Page 144 of I Choose You

With ten minutes to go, my phone rang. I’d left it on the shelf off to the side, not in my locker, and I widened my eyes at the FaceTime trill that cut through the quiet of the yoga studio.

Shit.

The instructor glared at me.

I lowered my leg and hurried over to answer. “Hey.”

“Good afternoon, my fellow fair lady!” Rena practically shouted it like a circus carny.

Clenching my teeth, I winced. “Yeah, hey.” She probably didn’t realize what time it was here. Or forgot.

“You interrupt class when she’s here and you still manage to do the same on the phone.” The instructor crossed her arms.

I scowled at her. “Oh, shut it.”

“Yeah. Shut up,” another person said. “You act like it’s some holy grounds in here if we make a peep.”

“I miss the other lady,” another student said.

“Hey, Rena!” the first one shouted, smiling. “How’s the trip?”

I shook my head and grabbed my water bottle and mat to hurry out of there. I headed toward the locker room, sick of that instructor.

“Hey, sorry,” she said.

“No. No worries. But you know, time differences and all.” I grinned.

“We need to find a new yoga place,” she said. “As soon as I get back, we’ll look.”

“Never mind that woman. How’s it going?” I smiled as she showed me the beach. It was raining, but still. A beach!

“Hey. I’ll call you back in like ten minutes. Go shower real quick and I’ll find somewhere dry to call again.” She winced. “Sorry!”

We hung up, and I sped through a shower to be dry and dressed in time for her call. I left the studio and strolled down the sidewalk. She called fourteen minutes later. Close enough for her.

“Where are you?” I asked, peering at the dark interior. “A museum?”

She frowned. “A library, I think.” She glanced at a paper, frowning. “I don’t know. All these places kind of blend. It’s on my list. Oh, Brooke. It’s so authentic here! Everything is so old.”

“Ancient?” I asked.

“That too.” She beamed, setting her phone on a table and adjusting so she stayed in the screen. “It’s been a blast. Other than the rain, but can you believe it? It has only rained once! Imagine that luck.”

“That is good luck.”

She frowned as she looked at someone out of the screen. “Uh. English. I don’t understand.” She shrugged and shook her head. “English.” She pointed at herself. “Me hablo English. Shit, no, that’s Spanish. We’re in Greece. Um.”

“You can’t use your phones in here in the library,” someone said in a quick, snappy statement in the background. A hand showed on the screen, pointing to the right. “Over there. In that room.”

“Ah. Okay. Merci. Gracias. Um. Thanks.” Rena shot me a whoops face and moved. “Anyway, it has been so much fun. I can’t believe I’m on the last stretch of it.”

I grinned as she settled into some kind of study room.

“I hope the reception holds here.”

“All clear from me.”

“It’s been wonderful. I’ve seen so many things.” She pointed. “I see you liking every single one of my pictures. And I’ve met incredible friends. I’m so happy I booked this trip. No romance.” She shrugged. “But hey, there’s more to life than dudes. Right?”