Page 41 of Tangled Up In You

"Drew, this is my granddaughter, Cassie," Delores said.

Drew and Cassie both said hi again.

"Drew is new in town," Molly said. "Maybe you can tell him the hot spots for people your age, Cassie."

"Well, there aren't a lot of hot spots, but there are some. Where are you from?" Cassie asked.

"Denver," he said. "But I've been going to school in Santa Barbara."

"California? Wow, that's amazing. I want to transfer to California next year, if I can. I'm at the community college right now."

"I can tell you whatever you want," he mumbled.

"I have to take my grandmother and her friends home," Cassie said. "But some of us are going to get pizza at Giovanni's around eight, if you're around, and you want to come by."

"Sounds good," Drew said. "I gotta go, too."

"Grandma?" Cassie asked as Drew headed down the sidewalk. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, we're ready. See you Wednesday, Molly."

"See you then."

She smiled to herself as she went back into the store. She'd learned a lot in the past few minutes, and Drew might have gotten himself a date. Things were looking up. She just hoped they'd stay that way.

ChapterEleven

Molly openedthe door to the yoga studio with some trepidation. It was the one room she hadn't been in yet, and she was mentally preparing herself to see another sea of boxes, but it was shockingly empty. The floor was shiny, the mirrors clean, and there was a sound system set up on the one table in the studio. Phoebe must have wanted to keep the studio in shape for her classes.

She walked over to a bulletin board on the wall. It was a class schedule for the month. But Phoebe had canceled all the classes except the Wednesday morning one that was labeled as gentle yoga. Without Elaine, she must have been too busy with Caroline and her own ailing health to keep up with the class schedule.

Elaine's phone number was on the sheet. Impulsively, she took out her phone and punched in the number.

"Hello?" a woman said, a baby crying in the background.

"Elaine?"

"Yes."

"This is Molly Trent. I'm taking over the wellness store for Phoebe."

"I heard that. I'm still so upset by Phoebe's death. It was so sudden."

There was genuine pain in Elaine's voice. "It was tragic," she agreed. "I'm trying to make sense of her business, and a couple of ladies dropped by and told me you used to teach yoga here."

"I did until three months ago when I had my baby. I needed some time to just be a mom, and Phoebe was very understanding. She was also busy with her friend moving back so she didn't have time to pay attention to her business."

"I'm beginning to realize that," she murmured. "Would you have any interest in teaching again?"

"Actually, I would. I had just told Phoebe I was ready to come back, and then she died. I didn't know if you would still need a teacher."

"I do. I probably need a week or two to pull things together."

"That would be perfect. I need to set up some babysitting with my mom, but I know she's happy to do it," Elaine said.

"That's great. Let's talk next week." She felt a sense of accomplishment as she finished the call. She'd finally gotten something done. She wanted to celebrate with a break. It was after five and the beautiful late summer weather called her name, so she locked up, and then strolled down the street.

Her block was a mix of retail and small businesses. The center of the downtown area was a few blocks away. That's where the action really began with restaurants, bars, boutiques, and other shops. The town had really grown in the years since she'd lived here. There was more of everything, including people. It was the off- season, but still the streets felt busy.

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