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Chapter 7
Jasmine
Sitting at my desk, I down a quick snack before my next class starts.Art supplies are ready, and soon this room will be filled with littles who are eager to create art.
Life since the move has been good.I’ve had dinner with the Grindles eight times in the last month.It’s a treat having them next door, but I still need to make friends my own age.Tonight, if that woman I’ve seen on social media comes back to my yoga class, I’ll invite her out for coffee.If I don’t talk myself out of it before I have an opportunity, that is.
Then scrolling through social media, I see from her post that she injured her foot, and I relax, convinced I won’t have to step outside my comfort zone tonight.
Teaching yoga is easy.Initiating a friendship is completely different.
As the last child runs out of my classroom, I sigh.No matter how many times I tell them to walk, they always run.I hurriedly shove my notebook into my bag, then buzz around the room, putting it in order for the next time we do art.
Once supplies are put away, my granola bar is out and being unwrapped as I rush to my car.I’ve given up hoping for lighter traffic because that never happens.I need to look for another job, but between balancing my two current jobs and moving in, I haven’t had time.And I sometimes wrestle with change.
It’s a gamble, and improvement isn’t always the outcome.Like when I finally started dating and met a slew of self-absorbed jerks.
After an hour in stop-and-go traffic, I park outside the studio, lug my duffel into the dressing room, and change into my yoga attire.Then I roll out my mat in the empty room and take a few minutes to breathe.These quiet minutes are my favorite on these days where I’m rushing around.
By the time people arrive for class, no one would ever know I spent a chunk of my day with preschoolers then another hour snarled in traffic.And just before I begin the session, the woman I wanted to invite for coffee slips into the back.Daisy is her name.
Maybe it’s silly to befriend someone who has such a big online following.She probably has more friends than she has time.But something about her draws me in.Asking isn’t such a big risk.The worst that can happen is she’ll tell me no.
Class goes smoothly, and as people pack up to leave, I walk over to where Daisy is rolling up her mat.“Hey, Daisy, is your foot okay?”
“Yeah.I stepped on a nail yesterday.It barely broke the skin.Nothing horrible.But I needed to come to this class to work kinks out of my muscles and untangle my brain.”
I’ve seen her feed.She’s helping out with chores on a ranch.The pictures and videos she’s posted are entertaining.That ranch has lots of good-looking cowboys.
“I saw your posts.Working hard.But the view is nice.”
“For sure.There are other ranch hands.Want me to introduce you to one?”She doesn’t mention the name of the man she’s dating, who works at the ranch.Online, she’s kept his name under wraps and rarely posts pictures of his face.Other ranch hands feature more prominently in the videos.Daisy leans forward.“Super cute guys.”
“We’ll see.”I’m not quite ready for that.Made-up images of my rescuer fill my thoughts, and no real guys can compare.In time, that will change.I hope.
I gather my things and shove them into my bright pink bag.“Have time for coffee?”I try to sound casual and not desperate for a new friend.
“Absolutely.Especially if the place also serves chocolate cake.”She hooks her bag on her shoulder.“I need a very large piece of cake.Or a brownie.Probably cake.”
This friendship is off to a good start.“I know just the place.”
Once we’re tucked into the booth at the restaurant and our food has been ordered, we chat like we’ve been friends forever.She tells me all about the cowboy she’s going out with and how wonderful he is.
“Grayson isn’t like any other guy I’ve dated, and I feel completely out of my element because I don’t know what he’s thinking.I just don’t want him to be the one who got away.You know?”
Oh, I know.“I have one of those.”I tell her the whole sordid story of the party and how I met my mystery man.“But I have no idea who he is.And either he didn’t want to see me again, or I didn’t give him my number.And now I’ve built up this guy in my head.”
She crinkles her nose.“There are so many nice guys out there.You’ll meet someone.”
“I’m not ready for that yet.But when I am, maybe I’ll have you set me up with one of Grayson’s friends.”
“Just say when.”
We chat while I eat my late-night breakfast.It’s what I order every time I come to this diner, a place whose proximity to the yoga studio isn’t a good thing.
Daisy raves about the chocolate cake, and we talk long after our food is gone.
I’m liking this new chapter.
