Page 51 of Defect
I pushed open the glass door and smiled as big as I could at Ezra and Mrs. Fredericks. “Hey guys, I didn’t know you were coming by.” That was a lie. Ezra told me his mother wanted to stop by and check out the studio.
“Hi, Miss Monroe. Is it Miss or Mrs.?” She asked, eyeing my ring finger. I held my left hand up and wiggled my fingers at her.
“Miss. I’m single. No husband.”
“I see. For someone your age, it seems like marriage should be on your mind. How old are you?”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry what did you stop by for?” I quizzed. I wanted to kindly divert her away from asking probing questions that had nothing to do with Ezra working there.
“I wanted to get a look at the space and see exactly what you’d have Ezra doing.” She walked around to the main yoga area where I held classes and turned her nose up at the smell of sage and incense.
Must have been working its magic.
Sage was notorious for keeping negative energy away. If Mrs. Fredericks felt offended, I considered the sage’s job done.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why can’t Ezra check out the studio for himself?”
“Because she’s controlling as hell,” Ezra blurted out with a frown. My eyes snapped to his and he shrugged at me.
“This is the attitude that you’ll have to deal with, Miss Monroe. His brain won’t let him react like a normal person. Are you sure you want him in your business? I know it had to have taken a while to get this up and running. I’d hate for my son to make it crash and burn with horrible customer service.”
“Mrs. Fredericks, this space is a space of peace and no judgment. The way you’re speaking isn’t conducive to that. If you want to talk down about Ezra, you’re welcome to step outside my shop to do so. Now, I wouldn’t have offered him a job if I didn’t think he was capable. It’s not rocket science because if it were, I wouldn’t be doing it. If you don’t mind, I’m going to ask you to wait in the car so I can interview Ezra alone.” I looked at her with an unwavering stare and she rolled her eyes at me like I cursed her out.
“Do you understand that I’m his guardian?” She snapped.
“If you’re his medical caretaker, you can provide me with paperwork stating that you need to be present during his interview. Otherwise, you can step outside.” I held the front door open for her and she glared at me while she took stiff steps toward the sidewalk. I smiled as I let the door close in her face then I looked at Ezra.
“I’m sorry. That shit was driving me nuts.”
“How the fuck do you think I feel? This is every day for me.”
“Well, you need to move out of that house. You can’t go through that all the time. No wonder your energy is muddled and stuck every time I do Reiki on you. She’s talking to you like you’re incompetent.” I shook my head and slid my fingers through my hair. Ezra watched me then looked over his shoulder at his mother on the sidewalk, peering inside.
“Come here,” he motioned for me to follow him to the Reiki room. The minute we were completely alone, he bent down and hugged me. I stiffened in his arms but I still drank in his scent. He pulled away and looked at me sheepishly. “Sorry. I forgot. We’re playing things cool,” he said.
“It’s fine, Ezra. I’d never turn down a hug from you.”
“I think we should maybe keep the hugs at a minimum right now.”
“Maybe.” I hated that though. I loved the way he hugged me. His hugs were so slow and deliberate like he wanted to savor every second. He hugged me like he couldn’t wait to sweep me off the ground and bury his face in my neck. For a few guilty seconds, I let the fantasy run through my mind of him kissing my neck while he held me in his big arms.
“Well, Mr. Fredericks, if you want the job of assistant manager at Sun Goddess Yoga, it’s yours.”
“Assistant manager?” He quizzed.
“You heard me.”
“I thought I was just helping out around here.”
“You were until I saw your tea recipe ideas. You try those out and if they’re good, we can sell them. If you don’t mind, I’d like your help making them taste less like tree branches,” I laughed.
“Okay. I got you.” He curled his fingers into his palm and I knew it was because he was resisting the urge to touch me.
“Plus, if you’re the assistant manager, you’ll get paid more.”
“Solo, I know you’re not rolling in cash. You don’t have to pay me more.”
“Look at this.” I pulled up Sun Goddess emails on my phone and showed him where I had two more classes in the studio. “We’re getting a little more money and I’ll gladly pay for good help. Besides, if you can help me with my teas, we’ll bring in even more money.”
