Part One: An Ordinary Thursday

My phone buzzed at exactly 5:47 AM. I didn’t need to check it to know it was Charlotte, my business partner, informing me that she’d caught a nasty flu and wouldn’t make it to open our dance studio. I sighed, silencing the alarm I’d set for 6:15, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My husband Ryan mumbled something incoherent, his arm reaching for me even in his sleep.

“Char’s sick,” I whispered. “I need to open early.”

He nodded without opening his eyes, a skill he’d perfected in our twelve years of marriage. “Need me to take the kids to school?”

“That would be amazing,” I replied, already heading for the shower. “I’ll text you their schedules.”READ MORE