Nash Brothers Box Set - Carrie Aarons Page 0,21

disrespect their elders.

Fletcher and Forrest giggle together, and Bowen pretends not to smile as he shoves more chips in his mouth.

12

Presley

My hands are sweating, and I wipe them down my black mesh-paneled leggings.

I mean, I’m usually sweating during a yoga class, but this is ridiculous. Good thing I wore black workout pants today because if they were any lighter of a color, it would look like I peed my pants.

With five minutes to go before my first yoga class hosted by the Fawn Hill library begins, there are only two other women here. And neither of them have yoga mats.

Good thing I’d invested in some cheap ones on Amazon and dragged them along to Bloomsbury Park. Lily, the librarian and all-around perfectionist of Fawn Hill, had helped me so much when I’d gone to her with the idea of doing a weekly yoga class in the park on Friday mornings. She printed up the flyers, sent out an email newsletter, and it helped that she knew literally everyone in town and was shoving the event down their throats. I’d been responsible for coming up with the sequence we’d move through during our practice, providing materials like mats and water, and introducing the naïve town of Fawn Hill to my favorite exercise of both the body and mind.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. This was the first real initiative I’d taken in my life, besides moving to Fawn Hill to help Grandma with the shop. I wanted it to be successful, especially because I love the practice of yoga so much. Hopefully, the townspeople will like it just as much, and I could continue these little pop-up workouts. The thought of having something of my own, that I was really proud of, was surprisingly great motivation.

And the person who had encouraged me, twice, to do it? Keaton Nash.

Just thinking about Dr. Tall, Dark, and Distracting was … well, distracting. I blushed to myself, my stomach fluttered and I almost raised my fingertips to my lips. But then I realized I’d probably look like a crazy person to these two strangers waiting for class to start, and I stopped myself.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about that almost kiss. It felt funny to even call it that because I’d stopped it. There was no doubt that if he’d kissed me, Keaton would probably go down as the best set of lips to ever dance with mine. But I’d pushed him away after our conversations mixed my head up to the point of frustration. And even after I’d said no to a kiss, he still waited at the bottom of the front steps to see that I made it inside and locked the door. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the best, and most confusing, date I’d ever been on.

“Did someone say yoga?” Lily walks over the hill, yoga mat in hand, and down into the flat space I’d designated for today’s class.

“Lily, thanks for coming.” I smile at her, happy to have a familiar face here.

She unrolled her mat, her petite, tight body envious. I had been a little stunned to find the young, pretty brunette behind the librarian’s desk when I’d gone to inquire about starting a class. Lily was bubbly, organized, friendly and just about the complete opposite of what you thought of when you pictured a stuffy, old librarian. I understood why she had the job though because, in Fawn Hill, it was much more than just alphabetizing books. She was the cornerstone of community events, knew all the right people for anything you might be looking for, and worked extremely closely with the local schools.

“Of course! Did you think I was going to miss this town’s first opportunity at a gym? Hell, I’m hoping you spin this into a place I can actually come to sweat because lord knows I could use the outlet.” She was already bouncing on the balls of her sneakers.

“Well, first comes first, take your shoes off. We do yoga barefoot.” I chuckle at her enthusiasm.

The other two women, who look to be in their thirties, follow suit. I sigh, checking my watch again, and see that there is only two minutes before the nine a.m. class is supposed to begin. I guess this is going to be it and resign myself to the fact that I didn’t pull this off.

Just as I take my place in front of them, with my heels meeting the edge of my