Page 7 of Connected By Souls

Turning around with a smile, she closes the fridge. “Hi, what can I get for you?” Beautiful green eyes stare back at me as I smile at her.

“Hi, it’s been so long since I’ve been here, so I might need a minute while I look at the menu.” I glance up and study the items.

“Welcome back! I’m sure we’ve added quite a few new items since you’ve been here, but the favorites have stayed the same. Did you use to live here or on vacation?”

“Vacationing. We came here every summer when I was little, and this was my favorite spot to go before a day at the beach.”

“Well, I’m glad you found your way back to us. How long will you be staying?”

“I actually live here now. I just got into town yesterday. I bought the Murphy’s cottage and will be the new librarian on Monday.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! You’ll fit in perfectly around here. I’m Maya, by the way.”

“I’m Emma. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. Let me know when you’re ready to order.”

I eye the menu, trying to decide. Everything looks so good. “I’ll take the green goddess smoothie and a chicken panini with a side salad, please. Oh, and these candles and bracelet.” I point to the items sitting on the counter.

“Perfect. That’s a good choice on the bracelet. All the sea glass jewelry over there,” she points to the display on the shelf, “are handmade by my best friend’s mom. She loves to walk the beach and collect sea glass. She says it keeps her young. Whatever she’s doing, it’s working. She’s in her seventies and still going strong,” she laughs.

Turning around, she starts to blend the smoothie and make the panini. “You know, if you’re ever interested in doing yoga, my best friend Sage, whose mom makes the jewelry, owns BellaLuna Yoga just a few buildings down. My daughter, Sophia, is around your age, and we usually take a class on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Sage’s daughter Bella. We usually end up at Rusty’s on Thursdays for ladies’ night after class ends. They have a great view of the water, and wine is half off for us girls that night. You should come with us on Thursday to class and drinks afterward. I know Sophia and Bella would love to have another girlfriend to have wine nights with. It would be a great way to introduce you to girls your age.”

Yoga is something I wanted to continue when I moved here. Skye made me go to a class with her a couple of months back, and it helped me release some of the stress and pain. The meditating and breathing techniques I’ve learned have kept my anxiety attacks at bay. Remembering the promise I made to Skye to make friends and socialize, I nod my head yes.

“That sounds fun, and anything to do with wine is hard to say no to,” I laugh. “I have to work late this Thursday since I’m training, but I’m free next Thursday. Will that work?”

“Absolutely, and I agree with you on the wine part. Sage and I have our fair share of wine nights, and it must be something we passed on to our girls.” Her eyes shine with laughter. “I’m excited you’re joining us. I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in with those two. Class starts at six on Thursdays, and the yoga studio is right down the street.” She points her finger behind her. “If you like the class, they offer a ton of different varieties of yoga, so you’ll have to check them out.” She hands me my food and smoothie on a tray.

I take the tray and bag of candles and thank her. “I’ll definitely check out the other classes. It’ll be nice getting back into it.”

Smiling, I walk back to an empty table to eat while Maya waits on a customer who just walked in. I send a silent thank you to my mom, knowing she had a hand in helping me make new friends. Reaching into the bag, I take out my anklet and slip it on. Admiring the way it looks. Sipping my smoothie, I begin to eat as I go over my list of what I need to get at my next stop.

I finally get home a couple of hours later after spending way too much money at HomeGoods. I put the bags on the table and unpack everything. Looking at the new rugs and decor, I’m excited to see how they’ll come together. I get out my phone and push play on my Spotify list as I start singing along to my favorite music. My body moves to the beat as I start washing my new kitchen items and adding new decor around the house.

ChapterFive

Noah

Coming back to shore,my phone dings. I’d left just after dawn to go offshore fishing with my dad and Mav and haven’t had service all day. My dad is technically retired but started a part-time fishing boat charter because of his love of fishing. When he doesn’t have anyone scheduled for the day, Mav and I like to go out with him when we can.

Glancing down at the text, I see an unknown number asking if I could stop by at some point to look at a few repairs. The address is the Murphy’s old cottage. I glance at the clock on my phone, seeing that it’s three. Since the house is next door to me, and I’m curious to see who my neighbors are, especially after this morning, I text back asking if six will work today.

After tossing the ball to Nala early this morning, I’m still thinking about the strange feeling I had as I walked back up the stairs. It’s like someone physically pulled me to turn around and look in the direction of the Murphy’s cottage. My body instantly responded as images of the green-eyed beauty entered my mind. It’s like I was frozen in place, and my body only wanted to run in that direction. I had to force myself to walk away. I glance down as a text message comes through.

6 p.m. is perfect. Thank you!

Noah

No problem. See you soon.

“You texting a girl over there?” Mav jokes.

“No, someone bought the old Murphy’s cottage and wants to know if I can stop by later to check out some repairs. I told them I could stop by in a bit.” I pocket my phone and adjust my ballcap with the wind.

Mav puts his hands together in prayer and closes his eyes. “Dear Lord, please let Noah’s neighbors be a hot set of Brazilian twins. One for each of us or two for me if Noah says no like he always does. Amen.”

Dad chuckles. “He never stops, does he?”

---