I take one last peek at Rookie and his yoga class, then head inside.
Decision made.
Chapter six
Yosh
The water is the only place my mind feels free.
When I first came to Avalon, I swam to forget. Now I swim because it’s the only place where remembering feels safe. It’s where the sand won’t explode and nothing sharp can hit me.
Some mornings the ocean brings back his laugh, a sound I keep chasing. Other mornings, there’s nothing at all.
I’m not sure which is worse.
The silence feels like betrayal.
Like he’s slipping further away every time I come up for air.
I dive deeper when it happens. Stay under longer than I should.
Count the seconds in my head until instinct forces me back to the surface. It’s the closest I get to control, deciding when I breathe, when I don’t.
Up here, everything is unpredictable.
Down there, it’s just pressure and white noise.
Sometimes I think I hear him anyway.
I reach for it every time.
It never lasts.
I towel-dry my hair as I take the stairs from the beach up to the terrace. At least twenty people greet me on my way: guests, security, gardeners, waitstaff. Apparently, I’mthe kind one, which is probably why Marina at the bar makes my morning smoothie exactly the way I like it: coconut water, almond milk, banana, guava, and a pinch of salt to keep my electrolytes in balance after my swim.
It’s already waiting for me at the end of the pool bar.
I step onto the foot rail and lean over the bar, finding Marina with her head in the cooler, restocking juice cans.
“Thanks, sweetheart, I love you.”
“Enjoy your day, Yosh. See you in yoga tonight!”
I blow her a kiss and head to my studio.
My first appointment with Tom McKenna is scheduled in half an hour.
I take a quick shower and get into my uniform. Light, flowing stone-gray linen pants and a sage-green shirt. Subtle, comfortable, stylish. A massive upgrade from the dreadful synthetic gray sacks we used to call uniforms two years ago.
Just thinking about them makes my skin crawl.
Redesign the uniforms was one of the many changes I’ve pushed through since getting my position three years ago. Changes the board wasn't thrilled with, but honestly, I couldn’t care less. I know I’m considered an outsider here. The board would rather fire me than let me run the alternative healing department, and my therapist coworkers aren’t exactly my people either.
Not to sound arrogant, but their endless complaints and shallow conversations drain me.
No. I prefer to focus my energy on our guests. Speaking of guests...
Tom should be here any minute.
