Page 34 of Peppermint Bark

Right. Her older brother, the evil genius.

Her expression was tinged with hope and worry as she held out her hand. When I shook it, she grinned. “Can I mark today on my calendar as ‘Alex Told Me I Was Right And He Was Wrong Day’?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said. I packed up the computer, picked up the gym bag, and let her lead me out of the office to her yoga studio, gripping my wrist the whole way like a bailiff escorting a flight risk.

Chapter 13

Grace

“Grace took it easy on you,” Mallory teased her brother after class over burgers and half-priced drinks at the nearby taproom, where Mallory had bartended before she opened the studio. She ordered a mistletoe margarita using Elysian tequila, the brand co-owned by their brother Nick. Normally she didn’t go for top-shelf options, but she knew Alex would insist on paying. He and I opted for local craft beer flights, and after a few sips, I slid him my IPA and took his stout, each guarding our lagers from theft.

“Thursday night is always a slow flow class!” I defended, nudging her shoulder from within our booth. We agreed that my slower class would be an easier introduction versus Mallory’s fast-paced vinyasa approach. I included restorative poses with him in mind, including extended time with a bolster under his shoulders to relax his upper back after hunching over a computer. Nobody could use a heart-opening sequence more than Alexander Clarke.

And I wanted him relaxed, given what was gathering the courage to say.

I was nervous after hearing how he talked on his phone call about work, but I was tired of hiding, and worrying he would find out from somebody else. It was time to face him head-on.

“Don't you feel more relaxed after we showed you how to stretch?”

“Fine. Mark your damn calendar as ‘The Shrimp Was Right Day.’”

“Of course I’m right, but I should also state for the record,” she stole his French fry and tapped it on the table with each word: “I told you so.”

His hand flew up to cover a laugh. “Grace, how can you work for this knucklehead?”

“Don’t tell her, but …” I blocked my mouth with my beer glass without lowering my volume so Mallory could still hear, “It’s my favorite job ever, and I’ve had a lot.”

“How’d you start working for Mallory, anyway?”

I’d been waiting for him to ask that question. Here goes.

“When we first met, I was just a student. I’d done my yoga teacher training in Vermont and Mallory recruited me to teach, but I was nervous about how people would react to me, because —”

Mallory’s bony elbow pressed into my ribs. “You don’t have to.”

Mallory worried about his reaction, and for good reason: Alex could be impatient and smug. She didn’t want me to get hurt, especially by her gruff brother.

But I’d been rejected and shamed enough to become pretty good at reading people, and I’d also seen his innate curiosity and willingness to learn. Maybe he would react poorly ... but I liked to believe the best in people.

“I think he can handle it,” I said, gaze locked with Alex as curiosity drove him to lean forward. Mallory’s hand slid under the table to squeeze my leg.

“Mallory begins her classes with an introduction that yoga is a practice for everybody, regardless of age, race, religion, size, or physical ability. I told her that she was missing an important factor: gender. I asked if the studio was accepting of people like me, who are transgender.”

Alexander stilled.

He blinked, his unfocused eyes lifting to the ceiling as his fingertips inattentively stroked the damp surface of his glass.

I stayed quiet. You learn in counseling classes to give people time to absorb unexpected information.

“So you … you were …?”

“I was assigned male at birth, raised as the youngest of four boys.”

“Is that why your family …”

“My father didn’t approve of my so-called ‘self-absorbed and misguided lifestyle choice.’” Even seven years later, it still hurt to repeat that … but I tried not to let it show.

“That’s how … when you were Santa.” He muttered as he connected the dots. His back slumped into the booth, staring blankly at his beer glass.

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