Page 26 of The Dating Ban
Ivy gives her a sceptical look. “You sound very sure about that.”
“I am,” Lucy insists. “Daddy’s class is way harder than mine, but he’s so good.”
Ivy lifts an eyebrow at me. “Oh? So I’m about to be shown up?”
I shrug, feigning modesty. “I do have excellent balance.”
She narrows her eyes. “I feel like you’re setting me up for something.”
I grin. “Come on, let’s get going before you change your mind.”
“Does Lucy not go to school yet?” Ivy asks whilst we walk the short distance.
“No, her birthday is in May so she starts in September. Until then, the café is closed on Mondays so I can spend some time with her,” I sigh. It is sometimes scary to see how quickly Lu is growing up.
“She adores you,” Ivy says.
“Well, she has only me… and my family.”
Ivy lowers her voice when she asks, “Do you think her mum will ever come back?”
“Nope,” I shake my head, “Katherine never bonded with Lu and it was clear she didn’t want to be a mother very early on. We weren’t in love either. We tried to make it work but, in the end, we had to call it a day. It just was better for everyone around. She has never been in touch orsent a birthday card or anything. Last I heard, she moved to Australia with her girlfriend.”
“Oh,” is all Ivy says. Yeah, people generally don’t know what to say to our situation.
“Does Lucy ask after her?” Ivy asks carefully. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t—”
“Nah, it’s fine. She rarely asks after her. She’s never really known any different. She was too little when Katherine left. My brothers are always there to help and my mum would be here in a jiffy if we needed a female perspective. So, she has all the family she needs,” I shrug.
“Yes, she does.” Ivy gives my arm a gentle squeeze.
The studio is just down the road, tucked away in a quiet little side street. It’s one of those places that looks small from the outside but opens up into a surprisingly large space inside.
As soon as we step through the doors, Lucy beams and immediately bolts toward the kids’ section, where a group of tiny humans is already gathered on their mats in the far corner of the room.
“See you later, Daddy and Ivy!” she calls over her shoulder, barely looking back before diving straight into conversation with a little girl who has a stuffed rabbit perched next to her mat.
Ivy watches her go with mild amusement. “Well, she settles in fast.”
“She’s a social butterfly,” I say, scanning the room.
The adults’ class is at the other end of the studio, a calm, soft-lit space where people are already rolling out their mats, stretching, and getting ready for the class.
I gesture toward a shelf stacked with yoga mats. “Grab one from here.”
Ivy hesitates before pulling a mat out, holding it in front of her like it might attack her. “So, what’s the protocol? Do I just… put this down and hope for the best?”
“Pretty much,” I say, setting mine down in my usual spot.
She glances around at the other people warming up. “They all look very capable.”
I smirk. “You nervous?”
She scoffs. “No. Of course not. I love humiliating myself in front of strangers.”
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. If you fall over, I’ll pretend not to see.”
She shoots me a look. “You will not.”
