Chapter Twenty
“LOOKS LIKE OUR flexibend class has spectators today,” Magdeline whispered, pointing to a small group of elderly men peering in through the glass doors. She ran her hand along her polyester-pant-covered hip and pushed out her chest. “We are the hot ladies of LOCAL, after all. Everyone is talking about how much younger we look now that we’re doing flexibend.”
Emery chuckled. She was working with Rose today, or at least Rose was her main focus, as this was one of their one-on-one sessions. Magdeline and Arlin accompanied Rose to each of their thrice weekly sessions, gently reminding Rose to sit up straight, breathe deeper, relax her shoulders, and other loving nags, like sisters might. They cheered Rose on with every ounce of progress she made. And Rose was making progress. Not only was she carrying herself differently, sitting up straighter, holding her head up higher, and moving more comfortably, but her eyes were brighter, and most importantly, she was breathing more easily.
“Okay, sexy ladies. How about we concentrate on aligning our spines and do some deep breathing to show those handsome men what you’re really made of?” Emery pointed to three sets of blankets she’d folded and set on the floor. One for each of the three incredible women who had already stolen a piece of her heart.
In addition to the support they showed Rose, Magdeline and Arlin had also weaseled their way into taking part in Rose’s sessions, showing up to Emery’s second session with Rose armed with their own mats and a handful of yoga props. Did you know Amazon sells everything? Arlin had said during Emery and Rose’s first session. They delivered our goodies right to our door!
Emery helped Rose kneel on the blanket, and Arlin placed a bolster, a long, thick and dense cushion used to help support certain positions, under Rose’s bottom so her hips were higher than her knees. Arlin and Magdeline had not only taken a very active role in their friend’s therapy, but they had raved so much about Emery’s efficient and sweet but take-charge ways that Chloe had been bombarded from families of the residents with inquiries about Emery’s help. Emery had agreed to teach two weekly afternoon yoga classes at LOCAL. Between hanging out with Dean, squeezing in girl time with Desiree, Vi, and Serena, and the classes at the inn, Emery hadn’t even had time to miss her family very much. When her oldest brother, Ethan, had called her earlier that morning, he’d made a comment about how happy she sounded. Of course, being the protective older brother he was, he’d asked if he should worry about that, which made her giggle.
“That’s it, Rosie,” Magdeline said as she and Arlin got into the same position. “Emmie, have you decided where to take your man?”
Emery smiled at the term of endearment they’d adopted toward her. Her mother would cringe if she ever heard it. For as long as she could remember, her mother had made a point of correcting people when they called her anything but Emery. I didn’t name you, Emmie. I gave you a strong name so you would always be respected. She often wondered what her mother would think of Dean’s calling her doll. But she let these women call her Emmie, because it made her feel like she had even more family here than Dean, Des, Vi, and the others. She felt like she had three grandmothers watching out for her in a way that only women of a certain age could, and that felt really good.
“I’m still thinking about it,” she answered. “How about if we work on our breathing, and talk about it later?” They asked her about her personal life often, but she’d been careful about keeping Dean’s name and profession out of their conversations. She could just see these three gals trying to get all the dirt on him.
“She’s afraid we’ll give her old-lady ideas,” Arlin said with a sigh.
“That’s not true!” Emery had been trying to plan a special date for Dean, but having been in town for only a few weeks and being so busy during that time, she was coming up empty. He was always doing little things for her, like stopping by after her yoga classes when he could just to see how she was doing, bringing her flowers, and keeping fresh lemons on hand for her water. They took long walks on the beach, and he was always sending sweet, sexy texts. He’d even purchased a subscription to Yoga magazine. She’d teased him about wanting to see women in their yoga clothes, since every time he saw her in hers, he got a hungry look in his eyes and they usually ended up making out. But he’d said he wanted to learn everything he could about the things she enjoyed. It was then that she knew she was truly the luckiest woman alive. She knew he didn’t need a big, elaborate special date, but she wanted to take him someplace meaningful, and she just hadn’t found or heard about the right spot yet.
“We are old ladies,” Rose pointed out.
“But we’ve still got it,” Magdeline said.
Listening to them made it easy to see what she and Desiree would be like when they were older. They’d had so much fun when they’d gone dress shopping for the benefit dinner next Friday. She could see them in forty years having just as much fun. While there were plenty of sundresses, finding a dress fancy enough for the event had been like finding a needle in a haystack. They’d finally found an elegant blush-colored strapless dress with a sash that ran from the hemline of one side to the center of the bodice. The underskirt ended midthigh, and a transparent top layer, split down the middle, hung to just above her knees in the front and dusted her calves in the back. It was fancier than anything she’d ever owned, but it was also comfortably stretchy and it fit like a glove. She couldn’t wait to see Dean’s face when he saw her wearing it.
“Heck, Magpie,” Arlin said, bringing Emery’s mind back to the moment. “We defined it, but we’re not exactly twentysomething anymore. Maybe we should ask our grandchildren for date ideas for Emmie.”
“No, really. I want to hear your ideas,” Emery assured them. “I just want to make sure Rose’s therapy doesn’t get pushed aside.”
“Oh, no,” Arlin said. “We’d never do that. You’re absolutely right. You tell us what to do, and we’ll talk later.”
“Thank you. Okay, ladies, inhale through your nose. Remember to inhale deeply. Feel the air moving through you. Visualize it filling your lungs.” Emery inhaled deeply, watching the women’s lips curve up in a smile as they followed her instructions. She blew out her breath and said, “Exhale through your mouth, and let me hear it.” A collective ha sound filled the air. “That’s it. Very nice. Now let’s do it again, but let’s take it deeper. Allow yourself to feel your lungs expanding. Become one with your breath, and let everything else go.”
Over the next hour, as they worked through Rose’s therapy, the women peppered Emery with ideas for what they were now calling her big date. Getting Arlin and Magdeline to focus on one thing was like trying to corral mosquitoes.
“How about the drive-in theater?” Arlin asked after the session, as Emery packed up her supplies.
“The drive-in was all the rage when it first opened,” Magdeline said excitedly. “We went there, and of course we took our children there.”
“Yes, and our children took their dates there.” Rose waggled her brows. “They didn’t think we were onto what really went on at drive-ins. Coming home with their hair all tousled and their clothes rumpled.” She laughed and shook her head. “As if they’d invented fooling around in cars and could put one over on us. Ha!”
“Just remember, Emmie, dear,” Arlin said. “If you go, park in the row closest to the movie screen and all the way down on the far right.”
“But won’t that make it hard to see the movie?” Emery asked.
All three women grinned.
“That’s the idea,” Rose said.
Magdeline picked up her mat and flashed a wicked smile. “And if you park on the end, no one is going to be looking your way.”
“O…kay. Let’s not go there right now.” Emery laughed and dug around in her bag, withdrawing a box of tea. “I appreciate your suggestions, and I’ll think about the drive-in. In the meantime, I bought this for you, Rose.” She handed her the box. “It’s tea made with a special blend of anti-inflammatory herbs that helps with achy joints. My friend Morgyn Montgomery makes it. She owns a little shop back home in Virginia. If you like it, I can get you more, and a few other flavors to try.”
“Thank you, Emery.” Rose, who was now seated in her wheelchair, set the box in her lap and took hold of Emery’s hand. “Darling, I know you want your big date to be special, but you must know that what you plan is not nearly as important as the fact that you are spending time together. Whether you’re out at a five-star restaurant, the drive-in theater, or just walking along the shore together isn’t what matters. Time in and of itself is a precious commodity.”
Magdeline and Arlin nodded in agreement.
“We know just how unexpectedly the future can be whisked away,” Rose said thoughtfully. “You’ll find the perfect date. Just follow your heart. It will never lead you astray.”
LATER THAT EVENING, Emery stood in the kitchen at the inn, wrapping yellow ribbons around the pots with the lemon tree sprouts in them. Her phone vibrated with a text. Dean’s name flashed on the screen, and the familiar zing of excitement she’d come to expect skittered through her. They had plans to watch a few more episodes of Outsiders, even though when she’d spoken to her brother Alec earlier, after giving her the third degree about Dean—Thank you, Austin—he’d told her that the show had been canceled and there would be no future episodes.
She opened and read the message. I should be done working in about half an hour. Grilled salmon sound good for dinner?
She loved that he didn’t mind cooking, since she was horrible at it. She briefly pondered taking a cooking class and had visions of setting the classroom on fire. Nixing that idea, she sent Dean a quick response. Naked boyfriend sounds better.
Cosmos bolted in the doggy door and tried to climb her legs. She scooped him into her arms without realizing his tiny body was covered in sand, promptly holding him at arm’s length. “What did you get into?”
“We were down at the beach,” Violet said as she came through the door.
Emery set Cosmos on the floor. “Hey, Vi.”
“Today is lemon tree delivery day?”
“Lemon tree seedlings is more like it. I hope they don’t die. I’m taking them over in a few minutes.” She picked up the box she’d brought to carry them and set each of the planters inside, while Violet dug around in the refrigerator. “I’ve been wanting to ask you. Who was that naked man?”
“Just a friend.” She bit into a peach and closed the refrigerator door. “We didn’t sleep together, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Right,” Emery said sarcastically.
“You guys are all hung up on what it means to be naked with someone. But it’s not like that for me. I’ve been naked with lots of guys I haven’t slept with.” She took another bite, and as she headed out of the kitchen she added, “And lots of guys I have.”
Emery had thought she was enlightened, but wow. Violet took enlightenment to a whole new level.
Her phone vibrated with another message from Dean. She opened it and stared at the shirtless selfie he’d sent, and thoughts of Violet flitted away like the wind.
Ten minutes later she was carrying the box of seedlings down the path toward the new patio where Dean was working. The bay breeze carried the scents of flowers and carefree summer nights. It had been a long time since Emery had been carefree, but every morning when she meditated and every evening when she was in Dean’s arms, she felt something close. Over the course of just a few weeks, Dean had helped her stop worrying that being herself might somehow scare him away. He’d helped her feel safe and whole. Centered in a way she never had been. Caring about Dean and his feelings had made her slow down enough to think before she acted…most of the time, anyway.
Her pulse quickened as she approached the end of the path and saw Dean standing shirtless with his back to her. One hand rested on his waist, and the other lifted as he took a drink from a water bottle. As she watched him, his words came back to her. We’ve been in a relationship for months. He was right. Those changes hadn’t occurred because of the past few weeks. They were the culmination of months of friendship. And she wasn’t just falling for him; she was falling in love with him.
He turned, his eyes catching hers. His lips curved up in that bearded smile she adored. As he closed the distance between them, all power and determined fluidity, her heart stumbled. That beautiful, thoughtful man was all hers.
“There’s my favorite girl.” He leaned in, bringing his rugged scent with him, and kissed her so deeply her knees weakened.
Forget falling. I’ve already fallen.
“You didn’t have to come all the way out here,” he said as he peeked into the box with a curious expression. “But you are the best thing I’ve seen all day.”
“I couldn’t wait to see you.” I love you was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back, a little unsteady on her feet because of the enormity of her realization.
He peered into the box again. “What’s this?”
“Lemon tree seedlings. For you.” She held out the box and he took it with one hand. “You can’t grow them outdoors here on the Cape, but you probably know that already,” she said nervously, closing her mouth before she rambled any more.
He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her again. “I know a few things about trees. Is this your way of telling me that you’re here to stay? That you never want me to run out of lemons for your ice water? Because, doll, I’ll grow so many lemon trees we’ll have to get a bigger house.”
Yes, please.
Her emotions soared, making her too nervous to answer. She glanced over his shoulder, where the setting sun cast a golden hue over the patio, and she blinked several times, sure she was imagining things.
Dean followed her gaze. “I was hoping to reveal this to you with some grand gesture.”
“Did you…?” She walked on shaky legs toward the patio. Awestruck at the trouble he must have gone to, she took in the meticulous and breathtaking design of the koshas. What must be a hundred or more artfully placed flagstones created the most beautiful vision of the five layers of being she’d ever seen. It had to be ten feet in diameter, at the far end of the patio, where she’d thought the firepit should go. She’d been wrong. This was perfect.
“Dean, this is absolutely gorgeous.”
He set the box down, took her hand, and walked closer to the patio. “It’s your design.”
“My…No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t make up the koshas.”
“I know you didn’t, but last week when we went tubing, you described them, and I knew I’d seen the image before, but I couldn’t put my finger on where.” He withdrew his wallet from his back pocket and took out what looked like a folded envelope. “I went through the things you’d sent to me while you were in Virginia, and there it was.”
He unfolded it and handed it to her. On the back of the envelope she’d sent him for Valentine’s Day was a doodle of the koshas. Even then he must have been touching the deepest parts of her. She had truly been in denial. How could she have missed all the signs?
“And you kept the envelope for all this time?” Her heart swelled. She’d kept everything he’d ever sent, too. The cards he’d sent were tucked into the front of her unpacked suitcase, along with the box the bracelet had come in.
“I’ve kept everything you’ve ever given me.” He took her hand and led her over to a toolbox on the other side of the patio.
He lifted the top and handed her a magazine. It was the one she’d sent him in early spring featuring the actors and actresses from Game of Thrones. She studied the faces of the actors, shaking her head with confusion.
“You were my muse for this garden, doll.”
He flipped through the pages, and when he stopped, tears welled in her eyes. There, on an advertisement for an upcoming Netflix movie, were her doodles of the meditation garden she’d always dreamed of.
She swallowed against the rising lump in her throat. “I didn’t realize I’d doodled it on that.”
“This is your meditation garden, made even more special because you had a hand in creating it. I wanted you to have all the things you’ve ever dreamed of. I’m sorry I didn’t have it done before you moved here, but I really wanted you to be a part of it.”
A tear slid down her cheek. “You—” Her voice was choked out by emotions. “You did all this for me?”
“For us, doll. You can meditate or do yoga. Whatever you want.”
She reached for him to combat her shaky legs. “But how is that for us?” she asked with a laugh. “And what do Rick and Drake think about you using resort property for this?”
“It’s for us because I care about you and I want you to have all your dreams come true. Seeing this smile?” He touched his lips to hers. “Knowing that every time you enjoy this patio you’ll think of us? That’s my happiness. And honestly, Rick and Drake don’t know the reasons behind it. I wasn’t even sure I was going to tell you.”
She threw her arms around his neck, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks. “I’m so happy right now. I don’t ever want anything to change.”
“Nothing ever will. We’re too good together for anything to come between us.”
She pulled back and raised her brows. “You do know who you’re going out with, right?”
Amusement filled his eyes like she’d said the most ridiculous thing on earth, and as he lifted her into his arms, she filled with hope that her incredible boyfriend was right once again.