Page 35 of The Love Shack

“Was that your wonderful idea?” Berkley asked. Now that she was starting to relax, she was actually enjoying Lark’s energetic, upbeat vibe.

“No, I was thinking of Oliver. That seems to be my new favorite pastime.”

Now Berkley wanted to meet the mysterious Oliver. Maybe Lark had the right idea about meeting everyone. She should give it a try.

“What’s your idea?” Lawson asked.

“Okay, what do you think of this?” Gesturing grandly, Lark announced, “Cat yoga.”

She and Lawson stared at Lark.

Frowning, Lark asked, “You do have cats, right?”

Berkley nodded.

“Oliver wants to draw people into his new fitness studio, but apparently Betty has an issue with him. But,” she stressed, “Betty loves animals. You have animals. So... Cat yoga!”

“How does a cat do yoga?”

Lark laughed. “All cats are great at difficult poses, right? But cat yoga is the new fitness trend. If you have room at the shelter, you and Oliver could work together to set up a weekly or monthly visit—whatever fits with your schedules—and then those people signed up with his studio would come out and have a special yoga program with the cats interacting. Who knows, someone might want to adopt a cat.”

Berkley drew back. “I can’t let a vacationer take a cat. I have to research them. I need to know—”

“Oh, see, I knew I’d like you. I agree one hundred percent. But it won’t just be vacationers, right? Locals will want to do the fitness classes, too, and especially the cat yoga. I bet Betty would embrace it. Wonder if I could convince her to get some yoga pants.”

Berkley choked, which prompted Lawson to pat her back...and then his hand stayed there, resting on the top edge of her chair. Even though Berkley was acutely aware of his touch, Lark didn’t seem to notice.

“Yardley and Mimi would be on board—you know them, right? They’re terrific. And Emily, Saul’s wife.” She paused for air. “Anyway, there are so many fun people in Cemetery. Plus I imagine Oliver might get clients from the neighboring counties. You could research them easily. They’re close.” She held out her arms. “And the cats would have company. People to love on them and show them affection.”

It was absolutely impossible not to like Lark. “It’s a brilliant idea.” Berkley turned to Lawson and caught his warm gaze on her, his mouth tipped in a small smile. For a second, she forgot everything. “What do you think?”

“I think it could be fun.”

Lark gave a sly grin. “Will you do yoga, too?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“What if I promise Kathleen won’t be there?”

He started to say something, but then Saul, the owner of the restaurant, stopped by. “Sorry for the delay. You two want drinks?”

Immediately, Lark popped up. “Oh, I’m not staying. I was just...” Her gaze went past Saul and then locked on someone. Her voice dropped to a purring rumble. “Speaking of fine ideas.”

She, Lawson and Saul all twisted around, and there was a tall, dark man wearing glasses and searching for a seat in the packed restaurant.

Lawson grinned. “Go get ’em, Lark.”

Without a reply, she darted away.

“Interesting,” Saul said.

“With those two? Definitely. Lark isn’t the type to hide her thoughts.”

“Noticed that,” Saul said. “So how about you? Are you sticking around for a meal?”

Deferring to Berkley, he asked, “Would you mind?”

Like she’d rudely say if she did? She’d probably finish before he ever got his food. Or maybe she’d order dessert. Either way, she was enjoying his company, especially now that she knew he wasn’t “with” Lark. “Of course not. Feel free.”

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