Evolving Dreams (New Beginnings Series) (14 page)

“Is . . . is everything okay? Have you heard from Sean? Is he okay?”

“I have.” Marcy gestured toward one of the chairs in a small seating area in the front right corner of her office. “Please sit down, Meg.” She walked over to the door and asked her assistant, Cheryl, to bring in some coffee then moved to sit in a chair perpendicular to Meg’s.

Meg was hoping it was a good sign that she didn’t sit Meg across from her at her desk. She supposed she would have had that “called into the principal’s office” feeling. This seemed a little friendlier. Didn’t it? Marcy’s face didn’t look too friendly, though.

She decided to jump right in. “What’s up, Marcy? You’re starting to scare me.”

Marcy opened her mouth to answer, but Cheryl entered with the coffee service tray. She waited until Cheryl had poured the coffee and left the room, closing the door behind her.

“Sean showed up right after you left last evening. I was coming out the front door and noticed your car pulling out of the parking lot, and he and Steffy came around the corner of the building. It was like they were waiting for you to leave before they approached me.”

Meg looked at her in disbelief. “But why would he do that?”

Marcy took a deep breath. “We talked for a long time. Here’s the thing . . . he wants me to ask you to back out of this contract. He feels that his connections got this job and he expects to keep it and bring Steffy in as his partner.”

“What?!? No way!”

Marcy watched her as she tried to process the news. “That’s what he said.”

“But why? We’ve never had any problems. We had lunch on Sunday and he didn’t say anything. He just wants me to back out of this contract and meet back up with him after he fulfills it on his own? That doesn’t make sense.”

Marcy’s intercom buzzed and Cheryl’s voice announced, “Marcy, Sean is here. Should I go ahead and send him in?”

“Yes. Thanks, Cheryl.”

Meg shot a stunned look at Marcy and jumped to her feet as Sean and Steffy walked through the door. “Sean?
What
is going on?”

Marcy quickly stepped over to Steffy and grabbed her arm. “Steffy, I don’t want you here. You can wait outside in the lobby.”

As Steffy started to balk, one of the security guards showed up and grabbed her other arm, then hustled her out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Marcy looked at Meg. “Do you want me to stay or leave?”

“Well, since it seems like you know more about what’s going on than I do, please stay.”

“If you change your mind and want some privacy just say the word.” Then Marcy sat down.

Sean looked shiftily from one of the women to the other.

“Sean?” Meg prodded.

“Look, Meg,” he started almost defensively. “We’ve had a great partnership over the years, but sometimes these things get stale. I just think we’ve gone as far as we can go. It’s time to go our separate ways.”

“And your way is going off to form a partnership with Steffy. Right?” Meg shook her head in disbelief. “You know, I’d understand if you wanted to go your own way . . . no matter who it was with . . . but in the middle of an obligation? A contract? You’ve never been this irresponsible . . . no, unprofessional . . . before.” She dropped into her seat and shook her head, too stunned and sick at heart to speak.

“It’s nothing against you, Meg. You’ve been great. I just have to move on now.”

“Now?”

Sean just nodded dejectedly.

Meg started to stand up. “Well, I guess I’ll clean my stuff out of the studio.” She looked over at Marcy. “Do you mind if I stick around long enough to say goodbye to everyone?”

“Stay seated, Meg. This is not how this is going to work.” She motioned for Sean to sit down in a chair across from them but didn’t offer him coffee from the service in the center of the table. “The contract you both signed is null and void.”

Sean straightened in his seat. “Now wait a minut
e . . .”

Marcy put her hand up. “I spent all last evening with our attorney and this is the situation. We signed a team . . . both of you. Legally it doesn’t matter who had the connections to get this contract. Because of the dissolution of your partnership the contract is void. You cannot bring in a new partner and finish the contract.” She stared hard at Sean.

“Well, we could draw up a new contract with Steffy’s name and she’ll sign on.”

Marcy laughed, “Yeah . . . no . . . that will
never
happen. Steffy is expelled from the Institute. She will never be allowed to walk onto the premises again, much less
teach
any of our students or perform on our stage.”

Sean choked, “But . . . but . . .”

“It’s over. She’s been nothing but trouble from her first year here. This time she’s gone too far. Don’t think I don’t know she put you up to this.”

“Well . . . we can just continue on with the contract the way it is, then. Okay? If we decide to dissolve the partnership we can do that after our obligations are fulfilled here. Right, Meg?” He looked imploringly at Meg.

Meg looked at him in disbelief. “I think it’s too late, Sean. I don’t think Marcy can trust us at this point to act in a professional manner. She probably has doubts we can trust each other to do the work she has commissioned us to do.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Marcy jumped in.

Sean’s face lit up with relief. “See, Meg? We can still do this.”

“That’s not what I mean, Sean,” Marcy said. “I’d like you to clear your things out of your studio and go. I’m confident that Steffy has already packed up her things with the help of security. You can meet her in the parking lot and security will make sure you’re off the premises within the hour.”

Marcy stood up and walked over to her desk and pulled a sheaf of papers from her desk. “Meg, I have a revised contract here. Our attorney was up most of the night drawing it up. I’d like you to sign on and finish out the next few weeks. It includes continuing the workshops in whatever way you can single-handedly. Also the showcase is still included, but we’ll have to do a lot of brainstorming to get it worked out. It’ll be a lot of extra work, but you can count on any resources we have to help.”

Sean had jumped up and stood sputtering, unable to get out a single word.

Meg just sat stock-still trying to process her thoughts. Just moments before she had been without a job or a partner and here was Marcy offering to let her at least keep the job. If she signed the contract at least her next few weeks would be settled. She could worry about the state of her career later.

“Well, Meg, what do you say? Do you need some time to think about it? You can take the day off to mull it over if you’d like and get back with me in the morning.” Marcy watched her with concern.

Sean finally found his voice. “This isn’t right! You can’t take our contract and just give it to her!”

Marcy lost her cool then. “Oh, but I can take her contract and just give it to
you
? Are you crazy? You really think I can trust you after this stunt?” She shook her head in disgust. “I have some advice for you, Sean. If you have half a brain you’ll get as far away from Steffy Collins as you can. She’s nothing but trouble and, if you haven’t figured it out yet—she’s already ruined your professional life.”

She stalked to the door and jerked it open. Immediately another burly security guard entered and glared at Sean with his arms crossed over his chest. Sean jerked his head around to look at Meg who was still sitting in the same position—petrified with shock. He turned and stormed out the door with the guard right on his heels and Marcy closed the door with a soft click. She walked over to sit next to Meg again.

“Meg, are you okay?”

“I just can’t believe this,” she said in a small voice, her eyes welling with tears.

“What would you like to do? You should think it through and do what’s best for you. I know what I’d like you to do, but I won’t pressure you. Take all the time you need.”

Meg smirked at her and bravely blinked the tears away. “I don’t think we have much time to waste. We’ll have to rework all of our routines . . . I’ll need help with a lot of the choreography . . .” she murmured as she reached across the table for the contract.

Marcy let out a breath of relief. “Great! Just tell me what you need, Meg.”

“First, I need an emergency meeting with all of the department heads. We’ll have a good old-
fashioned brainstorming session.”

“I’ll order in lunch and we’ll meet in the faculty lounge. The TAs can fill in if it runs long.” She glanced at her watch. “Your workshop was supposed to start five minutes ago. You go on and I’ll take care of everything.” She watched Meg sign her name to the contract and pick up her bag. “Thanks for hanging in there with me, Meg. I know we’re asking a lot more of you than you originally signed on for.”

Meg left the office and was on her way to conduct her workshop, trying to make adjustments in her head as she went. As she came around a corner, she saw Sean and the guard walking toward her with several bags slung over their shoulders.

“I can’t believe you did this, Meg,” he hissed as he came closer.

“I didn’t do this, Sean. You let Steffy do this. I hope you’re able to see that someday soon.”

He stalked past her and she turned around and called his name. “Sean! Wait a second.”

“What?” he answered shortly as he stopped and turned around.

“You might want to know that Trace has been deployed. The team shipped out in the wee hours of Monday morning. Don’t know how long he’ll be gone or where they are.” She turned back around and continued on to her class.

Sean stood there stunned for several moments before shifting the bags over his other shoulder, turning around and continuing out of the building—the guard still following closely behind him.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

By the end of the week, the showcase plans were evolving into something really exciting. Meg had recruited Monte to come down and partner with her for a couple of her routines. She had commandeered three very promising SDDI students—Scott, the TA who had gone to Abernathy’s for Monday night football; Sergei, Anthony’s TA; and Declan, a brilliant street/hip hop dancer—to partner with her for the rest. They had all entered Marcy’s office that Wednesday afternoon as if going to the gallows. Why would they be called into the director’s office? What had they done wrong? When Marcy and Meg explained what they wanted, they were ecstatic. To be able to perform with a nationally acclaimed dancer like Meg would bring them experience and status they never expected.

As they left the office Sergei had looked over at Declan and said in a stage whisper, “I think I’m in love with her.”

To which Declan had replied, “Dude . . . I may have to call your boyfriend, Johnny, and give him a heads-up.”

The three of them laughed as Sergei said, “No, don’t do that. He’s the jealous type.”

Meg had enjoyed her evening with the SEAL wives, but didn’t let on that her professional life had exploded and she didn’t know what her future held. She had cheerfully joined in as they made taco salads and then critiqued the contestants’ creations on
Project Runway
. She knew the other women were watching her closely to make sure she was doing okay with Trace gone. And those she hadn’t met before were watching her closely to see if she was even good enough for Trace. She hoped she had passed the test on both accounts.

The new stresses at work proved to be a blessing in that she didn’t have time throughout the day to think and worry too much about Trace and his team. She worked late most evenings playing catch up. But nighttime rolled around and he was all she could think of. She was one to pray in general, but she had never prayed so much or so hard as she was doing these days.

Sean was calling several times a day, leaving messages, which she never returned. She had nothing to say to him and she knew he only wanted to plead with her to get back in her good graces or harangue her for taking on the contract without him. Either way she didn’t want to hear it.

Thursday evening she packed up her things at Trace’s house and moved them over to Tobi’s apartment. Tobi had offered Meg her sleeper sofa . . . not too comfortable, but appreciated just the same. Meg had decided that she had no right to stay at Trace’s house anymore with her partnership with his brother dissolved.

“He may hate me when he gets back and finds out that Sean and I have broken up the partnership and I kept my job and Sean is out. It looks bad. Don’t you think? It looks like I betrayed Sean,” she had cried to Tobi.

Tobi had just shaken her head and said, “When he hears all the details it’ll look bad, alright. It’ll look bad for
Sean
. He’s the one who betrayed you and I can’t believe Trace’ll blame you for anything.”

“But they go back, Tobi. They’re
family
. I’m just a girl he met a couple of weeks ago.”

Tobi had just laughed, “There’s no way you’re ‘just a girl’ to Trace. Believe it.” She had sighed. “Okay, Meg. Get your stuff together. You’re welcome to stay with me. My place is small . . . and it’s not on the beach . . . but we’ll have fun.”