“Maybe.”
“Why aren’t you in there with them?”
“I was, for about thirty minutes. Then I was getting in the way more than I was helping.” Her stomach tightened. “And I figured it would be good for them to have some one-on-one time. I’m enjoying watching them.”
“Are you?” Grace asked. “Because it looks like you’re going to dig your nails into your flesh.”
Tessa glanced down at her arms where they were wrapped around her knees and noticed for the first time, her fingers were so tightly clasped on her arms, they were bloodless, as were the areas under her fingers where they indented her biceps. Tessa sighed, released her legs, and planted her hands behind her in the warm sand. “It’s just…”
When she didn’t go on, Grace said, “It’s just that your baby is in the water with a man you don’t really know.”
Tessa forced her gaze away from Zach and Sophia and smiled at Grace. “Mama bear syndrome. I often wonder if it ever fades. Do you have kids?”
“No. Josh and I got married a few months ago. We’re waiting a little bit.”
“Do you two live here?”
She shook her head. “San Diego. Josh had to come for work. I took time off to come so we could have some sort of belated honeymoon.”
“Sweet.” Tessa wished she could do this more often. “What do you do?”
“I’m a dance instructor.”
“Really, what kind? Sophia takes ballet. She loves it.”
“Actually”—she grinned—“I teach strippers.”
Tessa’s mouth dropped open.
Grace laughed. “I get that a lot.”
“It’s certainly different. Were you a stripper before you started teaching?”
“No. Cheerleader and on-again, off-again musical performer. I took the den mother job out of necessity.”
“Den mother?” Tessa asked.
“That’s someone who manages the strippers backstage. Helps them with hair, makeup, costumes. Delivers encouragement, tough love, and therapy when necessary.”
“I never knew such a thing existed.”
Grace grinned. “That tells me a lot about you.”
She’d bet—as if Tessa wasn’t one of the sexually liberated bombshells currently flirting with Zach and Sophia. “Does that ever bother Josh?”
“Not at all. Josh helped me start my own studio. I still teach mostly strippers, but I love the women. Really hardworking women, many raising children on their own. A lot like you, actually, only they don’t have the education or skills to work a job that pays a living wage. Now I have better hours and take on other clients as well. Josh’s connection with the Renegades has, unexpectedly, brought me a few actors and actresses who need coaching through a movie role.”
Tessa formed a picture of what Grace’s life looked like. “That sounds really…fun.”
“It is.” Grace’s smile was warm. “I love it. And Josh loves me, so he’s okay with it. What about you? I hear you’re a big-shot attorney in Washington.”
Tessa’s laugh was edged with sarcasm. “I’m just an attorney struggling to find a foothold in a sea of attorneys.”
“I hear you’re close to that foothold.”
“You hear a lot. I’m surprised Zach has talked about me that much.”
“That’s why I came over. After hearing more about your situation, I could identify with you being on your own, taking care of a sick friend, and raising a daughter. I took on the second job because my mom has Alzheimer’s and the residences that care for Alzheimer’s patients are extremely expensive.”