Page 60 of Crazy in Love

“I’m good,” he grumbled.

Faith started into a warm-up spiel and led them through some simple breathing exercises and basic stretches. He’d never actually done yoga, but he’d seen movies and commercials and understood the gist.

Once they sat, and Faith had them pretzeled up into something called a “Half Cow Face,” he could feel the burn. His injured leg screamed at certain movements, so every once in a while, he had to back off. He abandoned a few of the poses altogether and just watched Faith. She flowed seamlessly into each new pose and made it look effortless. And there was no denying she was easy on the eyes.

Her feet were bare, and her toes covered with pink nail polish. He narrowed in on a small tattoo near her ankle—a basketball beside the number ten. Tess had the same ball but with the number one. The whole team had gotten matching tattoos to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their state championship win.

“Enjoying the view, Nicholas?” Mrs. Baker snickered behind him.

His cheeks warmed at being caught ogling by his fourth-grade math teacher.

“Busted,” Mrs. Shaw sang with a sly grin.

Faith was oblivious—or pretended to be on his behalf—and shushed them.

A minute later, someone broke wind in a not-so-quiet, not-so-lady-like way, which caused some snickering.

“Sorry,” a woman in the back called out. “Knew I shouldn’t have eaten Pedro’s before class. Thought that would be a silent one.”

The group descended into fits of giggles. Even Nick cracked a smile. He sobered quickly when Faith turned and shot them a chastising glare.

“Real mature, ladies,” she said. “Can we focus?”

Everyone regained control, and Faith started the cooldown. The less intense poses felt pretty good. Gave his leg the perfect amount of burn. Hopefully, that meant healing.

At Faith’s final “Namaste,” the women grabbed their water jugs and guzzled as though they’d just finished a marathon. Adequately hydrated, they rolled up their mats, thanked Faith, and started back toward the parking lot, leaving him alone with Faith.

“How’d you do?” she asked.

“Okay, I guess,” he said. “It’s definitely harder than it looks. People make it seem easier than it is.”

“People?”

“You know. In the movies and stuff. You too. You made it look good.”

She laughed. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you checking out my butt.”

“Guilty,” he said with a grin. “Wanna get some dinner?”

“Anything but Pedro’s.”

They walked to her car, stopped at the deli for sandwiches, and drove out to an old, abandoned barn. The early fall sun streamed through the trees on the far side of the meadow, and butterflies danced among the wildflowers that grew in patches around the long-forgotten field. Faith spread out a blanket and passed him a sandwich.

“GVF is pretty,” Nick said. “I’ll give it that.”

“Ever think of moving home?” She said it nonchalantly, but there was a hint of hope in her words, and he felt the need to prepare her for what was imminent.

“No,” he said. “In fact, I’ll probably head back to Boston next week.”

Something akin to sadness slid across her face but passed quickly. “Yeah, your leg does seem a lot better. Think you’ll return to work soon then?”

“Might have to start at a desk, but hopefully, I’ll be back in the field before long.”

Talking about work sent a ripple of guilt down his spine. He still hadn’t told her what he’d found out about her biological father. Nor had he mentioned he was actively trying to find and arrest the guy. She hadn’t brought it up again after initially asking him about it, but his lie of omission weighed on him. Thankfully, she changed the subject.

“How’s staying with your folks?” Since she’d moved back in with Tess, he’d been stuck with parental roommates.

“Not too bad, actually,” he said. “Mom’s eased up on the babying, and Dad says he’ll let me borrow the car once I candrive. It’s like I’m sixteen all over again. Maybe I could get an allowance out of them.”

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