Night Shifts by Holley Trent

Author:Holley Trent [Crimson Romance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2015-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“Travis, what are you doing? You’re shrinking. Keep your shoulders up and back. No, not up by your ears. You’ve done this a hundred times. I know you know how.”

Izzy crossed the studio floor to Travis, the young man cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier for the Glazier Studio’s production of The Nutcracker. Dark haired, fine boned, and broad shouldered already at his age, the boy was the picture of petulant aristocracy in his costume regalia with his black expression and hunched stance. The Sugar Plum Fairy, a particularly talented student called Amanda, went over her solo choreography while her partner sulked. Sunlight shafting through the large windows made her blond hair gleam.

Body curved in on itself, Travis averted his eyes as Izzy approached. She corrected his posture, giving his lower back a gentle swat when it curved outward again.

“Travis — ”

“Madame Tunskill?” Amanda’s voice quavered.

Izzy looked over at the girl who eyed the studio windows warily.

“I think that man wants to talk to you.” Amanda pointed.

Hands pressed to the studio’s picture window, a brown bag clutched in one of them, Curtis waited until he had Izzy’s attention before mouthing, “Can I come in?”

“One second, guys,” Izzy said and trotted to the studio door, waving Curtis over. She was ridiculously happy to see him, which gave her pause. Her mind should have been on Travis and Amanda and it wasn’t. The session had been nothing but frustrating and the promise of a lunch date after work further strained her patience. Cold air swirled around her ankles when she let Curtis inside. “Would you please stop scaring my students?” she rebuked him as she shooed him into her office, closing the door most of the way behind them. “You’re a little early. I still have half an hour with them and we may need to go over.” She checked her watch.

“Problems?” Curtis dropped the paper bag on an uncluttered corner of her desk. Fresh baked fragrances, warmed bread and meat, filled the small room and her stomach growled. “Ham and cheese croissant. Want some?”

“Please,” Izzy said and Curtis opened the bag and fished out the butcher paper wrapped pastry. Biting into the savory croissant scalded her tongue. She blew air out of her mouth, cooling the cured ham and Swiss cheese, before chewing and swallowing. “My Cavalier is having performance anxiety and I don’t know why. He’s been fine until today.”

Travis was perfect casting for the Cavalier. Besides ballet, he played baseball and soccer and had a unique level of self confidence for a thirteen-year-old boy; a requirement for any man interested in classical dance. Ballet wasn’t Travis’s passion, but he’d taken classes with his sister, who had the role of Dewdrop this year, since they were five and Izzy got the impression he stuck it out for her sake. He’d also confided the leg work helped his kicks and control on the pitch. His sudden reticence was a mystery. Maybe it was the dress rehearsals she’d started after

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