I bite my lip because I know by the end of this conversation that grin won’t be there. “Yeah, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, baby, close the door,” she says, closing a file as I do as she asks, then I fall into the seat in front of her desk.
“What’s up?”
Moving my fingers together, I bite the inside of my cheek and take in a deep breath. She isn’t going to like this one bit, but I have to remember the reason I’m doing this.
Jude.
“I’m quitting the stage,” I say and watch as her face contorts in anger. “I still want to choreograph for you, but I mainly want to be backstage only. I can’t be onstage anymore.”
Nothing is said. Her eyes are locked on me, and I’m ready for her to start screaming. Surprising though, she doesn’t.
“Why?” she asks, her voice sharp and to the point.
Swallowing loudly, I say, “Well, for two reasons, or maybe two people. I’m not sure how my uncle will react to this, and I have a boyfriend now. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want his girlfriend onstage.”
“No one knows it’s you. We make sure of that.”
I nod. “I know, but I know and I feel like I’m lying to them.”
“Who cares? Lock that shit up. You are my best dancer, my biggest moneymaker.”
“I know, but I can’t stay here for the rest of my life, Ms. Prissy. You knew this day would come.”
“Yeah, I did,” she snaps. “But not three weeks before the investors come. I need you.”
“I will be here, backstage. I will still come and work with the girls and get them stage-ready. I’m not going to leave you hanging.”
She starts to shake her head before I even finish my sentence. “No, I need you onstage. What do you want, more money?”
I shake my head. “No, I can’t do it.”
She eyes me and then leans on her forearms, looking me straight in the eye. “Yes, you can, and here’s what I’m offering. Give me until the investors come. I won’t take a cut of your tips, no station fee, nothing.”
Holy crap, that’s over a grand I’ll be keeping. She must have known that would mess with my decision to leave because she goes on. “You will be strictly coming here, working, and leaving with every cent you make. On top of that, I’ll pay you five hundred dollars more, in addition to the money I’m already paying you.”
Fucking hell, I’ll have way more money than I wanted to save. I’ll be set.
“After the investors come and go, if you don’t get hired, which, by the way… What happens if you do get hired?”
I shrug. “I’ll have to tell them then, and pray that they’ll support me.”
She shakes her head, bored with me as she says, “Okay, whatever. After that, you can go and strictly be backstage. Don’t turn this down; this is a good deal. I need you and you know that.”
I nod. “I do, but it isn’t about the money,” I say, but I think we both know that is a complete lie. “I love them, and I don’t want to lose either one of them.”
Looking me square in the eyes, Ms. Prissy basically says what Reese said weeks ago. “If they love you, they will support you, no matter what.” Clearing her throat, she says, “My parents did not support me at first when I opened this business, but when they saw how happy I was, they did. Some people are made for this, and I believe you are one of them. The investors are going to eat you up, you watch. I’ve been talking you up something crazy, and I bet your bottom dollar that they are going to offer you something you won’t be able to refuse. I suggest you tell your loved ones now before you are forced to.”
I look away and take in a deep breath before blowing it out my nose. “But I’m quitting.”
She scoffs. “No, baby, you’re not and you know it. We both know that money talks, and I just gave you the mother lode.”
Not answering her, tears rush to my eyes because she’s completely right. I need that money; it will set me up for the rest of my life. If things don’t work out for me and Jude, not that I would expect to live off him, I’ll need the money in the future. If they do work out for us and I get picked up by the investors, I can put this money in a trust fund for our little hockey-playing babies. The best hockey schools aren’t cheap.
This money is my future.
I can’t turn my back on it.