They wouldn’t miss it.” She’d been so excited during the group Skype with her Mom and siblings. They’d been thrilled about the performance and promised they would be center stage when the curtain was raised next week. She’d invited Tanner and Hayley as well, but he’d never responded.
“It’s time to get back to work. I have spoken with Erik, and I am confident that he’ll get it this time.” Madame Katarina shook her head. “Are you sure we can’t convince you to change your mind?”
The woman had expressed her disappointment at Izzy’s decision. But in the end, Izzy’s future wasn’t in New York. Erik had berated her, as usual, since her decision didn’t involve him. He’d tried to reignite their relationship, too, but she’d reminded him in no uncertain terms that she would not be returning to him.
Besides, she had Tanner. Didn’t she? She took one last glance at her screen, where her text remained unread. Hopefully next week wouldn’t be too late to salvage her relationship with the only man she loved.
“Isabella, I need you. We’re going to get this,” Erik yelled from the stage.
“His highness bellows.” Izzy laughed and Madame Katarina joined in. Izzy dropped her phone in her bag, the screen going dark. “Let’s do this.”
* * *
Ring. Ring. Tanner forced his eyes open. Two o’clock? Nothing good ever happened at two o’clock in the morning. He fumbled for the phone, blinking his eyes a couple of times as he studied the number on the screen.
It was too much to hope it was Izzy, calling to say she hated New York and she was coming home.
“Hello?”
“Tanner? It’s Detective Balkin. Could you come down to the station?”
“Right now?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve caught the culprit who’s been involved with the vandalism at Jason’s House.”
Tanner leapt out of bed. Finally a piece of good news. “Did you catch him in the act?” he asked as he dragged his jeans on and yanked up the zipper while trying not to drop his phone. Finally he could offer some resolution for the kids at the center.
“We just need you to come down here, sir.”
“I’ll be right there.” He clicked off. Why wouldn’t they tell him more? Well, he’d know soon enough. He pulled a T-shirt over his head and raked his fingers through his hair. That would have to do. It wasn’t like anyone cared what someone looked like in the middle of the night.
He dashed a quick note to Mary and hurried down to the station. It was only a few minutes before he was squinting from the bright lights in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Department. He introduced himself to the dispatcher manning the front desk, and she motioned for him to take a seat.
He’d almost dozed off in the chair when footsteps squeaked across the tile floor. Detective Balkin walked around the counter and extended his hand to Tanner as he stood. “So sorry to have you come out in the middle of the night. But I knew you’d want to know as soon as we had a break.”
Tanner bounced on the balls of his feet. He couldn’t wait to confront the jerk who had violated their space. “Is he back there? The one responsible for all the damage at the center?”
“Yes, she is.”
“She?” Tanner’s heart fell. As soon as the word sank in, he knew exactly who was responsible.
Sandra.
She hadn’t been around the center much recently, and when she was, she was sullen and withdrawn. She hadn’t participated in creating the mural with the other kids. He’d tried to draw her out, spend time with her, and get her to talk about what was going on in their counseling sessions, but she had shut down.
Damn. This was all his fault. He’d been spending more time with Izzy, and that had taken him away from his responsibilities at the center. After the long hours he spent with the kids before Izzy’d come into his life, there was bound to be some impact on the kids who were used to having unfettered access to him. That whole work-life balance he’d touted—it was all bull. He couldn’t do everything that needed to be done and have a life outside the center. And why should he bother trying? The person he wanted to spend time with wasn’t here anyway.
“Can I see her?”
“She’s back here.” The detective motioned for him to follow.
The lights buzzed and blinked, casting a dull, depressing yellow pallor over the entire space when Tanner stepped into the hall. He was taken through another door and then he saw her. She was hunched over on a bench with her hair hiding her face. Steel cuffs wrapped around her wrists in front of her, and a female deputy had her hand resting on Sandra’s back. When the deputy saw him, she rose and motioned for him to take her seat.
He sat on the bench beside Sandra and didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. From time to time, she sniffled and sobbed. Anguish rolled off her in waves. He gathered her into his arms and laid his hand on her head. While she cried into his chest, he thought about everything she’d been through in her short life. She had been on the right track. What had changed to make her resort to vandalizing the one place that offered her hope?
“What’s going on, Sandra?”
She sniffled but didn’t look at him. “I don’t know.”
“They said they caught you breaking in to the center.”
She just shrugged.
He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Can you look at me?”
She raised her head and he stifled a gasp. Her eyes were red and puffy, the black eyeliner she’d caked on running down her cheeks. He detected the faint hint of a bruise and a barely healed cut on her cheek.
“Oh, Sandra. They came after you, didn’t they?”
She nodded.
Dammit. He thought they’d gotten her away from the gang that had been so much a part of her life in Philly. This was what the center was all about—helping kids like Sandra who didn’t have anywhere else to turn. “I’m so sorry. I know you’re scared right now, and I’m not sure I can do anything about the charges for the breaking and entering and destruction of property. But I can tell you that we’ll be here for you. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be waiting. I still have hope for you.”
She buried her face in his chest and sobbed again. Why did everything have to be so hard? He wanted to cry right along with her.
She finally swiped under her eyes, and he watched her emotional armor go up, like she had forgotten for a minute that she was a tough girl from Philly. She scoffed. “You shouldn’t.”
“I’ll call your Dad and let him know you’re here. And I’ll check in with you tomorrow, okay?”
“Whatever.”
He sat with her another minute and then motioned for the deputy. “I’ll call her father. If there is anything you can do for her, she’s had a rough time of it. I’m convinced there are others behind this.”
“We’ll pass that on to the district attorney, Mr. Ross. Thanks so much for coming in.”
“No problem.” With a final look at Sandra, he headed back through the building and onto the dark street. It was hard to believe that this small town that he loved could be sullied by gang violence. This was what he’d tried to escape when he moved here, and what Sandra had been unable to.
He could see her remorse, feel the anguish in her words. Unfortunately, since the Sheriff’s Department was involved, he wasn’t in a position to sweep this under the rug. Besides, what kind of message would that send to the other kids? They were as upset about the damage as he was.
Damn, he wished Izzy were here. He would wrap her up in his arms, and she would make everything better, just by being beside him. He debated texting her, but it was the middle of the night. Hopefully she was getting some much needed sleep. He, for sure, wouldn’t be going back to bed tonight. He was too wired after dealing with the reality of Sandra’s involvement in the vandalism at the center.
If Izzy were here, she’d know exactly the right thing to say. But she’d left him to prove to herself something he’d already known—that she could do anything she’d set her mind to. Sure, she promised that they would continue dating, but how feasible was that? She was in New York, and he was here in Cedar Hill, with a daughter to raise. Maybe it was better this way. He couldn’t be with someone whose eyes were always on the horizon. He couldn’t deal with another woman who wasn’t interested in staying.