The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (26 page)

“
Excuse me?
”

I realize, too late, that my last thought was spoken aloud. However, considering the meltdown I just had, I'm beyond the point of mortification, so I offer clarification.
“
Your face,
”
I say, circling a finger around my own head to make myself perfectly clear.
“
You have a very attractive face.
”

He smiles, showing off his straight teeth, and I nod to myself as he continues to prove my point.
“
Thank you,
”
he says kindly, handing me my flip flops.

“
Oh. Thanks,
”
I reply as I take them and slip them onto my feet. I notice that he also brought my purse and my yoga mat.
“
You didn't have to bring me my stuff. I was going to come back for it eventually. You know, once everyone left. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be in there?
”

“
I
’
ve got it covered,
”
he assures me, waving a hand over his shoulder to signal that he
’
s not worried about it.
“
You seemed pretty upset. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.
”

He looks me right in the eye when he says it and I can tell he
’
s not flirting; his concern is genuine. Yet, whether his intentions are innocent or not, I
’
m still taken aback by his kindness and I find that I can no longer look him in the eyes. I pull my gaze away from his and look down at my toes before I speak.
“
That
’
s really nice of you. You still didn
’
t have to leave your class.
”

“
Just because I didn
’
t
have
to
doesn
’
t mean that I
shouldn
’
t have
. No one has ever had that kind of emotional reaction in my class before.
”

I cough out a humorless laugh as I rub tears from my eyes and my cheeks.
“
Sorry about that. I can
’
t really explain it. All I can say is
—
I
’
m having a difficult week.
”

“
I
’
m a great listener if you feel like lightening the load you seem to be carrying.
”

A small smile pulls at my lips and I will myself to look at him once more. For some reason, probably because he just abandoned his other pupils to comfort the crazy girl who had an emotional break-down in the middle of yoga, I believe that he truly is a good listener. Even if that is true, he
’
s also a stranger and I don
’
t feel up to sharing my complicated situation with him.
“
You
’
re surprisingly kind,
”
I say bluntly.
“
And I appreciate the offer, but no thank you.
”

“
Fair enough,
”
he replies, clapping his hands against his knees.
“
Well, I
’
m here Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at nine a.m. every week. You
’
re welcome to cry in my yoga class any time you want.
”
He stands and turns to head back inside.

“
Hey,
”
I call out as I rise to my feet.
“
Thanks again.
”

He smiles at me and then circles his finger around his head, like I did just a few minutes before.
“
You have a very attractive face, too.
”

I barely have time to blink before he
’
s walking into the studio. Something tells me that his compliment wasn't a line but just a kind word to lift my spirits. Or maybe I'm just so mentally exhausted that I can't tell the difference.

I leave for home right away. I don
’
t have to be to work until much later, but I
’
m now thinking that I could use some time with my new journal. I also think today is a good day to start on my summer reading list. During the school year, I don
’
t have much time to read for pleasure; so for months I compile a list of books and buy them when I can. When summer comes around, I
’
m usually pretty well stocked. I know that AJ wants me to get out of the apartment, but I think my yoga class and my shift at work will have to do for the day. Besides, Sarah should be around and she
’
s
living
—
that counts, if you ask me.

Me:
Just got home from yoga. I cried in the middle of class :( So embarrassing. But possibly made a new friend?
…
details later.

I shoot Avery the the text as I head up to the apartment. When I walk in, Sarah
’
s in the kitchen wrapped in a towel eating a bowl of cereal. When she doesn
’
t have class or church, she
’
s as bad as Jackson in terms of sleeping through the morning.
Actually, she
’
s probably worse. Jackson only sleeps that much on weekends. When football training starts, he
’
ll be up and out almost as early as Ave.

“
Hey,
”
she greets me with her mouth full. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she
’
s watching my every move, trying to assess the status of my mood.
“
You went out,
”
she says after she swallows.

“
Yeah,
”
I reply, pointing at my mat.
“
Yoga.
”

“
That
’
s great. How are yo
—
I mean, how was it?
”

It doesn
’
t escape me how she rephrased her question and I realize that Avery must have told her about the dreaded inquiry that I
’
ve banned for the time being. I understand that everyone is walking on egg shells around me right now, but I don
’
t have it in me to feel bad about it. I
’
m actually feeling very grateful. I
’
ll have to think of a way to make it up to them later.

I groan when I think back a half an hour and Sarah lifts both of her perfectly plucked blonde eyebrows, silently asking for details. I discard all of my things into the armchair in the living room before I make my way to the breakfast bar and sit in a stool. I fill her in on the happenings of my morning. It actually feels really good to talk to her about something that
’
s
not
directly related to Beckham.

“
Mr. Yoga sounds nice. Are you going to go back?
”

“
Yeah. I think so,
”
I say with a shrug.
”
I mean, I did enjoy the session and it seems like it would be rude to not go back. He was so kind, you know?
”

“
I don
’
t think he would be offended if you didn
’
t come back. In fact, he might expect it,
”
she says, loading her empty bowl in the dishwasher.
“
But I support your decision to keep going. I think the routine would be really good for you.
”

“
You
’
re probably right.
”

“
I
know
I
’
m right,
”
she teases with a grin and a wink.
“
Anyway
—
I
’
ve got a few things I have to get done today. Interested in tagging along while I run some errands?
”

“
No, thanks. I think I want to stick around here until work.
”

“
Okay. Well
—
we
’
re on the same shift tonight.
”
I smile at the news. Having to go back to work will be a little easier with my best friend there.
“
Do you want to ride together?
”

“
Yeah. That sounds great.
”

“
Perfect.
”
She makes her way toward me and plants a kiss on top of my head.
“
I
’
m proud of you for getting out this morning.
”

I think I might share the feeling.

The pub is pretty big and divided into two sections
—
the bar and the dining area. It
’
s almost like two different worlds. The dining area is filled with low tables which are usually occupied by families or groups of people who wish to simply come and enjoy the food that Cooper
’
s boasts about. The bar area is a bit bigger than the dining room. There are booths that line the walls and hightop tables with bar stools scattered between pool tables and foosball tables. Since the pub sits on a street corner, there are big windows that allow natural light to pour into the room and there
’
s a nice view of the heart of downtown Fort Collins. The bar is set up against the back wall
—
it
’
s long with an impressive tap line and more than enough room for two bartenders. Henry always has two people back there during the night shift. That
’
s something I really love about Henry
—
he
’
s predictable.

He always schedules a particular amount of people to work in each section of the restaurant depending on the time of day. Furthermore, if he likes you in a particular section, you
’
re pretty much married to it. My first year at Cooper
’
s I worked the dining room. One night, I had to cover for someone in the bar
—
I
’
ve been stuck in that section ever since. I love it, though; it
’
s usually busy and even if it
’
s not, the atmosphere is different
—
it
’
s more fun and the staff is more playful, feeding off the energy of the patrons who come to drink, play games, and eat pizza.