"That made me want to get to know you better," Victoria said quietly. "The business contract is legitimate. We really do need automotive services, but Emma's right about one thing. I haven't smiled this much in a very long time."
As the SUVs pulled away, Ethan stood in his parking lot, Emma's poster clutched in his hand, watching until they disappeared around the corner.
Mrs. Chen approached from her laundromat, grinning widely.
"That woman likes you," she said in her matter-of-fact way.
"Mrs. Chen."
"And her daughter? She's already planning your wedding."
Ethan laughed despite himself. "It's not like that."
"No?" Mrs. Chen smiled knowingly. "Then why are you smiling like that?"
Ethan touched his face, surprised to realize he was indeed smiling. For the first time in months, the future felt like it might hold something other than struggle and worry.
Tomorrow, Mia would dance her heart out with new friends cheering her on. Next week, he might have a contract that could save his shop.
And somewhere in between, there was the intriguing possibility of getting to know Victoria Sterling better. Maybe Emma was on to something after all.
* * *
Saturday afternoon at Roosevelt Elementary's multi-purpose room was a whirlwind of nervous energy. Excited parents and 8-year-old dancers in sparkly costumes.
Ethan sat in the third row, his best thrift store shirt pressed and his hands freshly scrubbed, watching Mia peek around the makeshift backstage curtain for the dozenth time in 5 minutes.
He'd been checking his phone obsessively, wondering if Victoria and Emma would actually show up.
It seemed surreal that a woman who owned a tech company and lived in what Emma had described as a house with a pool bigger than most people's backyards would spend her Saturday afternoon at an elementary school dance recital.
Then he spotted them.
Victoria entered through the back doors wearing a sundress that looked effortlessly elegant but not overdressed for the occasion. Emma bounced beside her in a pink dress with white flowers carrying a bouquet of sunflowers that she'd clearly picked out herself.
They looked around the crowded room uncertainly until Emma spotted Ethan and grabbed her mother's hand, pulling her toward his row.
"Mr. Rodriguez," Emma called out, causing several heads to turn. "We made it. Mom got lost twice because her GPS kept trying to take us to Roosevelt High School instead of Roosevelt Elementary."
"It's a common mistake," Ethan said, standing to greet them. "Thank you for coming. Mia has been talking about her new friends all morning."
Victoria smiled, and Ethan noticed she looked more relaxed than he'd ever seen her. "We wouldn't have missed it. Emma's been practicing her applause all week."
"I learned how to whistle really loud, too," Emma announced proudly, then demonstrated with a piercing sound that made nearby parents wince and laugh.
"Maybe save that for the big finale," Ethan suggested diplomatically.
As they settled into seats, Emma immediately launched into 20 questions about the other dancers, the costumes, and whether Mia was nervous.
Victoria, meanwhile, seemed genuinely interested in the event program and the other parents around them. She wasn't the out-of-place executive Ethan had expected. Instead, she seemed genuinely comfortable in the elementary school setting.