Chapter Fourteen
The month was going far too quickly, but Summer was confident everything was coming together for the Yoga in the Park event. She reminded herself to check in with her mother to make sure there was nothing missing for the wedding plans, since that was only five weeks away.
Jake was heading out with her brother and Peter next weekend to help them move, and Summer couldn’t believe they were actually going to be gone. Everyone was meeting that night at the Hive for a final Wednesday night cooking class together. She was going to miss their weekly Sunday night dinners, and the occasional cooking classes as a family. Her parents were still there, but without Garrett and Peter, it just wouldn’t be the same.
“Good morning, Summer,” Kimber said as she knocked on the office door.
“Hi, Kimber. How’re you today?” She glanced back and saw Tomas was with her co-worker. “Hi, Tommy.” She waved at the little boy, and he ran over to her, raising his arms in the air.
Kimber laughed. “It looks like someone needs a hug.”
Summer got up off her seat and picked up the growing boy. He was somewhere around eighteen months old, and was getting heavy. “Tommy, how old are you? You must be going to school soon.”
The boy smiled and let out a string of unintelligible words before she set him back down on the floor.
“I know it’s my day off, but I was in the neighborhood. Jeff’s gone to a conference for a few days, so we’ve been all alone at the house. It’s been awesome having Haley around to babysit once a week. It’s given us some much needed dating time again.”
Summer was glad to hear things were still going well for Kimber and Jeff. “Did you have a chance to look over that final schedule I sent over last night?”
Kimber nodded. “I did. Everything looks great. I was thinking about it. Maybe we should invite Jan from Mountain Spin to have a booth or something at the festival. Extend the olive branch.”
Summer had thought about it too but wasn’t sure she wanted to. Jan’s social media liked to claim the benefits of spin far outweighed other exercise like yoga, Pilates, and running. Summer knew it was a general statement but couldn’t help but feel personally attacked by the woman. Maybe Kimber was right. She could be the bigger person and let Jan know they were both there to stay.
“I think you’re right. What would I do without you?” Summer asked.
Tomas was playing with a rolled-up yoga mat, and he fell back when it rolled open. He landed on his bum, and his big eyes started to well up. Kimber swooped in, picking up the tyke as he let out a few sniffles.
“You’re a big boy, aren’t you? You’re fine,” Kimber assured him, and it worked. He stopped the tears and smiled at her.
“Momma,” he said, and Summer’s heart melted.
“He’s so sweet. You’re a lucky lady, Kimber,” Summer said.
“I’ll remember that when he gets me up at four in the morning.” Kimber looked behind her, and Summer saw the first students coming in for the ten AM class. “I’ll get out of your hair. Think about it. Maybe you two can end up being friends.”
“I’m not sure about that. Have a great day.” Summer waved to Tomas, who had somehow turned shy. He was hiding his face in his mom’s shoulder as Kimber walked to the exit.
Summer left her office and greeted the familiar faces taking off their shoes, and she checked them in before sending them to the dressing rooms. She was feeling good, and the studio was doing as well as it had the previous summer. She felt like she owed a lot of it to Trina’s advertising ideas and promotions, and she wouldn’t forget the woman’s selfless help.
A familiar face approached two minutes before the class was about to begin. It was Jan from Mountain Spin. Summer stammered out a greeting, and Jan gave her a tight-lipped smile as she paid.
“I’m glad you decided to give the class a try,” Summer said.
“You know, ever since you came to my spin class, I’ve been meaning to come to one of your sessions.” Jan rolled her eyes, feigning exhaustion. “But it’s been so hard making time, with how busy we are.”
It was going to be like that, was it? Summer wanted to give her a retort but used her better judgment. She repeated the words “olive branch” over and over in her head. “Jan, I was hoping to talk to you about something. Do you have a couple minutes after class?”
Jan looked at her smartwatch and shrugged. “I think I could spare two minutes.” And with that, she walked toward the dressing room. Summer could tell even under the loose shirt that the woman was as hard as a rock. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, but instead of making her look more severe, it somehow made her more approachable. She wondered if there was any way the two of them could become friends under the circumstances.
Summer locked the front door, flipping the sign to CLASS IN SESSION.
She greeted the students quietly as they lay in corpse pose. She dimmed the lights and started one of her many playlists; this one was meant for calming, not exciting. For a standard class, she preferred calming, whereas for a flow class, she liked some music with lyrics, a little pace to the songs.
As she went through the poses, she paid attention to Jan, who, to her surprise, was very adept at yoga. Of course she was. Summer had gone to her class and looked like a hot mess after it, and Jan came to her yoga, showing up half the students.
Summer took the full class through the series of poses. Strength and balance, then to the mats for core, back and spine strengthening, and everything in between. She looked out at the three rows of mats, all in parallel lines, and smiled. She’d come so far. She thought about the first class she taught in New York, then the first one at her very own studio at Om Top of the World. Life had been so new, so exciting, and so scary back then.
Just a month ago, she’d been worried she was going to lose the studio, and she resolved to push those fears away. She had a great student base, a wonderful studio, amazing parents, and the most supportive and handsome fiancé in the world. She stood, talking to the class about being grateful in that moment. To think about all the good things in their lives as they lay in savasana, breathing in and out, relaxing before the reality of the world took over again: a world full of smartphones, workplace drama, and dinner than needed to be fixed for the kids.
She told them to live in that moment they were in, to feel each breath as it flowed in and out of their lungs, and to give thanks to their bodies and minds for allowing them the break, and the energy, and the love to participate in yoga.
“Take as much time here as you need. The world will wait for you,” she said softly. “Namaste.”
“Namaste.” The class echoed the word, and she crossed the floor to the reception desk, sitting down. Usually, Summer wasn’t so verbose at the end of class, but she’d felt the need to say all of those things, as much for herself as for them… and maybe to help Jan ease up on the tension.
Some of the class began to roll up their mats and head for the changing rooms. Summer glanced over and saw Jan still on her mat, eyes closed. It was nice to see the woman taking the time to recharge herself. It would be hard to do that in a spin studio, where music blasted from speakers, and strobe lights flashed most of the day.
Five minutes later, Summer heard a throat clear, and looked up to see Jan standing there, her street clothes back on and her rolled mat tucked under an arm. “You wanted to speak with me?” Jan asked.
“I’m not sure if you know, but we’re putting together a Yoga in the Park festival in the Pines in a couple of weeks.” Summer paused to see if Jan responded. When Jan kept staring blankly at her, she continued. “Anyway, we’re doing yoga, meditation classes, a market, music, and all of that fun stuff. There will be a lot of local and neighboring town wellness products there, and I thought maybe Mountain Spin would want to advertise, or even have a booth to talk about your class to the festival goers.”
Jan smiled finally. “I hadn’t heard about your little festival.”
Summer cringed at her choice of words but continued smiling at the woman.
“Let me think about it. Can you send me some information so I can get back to you?” Jan asked.
“Sure,” Summer said, taking an offered business card. “We can talk soon.”
Jan turned to leave, and Summer caught up to her. “What did you think of the class?”
“It was nice. Refreshing. I can see why people like you so much. I look forward to your email.” Jan left the studio, and Summer looked around, the only one left in the room.
She was happily surprised by the pleasant candor of the other woman. “Maybe we can just work together.” Summer flipped the sign over and headed back to her office for some final touches on the festival planning before her next class in forty minutes.
*
Clark’s eye had healed, but he was still moping around the hardware store. It wasn’t the kind of summer a kid should be having before heading off to college. He should be driving around in a truck, windows down, country tunes blasting, hanging with friends, staying out late at bonfires in the woods, and meeting cute girls.
Of course all of those things were far different than Jake’s own post-high-school summer. He’d taken care of his ailing grandmother and worked two jobs so he could afford to get into trade school. He wanted more for Clark.
“Hey, Clark,” Jake said as the clock hit six.
“Yeah, boss?” he asked. Clark was finishing restocking a couple of shelves, and he grabbed the broken-down cardboard boxes.
“Chuck tells me there’s a party going on outside of town tonight. He asked if you wanted to go,” Jake told him.
“No thanks. It’ll just be a bunch of football kids.” Clark took the boxes to the back, and Jake followed him.
“Come on. It’ll be good for you. I know you just go home and practice music. It’s your last summer here. Go have some fun. Blow off a little steam.” Jake really wanted to connect with the kid, but he’d been like a stone wall over the past few months.
Clark turned to him, frowning. “Why do you care so much, Jake? What is it about you that needs me to fit in or be normal? You don’t know enough about me to make those comments.”
Jake was taken aback but felt a bit guilty for his words. “I’m not asking you to be ‘normal.’ I don’t think you need to conform and be like the rest of the kids. I just want you to have fun, to be happy. I see you most days, and you don’t come in here with a light step very often.”
“I don’t like it here. I want to get to Julliard and be around civilized, like-minded people, and for once in my life, feel like I belong.” Clark’s eyes were dark, and he didn’t make contact with Jake as they talked in the warehouse.
“You do know that you can change your mindset here and now, right? You don’t need to ‘belong,’ but if you keep walking around feeling like you don’t, then you never will. Just be open to things. Stop expecting the future to open up for you when today isn’t what you want. Make today count, and the future will fall into line.” Jake wasn’t sure he was articulating himself as well as he wanted to.
Clark looked up at him now, his shoulders a little straighter in his posture. “It’s not as easy as that.”
“Why not? Go with Chuck to the party. Nothing will happen to you there. Chuck will be around to make sure of it.” Jake hoped he’d bite the hook.
Clark looked unsure, but after a silent moment replied, “Fine. Tell Chuck thanks, and that I’ll come.”
Jake raised a fist in the air and left it there for Clark to bump. “Yes. Who knows, maybe there’ll be some cute girls.”
This finally broke Clark out of his misery, and he broke a smile. “Careful, Clark. You don’t want to break a cheek. When’s the last time you let one of those smiles out?”
Clark waved a hand at him. “Give me a break. I smile. Only when something’s funny.”
“Are you saying all the epic jokes I tell the customers aren’t amusing enough to laugh at?” Jake asked.
Clark did laugh then. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Fine. I’ll work on that. Have a good time. I’ll give Chuck your cell number so you guys can arrange a pick-up. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“I’m not sure what that leaves me with,” Clark joked.
Jake let Clark out and locked the door. He sure liked to see the kid in a better mood; Jake only hoped it was the right call, getting him to go to a party. Regardless, Chuck was a popular, well-liked guy in the Pines, and if there was anyone to take Clark under his wing, it was him.
“Come on, Aspen. Let’s go for a walk before I have to leave for dinner,” he told the black Lab, who was dozing beside the sales counter on the floor.