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I patted her shoulder. “Bonjour, Meena.”

Amelia was right behind her. “Claire! Thank you so much for doing this. Come on in!” She motioned for me to follow her.

Leading me further into the house, she asked, “Did you find your way alright?”

“I did. It wasn’t too far from the studio.” I took in the beautifully decorated home. It was ultra-chic and modern, dressed in neutral colors with pops of black and metal accents. It still looked like a home that someone could raise children in despite looking like it could have been featured inArchitectural Digest. “Your home is beautiful!”

Amelia turned her face to me over her shoulder and flashed a shy smile. “Thanks!”

I really liked her personality. She seemed to be humble and not into flaunting her wealth. I found it to be refreshing since most of my students came from well-off families. I was used to the Rolexes on every father’s wrist and diamond earrings that adorned every mother’s ears.

Meena ran ahead of us into the living area. “Daddy! Come meet my ballet teacher!”

A tall, good-looking man turned around.Holy crap!He was handsome. I saw where Meena got her dark hair from. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen his face before. Maybe he’d dropped Meena off for class or something and I just couldn’t remember.

“Madame Varon,” he said, offering me his hand. His voice was strong and authoritative with a slight British accent. Whatever he did for a living, I was sure he was the guy who was in charge with how much power he exuded, even with the small kid that was attached to his hip. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my wife and daughter.”

I shook his hand. “Please, call me Claire. Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Sethi.” He had such a dominating presence, it would easily intimidate the most assertive of personalities, even mine.

I eyed the little boy in his arms, who looked like his mini-me.

“This is my son, Dylan.” Addressing the little boy, he bounced him on his hip. “Say hello,beta.”Son.

“Hi.” The little boy waved at me with his tiny hand.

“Hello, Dylan.” I smiled at him. He seemed more subdued than his big sister. Maybe it was just because he was younger than her.

Meena grabbed my hand and tugged me away from her father. “Come on, Madame Varon. Mommy said we can use the gym to dance.”

Amelia took Dylan from her husband’s arms and walked with us. “I appreciate you doing this on a Sunday. I hope we didn’t ruin any of your plans.”

Fortunately for her, I rarely had plans on the weekend, but I would never tell her that. I would usually spend the day in the studio coming up with new routines for my classes. I had no family here and Lana was my only friend, so my social life lacked luster, minus the new trend of stripper parties and orgies that Lana made me attend. “No, it’s fine. I’m happy to be here.”

She led us to a spacious gym with every type of equipment imaginable. Mirrors covered three walls, with clear glass on the fourth that contained the door to enter so you could see inside while walking by. The polished wood floors served as the perfect platform to dance. “This room is perfect!” I said, admiring the amount of space that would be at my disposal.

Amelia nodded while setting her son down, who escaped to play with some brightly colored yoga balls in the corner. “I thought it would work well. Do you need anything else before you guys get started?”

“Is it okay to connect my phone to play music?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. The speakers are right over there.” She pointed to far end of the gym next to stacks of hand weights.

I walked over to them before setting my bag down on the floor and removing the button-down shirt that covered my outfit. I had worn a black leotard with cap-sleeves and black tights today, with a light blue chiffon wrap around my waist and my customary ballet bun perched on top of my head.

Connecting my phone to the sound system, I pulled up the Disney-movie playlist that I knew Meena loved. I quickly swapped my outside shoes for my practice ones before we commenced. They were soft and not as rigid as pointe shoes, and perfect for chasing after my younger students.

Meena was all ready to go, twirling around the floor to the music when I returned to her. Her brother had even joined in on the action, bending his knees and squatting to the ground in pulses to shake his butt. He was such an adorable kid.

“Let’s go, Dylan.” Amelia tugged him away to give us space. “Claire, if you need anything, just press the intercom button by the door.”

“Thanks.” I smiled before turning my attention to my eager student.

I folded at the wait with my hands on my knees to meet her at eyelevel. “Ready, Meena?”

“Let’s do it!” she cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

Class was originally scheduled to be sixty minutes long. We had made it to the forty-five-minute mark when Meena lost focus, running to the door in a fit of distraction.

“Uncle Jai!” she squealed before launching herself into the visitor’s arms. She tucked her face into the man’s body as he squeezed her into a big bear hug with his muscular arms, which were on display through the sleeves of his fitted black t-shirt. “I missed you!”

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