“That has become evident. I got a phone call from the school district, too. They asked me to train their kindergarten teachers in basic yoga poses. They want to use them in the classroom with the kids.”
My scissors stopped snipping for a moment. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, they heard it was being used in different schools around the country as a way to help kids learn to focus before their studies and relax afterward. I actually did a program in California with one of the districts and it was extremely successful.”
“Are you going to do it?”
He sighed and I made eye contact with him in the mirror again. His eyes were always so warm and inviting. Like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day. “I probably will, but not until summer when I can devote more time to it and the teachers can come into the studio. I learned that teaching them the basic poses isn’t the hard part. The hard part is teaching them how to teach the kids.”
“But if you bring them into the studio, they can watch you teach while learning the basic poses at the same time.” I cut away the large swoop of hair over his eyes with a snip.
His finger touched my nose and he winked. “Bingo.”
When he touched me there was an intensity to it I wasn’t expecting. Like at all. He was sweet, sexy, handsome, and so not in my league. I was dark and he was light, quite literally. I was a hot mess and he was everything namaste. I was more like na-messy. I shook my head and went back to snipping.
Friends, Addie, that’s all you can be with a guy like Ellis. Even if you want so much more.
Chapter Two
Thanksgiving dinner prep was in full swing by the time I arrived at the community center. The dinner used to be held in the church basement, but when Shep took over as city director, he was determined to get the community center up and running again. After years of neglect and nonuse, he did more than that.When the community heard the city wanted to reopen it, they started a fundraiser to install a full industrial kitchen. That addition made it what it is now. It’s always filled with the community for dinners, dances, and receptions throughout the year.
“Hey, everyone!” I called cheerily. “Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Addie!” came a chorus of voices from the kitchen.
Holly, Melissa and Mason’s daughter, came running at me. “Addie!” she called, throwing her tiny arms around me. At eight she was closer to the size of a five-year-old. Petite, blonde, sweet, feisty, and the most beautiful porcelain doll in all of Bells Pass. She may not be Mason’s by birth, but you wouldn’t know it to see the two of them together. He was without a doubt her daddy and no one better harm a hair on her head.
“Holly leaf,” I teased, hugging her to me, my tools slung over my shoulder. “I’ve missed you. I haven’t seen you in three whole days!”
She jumped around and her hair bounced against her shoulders. “But now you’re here and we can eat turkey together!”
I winked at Melissa who stood in the doorway. “I can’t wait to eat turkey with you, but mostly, I want to eat pie!” I squealed, tickling her belly until she squealed in return.
When she caught her breath, she pointed to her mom. “We have pies galore,” she said, her arms opening wide. “You can even have two pieces.”
I rubbed my belly and gazed at the beautiful child in front of me. She was the exact opposite of me with her blue eyes and snowy white skin. My skin was chocolate brown, my hair was red, a gift from my father apparently, and my eyes were as dark as coal. We were exact opposites, but Holly didn’t see that when we were together. We danced, sang, and ate pie at the diner together like we’d known each other for years. It was hard to fathom that it was only a year ago that she came back into her mother’s life. Holly was told for years by her grandparents that Melissa was dead. I still can’t wrap my mind around that kind of evil.
My mother didn’t have it easy from the day she found out she was pregnant with me, but I couldn’t be luckier to have her. She’s the reason I’m successful now. I knew one day Holly would feel the same way about Melissa, even if they didn’t share the early years together.
Melissa came over and put her hand on Holly’s shoulder. “Hey, Addie,” she whispered, hugging me. “We’re glad you’re here. Audrey said you were going to do haircuts after lunch?”
“Yup,” I agreed, swinging my pack with my tools and capes down off my shoulder. “Ready and willing. Heather is coming at some point, too.” I glanced around but didn’t see her yet. “We can get through everyone who needs a new do for the holidays that way.”
“Perfect.” Melissa grinned. “Tell Mike what you need and he’ll get you set up in a space that works for you.” She pointed at the man in the corner who was setting up chairs at the long tables.
“How about if I do it myself and leave Mike to his work? I don’t need much other than a chair and a booster seat for the little ones.” I patted Holly on the head and she glared at me, a joke we shared frequently. She was eight going on twenty-eight and she hated being called a little one.
Melissa checked her watch. “When you finish that do you have plans?”
I held up my hands. “Nope, I can’t cut hair until after dinner. Do you need help somewhere?”
She squeezed her hands together and nodded. “Please? Ivy isn’t here and we’re short on hands.”
“Where’s Ivy?” The owner of the Nightingale Diner was always at the dinner, running it the same way she runs her diner, with love and solid, dependable organization.
“She’s not feeling well, but she might come by later Shep said.”
“Not feeling well?”