Page 26 of The Love Position

‘And the festival seems to be going well?’

She nodded. After all the trials and tribulations, Foxbrooke’s first music and arts festival was in full swing, and Estelle and her brother seemed to be taking their business partnership to a personal level.

Even though Sophia knew her family loved her, she didn’t feel as needed as she’d been when James and her father were in China. She was now facing the long summer break with no idea what she might do with her time off.

‘Do you have any siblings?’ she asked.

‘Er, yes. Three older brothers: Benjamin, Samuel and Jacob. All living in London and married with kids. My parents are retired and live nearby.’

‘Do you see them much?’

‘A few times a year.’

‘Are they like you?’

Isaac smiled and shook his head. ‘I think it’s easier to say I was once like them.’

Oh. Does he have an ex-wife? Children?

‘They’re all lawyers. I was one for a City firm until my mid-twenties.’

‘So, no kids then?’

He shook his head.

‘What made you want to be a yoga teacher?’

For a second, Isaac’s posture changed, his shoulders stiffening, then he relaxed. ‘I was burned out by the corporate world and took a sabbatical that turned out to be permanent. I travelled for nearly a year and ended up in India at an ashram where I met my guru.’

‘Had you done yoga before?’

He shook his head. ‘I was a gym rat.’

Sophia sneaked a glance at his arms. Isaac still looked like he worked out, but his muscles were lean and defined, not bulky.

‘Yoga filled all the spaces in my life that were empty and gave me peace. It completely changed my life for the better.’

‘How long did you stay in India for?’

‘Nearly two years. I pledged my life to my guru, Swami Vishnu, but he said I should return to England and spread the teaching of yoga. I found a bit of land outside Foxbrooke to live on and moved here almost a decade ago.’

‘Do you still see him? Your guru?’

‘Yes, I visit every summer.’

‘In your last newsletter, you said you were taking August off.’

He nodded. ‘It’s the best month to go, as so many people are away.’

Sophia spread her fingers in a futile attempt to cool down. The Bath stone buildings and the grey pavement radiated heat around her to almost unbearable levels, even on the shady side of the street. It was like being in an oven.

‘Is India as hot as this?’

‘Sometimes. The headquarters of the Devanandara organisation are in the foothills of the Himalayas, but it can get pretty humid in the summer.’

Sophia wanted to know everything about Isaac but wasn’t sure if he wanted an interrogation, so fell silent. Walking next to him and knowing she was about to visit his house was thrilling.

She was an inch taller than Marcus and he often made jokes about her height, or commented on how useful she was at reaching high shelves. Taking the yoga classes with Isaac had made Sophia realise how much she’d hunched her shoulders and slouched, just to fit in and make her ex feel better about himself.

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