“Right,” Addison said, eyes pleading. “So if you could—”
Aiden cut her off. “Not do or say anything at all, that’d be great.”
Addison reached over the counter, palmed her brother’s face, and gave it a shove. “Don’t listen to the idiot. What he means is if you could just…you know…not—”
I held up my hand and grinned. “I got it. Be a little less me. Focus on extolling all the wonderful aspects of the resort and Starlight Cove, and mum on the whole deforestation and greedy corporations taking over small-town living. Roger that.”
I gave her and Aiden a thumbs-up, then headed to the parlor. Harper’s one-on-one yoga class was scheduled to start in thirty minutes, but I wanted to make sure the space was perfect. Start off on the right foot and all that. Since it was a little too cool—and a little too debris-strewn—this morning to comfortably be outside for our practice, I was going to have to bring the outside in.
Twenty minutes later, I’d changed out of yesterday’s rainwear and set up two yoga mats in front of the wall of windows, a couple of them open to let in the sea breeze and the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. A diffuser misted lavender and lemongrass essential oils into the air, and several jar candles flickered around the space.
Having no other guests at the resort was a problem, for sure, but in this instance, it only added to the peaceful ambiance.
Starlight Cove Resort really was the perfect location for this type of activity. With its sprawling oceanside beachfront, it was a haven of tranquility. But even if it wasn’t possible to be outside, I could bring enough of it inside to make it all still feel connected.
I sat on my mat in Sukhasana, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows with an unobstructed view of the ocean, and forced myself to be present in the moment. I inhaled the tranquility and peace of the space, exhaling any fear or anxiety my body still held over finding a huge tree crushing my home. Yes, it wasjusta van, but that van had been where I’d lived every day for the past three years, and finding it demolished had been heartbreaking.
I continued on for several breaths, but my pulse still fluttered, my nerves frayed. God, if I hadn’t gone with Brady last night—if he hadn’t shown up in the first place—I would’ve been in there when the tree had fallen. I’d talked a big game last night, telling him I was a grown woman who could take care of herself, but I’d just been being stupid.
Of course I could take care of myself—I’d been doing it nearly my whole life—but I couldn’t deny how unexpectedly nice it was to have someone actually looking out for me. Someone checking in on me. Someone making sure I was safe and not taking for granted that I had everything figured out.
And for that person to be Brady…well, that was a twist I hadn’t seen coming.
* * *
While spendingthe day doing what I loved helped keep my mind off my current situation, it had never really left me completely. Harper had been a fantastic student, not overly familiar with most poses but eager to learn more about the practice. And the massage had mostly been low groans of appreciation—from her, obviously—and very little talking, so I took that as a good sign. I’d tried to get her to spill the tea on what the status of the article was or which direction her editors were leaning, but she wouldn’t say a word.
Still, during the quiet pockets of time during the massage, and now after, my thoughts had been consumed entirely by my ruined van. Myhome. My whole life was in that 6 x 10 space, and I didn’t know where I went from here.
My first order of business would probably be to get it towed and get an estimate on damages to figure out whether or not it was totaled. With Harper tucked back at her cottage, I strolled toward the main inn and called the auto body shop in town, figuring now was as good a time as any.
“Frank’s Auto Body,” a man answered, his voice low and rough, like he’d smoked a pack a day for the past fifty years.
“Hi. This is Luna Lancaster, calling about—”
“Sure, sure, Luna. Has anything changed with your van?”
Brows furrowed, I opened and closed my mouth a few times, having no idea how to respond to that odd question. “Well…kind of? Considering there’s a giant tree crushing it.”
He laughed, a deep, husky sound that reverberated through the line. “Besides that. Sheriff McKenzie already called and got you all squared away. I’ve got your number, so I’ll call you with an estimate once we can get out there and have it towed back here so I can see what we’re working with.”
“Brady called you?”
“Sure did. Several hours ago, in fact.”
If he’d called that long ago, that meant he’d done it shortly after he’d dropped me off at the main inn. Had he mentioned that before he’d left that morning? Definitely not. There was no way I’d forgotten that, even in my haze. And I certainly hadn’t asked him to do so—I’d just figured out where to call fifteen minutes ago.
Which meant he’d just…done it. So I wouldn’t have to worry about it.
Warmth bloomed in my chest, thinking of the big, bad, gruff sheriff taking it upon himself to make the call and take this off my plate. Just because.
“Luna? You still there? Damn phones are always—”
“Yes, sorry. I’m here. That, um, that sounds good. Thanks.”
“Happy to help. Like I told the sheriff, depending on what we find, you might be looking at quite a while before the damage is repaired. Sheriff McKenzie wasn’t sure what your schedule was like or when you planned to leave town, but this is gonna be quite a speed bump if you’re hoping to get out quick.”
The sheriff wasn’t the only one who didn’t know that small detail. No matter where I’d gone these past three years, I never had a plan for where I went or how long I’d stay. Either a freelance gig brought me to a town, or I simply rolled up when someplace felt right, got settled, and then left when the wanderlust struck once again. But I’d been in Starlight Cove for a month and a half, and the urge to up and flee hadn’t hit me even once.
