Road to Peace (5 page)

Poppy giggled. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I know, love.” I grinned. “Right, I’ll get dressed quickly and drop you at school.”

“I love you, Mummy.”

I adored it when she called me “Mummy.” It wasn’t often because my little girl was growing up, but she’d pull that out when she needed me to know just how much she was feeling.

“Love you too, Poppet.” I kissed her forehead and headed to my room to change.

* * *

Four-thirty rolled around faster than expected, so I left Ali at the office to handle the final meeting and rushed off to pick up the girls and take them to dance. Glad to find they were ready, we all piled in the car and headed to North Portland. Traffic was hellish, but I’d left in just enough time and we arrived with ten minutes to spare.

“Girls, you go warm up and I’ll check you in,” I directed, and headed to the desk.

A stunning brunette smiled up at me. “Hi. Welcome.”

“Thank you. I have Poppy Mann and Grace Clark.”

“Perfect. You’re all set. If you head inside, my daughter will show you where you can watch the class.”

I smiled and headed through the doors. Poppy and Grace were already at the barre stretching along with several other girls.

“Ma’am?”

I turned to the young woman smiling. “Yes.”

“If you’ll please come with me, I’ll take you to the viewing room for parents.”

“Thanks, love.” I followed where she directed and joined several of the other parents. They had coffee and bottled waters set up on a table against the back wall, along with a few snacky-type things, which I deeply appreciated since I was starving. I’d promised the girls dinner afterwards, but I grabbed a couple of crackers to tide me over.

Small talk ensued amongst a few of us as we waited for the class to begin, but once the door was closed and our only access to our children was through the looking glass so to speak, the room went silent.

The young woman who’d showed me into the room served as the example dancing before the class and her technique was flawless. Her petite curvy build seemed to lengthen with each limber move, and as she broke into a pirouette, little wisps of blonde hair escaped from the loose bun piled on top of her head. She moved like water through a graceful stream.

“Lily,” Mrs. Quinn instructed. “When you go into the petits jetés, point your toes a bit harder.”

Lily nodded and did a little jog, then went straight into the jump, her feet arched perfectly (as far as I knew, anyway).

“Beautiful, honey,” Mrs. Quinn said. “Now, who’d like to try that?”

I smiled to see both Poppy and Grace raise their hands immediately. Grace went first and she was lovely (as I suspected she would be), then it was Poppy’s turn and my heart was in my throat. She did well, but I could tell by her face she wasn’t happy.

The class moved on and I sighed as I watched Poppy’s countenance change. It was slight, and I knew that only I, as her mother, would notice, but it was enough to put a stone in my gut. She watched Grace with suspicion and a little jealousy, but would quickly force a smile. I knew she wanted to be supportive, but I think all girls fight the tendency to be mean on occasion, even to our best friends. Something was going on with my girl and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Before I knew it, the hour was up and the girls began to disperse. Mrs. Quinn pulled Grace aside and Poppy watched, her expression pained. Grace beamed as the instructor spoke to her and I wasn’t surprised she’d been noticed. She truly was a gifted dancer.

Class was officially dismissed and Mrs. Quinn sought me out. “Are you Grace’s mother?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m Poppy’s.”

“Oh, they’re both such lovely dancers.” She reached out her hand. “I’m Cassidy, by the way.”

“Maisie,” I said, shaking her hand.

“Would you please let Grace’s mom know I’ll call her later this week?” she asked.

“I’d be happy to.”

The girls walked to where their bags were and began to remove their toe shoes.

“I can see Poppy works very hard.”

“You have no idea,” I said.

Cassidy smiled. “I think I do. Is this something she’s passionate about? And I mean, does she breathe ballet?”

I thought about that question for a few seconds. “No, actually. I don’t think she does. Not like Grace, anyway. Gracie is constantly dancing or watching videos. She pulls socks over her pointe shoes and dances around the house. It drives her mother nuts.” I chuckled. “Poppy loves ballet, but breathes it? No. Though it doesn’t minimize her commitment,” I rushed to say.

Cassidy shook her head. “No, and it really shouldn’t. I did notice she gets frustrated if she does something wrong. I have always felt dance should be a release… a way to work through my emotions. I’ve noticed the most gifted dancers can’t live without it, but with Poppy, I see an internal fight a bit. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a beautiful dancer, but I think if she could figure out what she’s fighting against, she’d be able to relax a bit more.”

I hummed in thought. “That’s an interesting observation. I’ll have to ask her about it.”

“They’re both at a crossroads and I believe they could go quite far, but it’s time for them to start making some choices in order to set them up for the future.” Cassidy smiled. “I’d love to speak with you further, but why don’t you talk to Poppy first and find out what she wants?”

“I’ll do that.”

“Great.” Cassidy said goodbye to each girl individually and then we started out to the parking lot.

I wasn’t fully prepared for the next few minutes. As we walked through the foyer, I stalled. Hatch stood with a group of gruff looking men, all in jeans, boots, and leather vests or jackets, and one of them had his arm around Lily as he kissed the brunette who’d checked us in. A teenage boy stood with his arms crossed watching Lily as he spoke with a man who I assumed was his father since they looked alike.

My heart raced and I felt tingling in places I had convinced myself were dead. Hatch looked my way and I averted my eyes, sure he wouldn’t remember me, hoping to escape.

“Let me get you my number,” Cassidy said, reminding me I had unfinished business.

I forced a smile. “Right.” 

“Are you okay?” Cassidy asked.

“Yes, fine.”

She chuckled. “Please don’t let them scare you. They look rougher than they are. They’re here to help tear down.”

“They don’t scare me,” I said. “Not in the slightest.”

She didn’t look convinced as she handed me a card with a number jotted down on the back. “This is my cell. Call me this week and we’ll have a chat about options for Poppy.”

“Great, thank you,” I said, and turned to gather Grace and Poppy who were speaking with a few of the other students.

I glanced down to put the card in my purse and when I raised my head I nearly ran into a wall of muscle. I gasped.

“Sorry, babe,” Hatch said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I swallowed. “That’s okay.” I met his eyes and shivered.

“Maisie, right?”

God, he remembered my name. I nodded, unable to find my voice.

“Hatch,” he said.

“I… yes. Hello,” I managed.

“You takin’ a dance class?” he joked.

I chuckled. “My daughter is.”

“Yeah?” He glanced over his shoulder to where I was staring, then focused back on me with a smile. “She looks like you.”

I nodded, again unable to speak. I didn’t seem to have this problem when he rescued me. Maybe it was because he was standing close and he smelled incredible. Soap, leather, and all man. I was rendered useless when he ran his hand over his beard. I wanted to do it, so bad in fact, I fisted my hand at my side to keep myself from touching him.

He smiled. “I’ll let you go.”

No. No, don’t, please.

“I really appreciate you coming to my rescue the other week if I didn’t mention it before,” I rushed to say.

“Glad you got home safe.”

I bit my lip and took a silent breath. I needed to get myself together, but I felt like time stood still. It was just me and Hatch standing in the foyer of an old building in Northeast, the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

“Mum?”

I was startled out of my trance by Poppy and I forced my gaze from Hatch’s. “Are you ready, honey?”

She stared up at Hatch, a curious expression on her face. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he said.

“I’m Poppy.”

I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. Poppy didn’t introduce herself to strangers… well, adults, anyway, but she had no hesitation talking to Hatch.

He smiled. “Hatch.”

“Cool name,” she said.

“Thanks.”

“Are you a friend of my mom’s?”

“He’s the man who helped me when my car broke down,” I provided.

She frowned at me. “Oh, you mean when that lady left you stranded?”

I shook my head.

“I mean, who does that?” she continued.

“Who indeed,” Hatch said, his voice gruff.

“Let’s give Lonnie a break,” I said. “Sometimes people make mistakes.”

Poppy rolled her eyes and then asked, “Can we have pizza?”

I wrinkled my nose. Gross.

“Before you say you hate pizza,” Poppy rushed to say, “there’s a place around the corner that has other stuff as well.”

“Vincenzo’s,” Hatch said. “It’s good.”

“You should come with us,” Poppy said.

“Poppy,” I admonished. “Mr. Hatch is busy, honey.”

“Just Hatch,” he said.

“Right. Well, we should go. It was good to see you again.”

“This won’t take long,” Hatch said. “I could join you after.”

“Really?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.

“Sure.”

“I have to get Poppy’s friend Grace home by nine.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.

I smiled. “Okay, then. We’ll save you a seat.”

He nodded and walked away. I slid my arm around Poppy’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Let’s go, hmm?”

We grabbed Grace and headed to the restaurant around corner, and I tried to keep myself from losing the few crackers I’d eaten earlier.

* * *

Hatch

There was something seriously wrong with him. When he saw Maisie walk out of the dance studio he lost his fucking mind. Damn she was stunning. Prettier than he remembered and when she saw him, his dick took notice. He couldn’t figure out what it was about this bitch that made him want more of her.

He knew she remembered him, but she couldn’t seem to make eye contact and it was fuckin’ cute how nervous she was. He could read every emotion on her face and he liked that a little too much.

After helping tear down Ace’s old lady’s rented space, he headed to the restaurant later than he wanted, but glad to see Maisie was still there. They had less time, though. Maybe that was a good thing.

She met his eyes as he approached and he forced himself not to smile at the sight of her cheeks pinkening. But when she licked her lips, he imagined her mouth wrapped around his cock and he had to take a second to think about something else.

“Hey,” he said, stopping at the table.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“You came!” Poppy exclaimed with a smile.

“I did.”

Maisie scooted further to the wall and Hatch took it as an invitation to sit beside her.

“This is Grace,” Poppy said. “She’s my best friend.”

Hatch gave her a quick nod. “Hey.”

Grace smiled. “Hi.”

“Help yourself,” Maisie said finding her voice. “We ordered a bit too much.”

“Can we go play a game, please?” Poppy asked.

“Sure, love. We have to be out of here in twenty minutes, though.” Maisie handed her daughter some money and the girls flitted off to the arcade area.

“You live around here?” Hatch asked as he grabbed a slice of pepperoni and took a bite.

She shook her head. “Pearl. You?”

“Beaverton.”

“Are you a mechanic?”

“Yeah. You?”

“CEO.”

“No shit?”

She blushed again. “My husband and I started the company fifteen years ago. So, I suppose CEO’s really a fancy title for buck stopper.”

“Makes sense.” He took another bite.

“He’s dead now,” she said so quietly he almost didn’t hear it.

“Sorry to hear that.”

She leaned her elbow on the table and settled her cheek in her palm. “What about you?”

“Divorced.”

“Sorry to hear that,” she mimicked.

“Don’t be. Shoulda never married her,” he said. “Your car runnin’ okay?”

“Like a champ,” she said. “I didn’t even know there
were
fuses that would affect the starter. It would have been the last thing I checked.”

“Your hair girl leave you stranded?”

Maisie rolled her eyes. “Technically, yes, she did.”

“You wanna fill me in?”

“Not really.” She sighed. “It’s no big deal. She was busy and you were there to help, so it’s all good.”

“What happened, Maisie?”

After a few seconds of hesitation, she filled him in, and he scowled. “Bitch.”

“Yes, it wasn’t very nice,” Maisie agreed.

He dropped it and focused on her again. “Feel free to call me if you have any other problems with your car again. I’ll be happy to have a look at it.”

“That’s kind of you, Hatch, but I don’t have your number.”

He chuckled as he wiped his hands and then held one out. “Give me your phone.”

She handed it to him and he loaded his contact information in it, sending himself a text so he’d have hers.

“Now you have my number.”

She glanced at the screen. “And you have mine it would seem.”

He grinned. “Weird.”

Maisie chuckled. “Isn’t it, though?”

Her phone buzzed in her hand and she sighed, firing off a text to someone. “I need to get Gracie home.”

“I’ll get you a couple boxes,” Hatch offered.

“No, it’s okay.” She shook her head. “We won’t eat it, honestly. It’ll just end up in the rubbish. Will you take it?”

“I’ll take it if you’re gonna chuck it.”

“I really will chuck it. Pizza’s not my thing and I don’t want Poppy eating it on a regular basis.”

He slid out of the booth and Maisie followed. She waved to Poppy whose face fell, but tugged on Grace’s arm and they finished up their game.