Page 66 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
In addition to the support they showed Rose, Magdeline and Arlin had also weaseled their way into taking part in Rose’s sessions, showing up to Emery’s second session with Rose armed with their own mats and a handful of yoga props.Did you know Amazon sells everything?Arlin had said during Emery and Rose’s first session.They delivered our goodies right to our door!
Emery helped Rose kneel on the blanket, and Arlin placed a bolster, a long, thick and dense cushion used to help support certain positions, under Rose’s bottom so her hips were higher than her knees. Arlin and Magdeline had not only taken a very active role in their friend’s therapy, but they had raved so much about Emery’sefficient and sweet but take-charge waysthat Chloe had been bombarded from families of the residents with inquiries about Emery’s help. Emery had agreed to teach two weekly afternoon yoga classes at LOCAL. Between hanging out with Dean, squeezing in girl time with Desiree, Vi, and Serena, and the classes at the inn, Emery hadn’t even had time to miss her family very much. When her oldest brother, Ethan, had called her earlier that morning, he’d made a comment about how happy she sounded. Of course, being the protective older brother he was, he’d asked if he should worry about that, which made her giggle.
“That’s it, Rosie,” Magdeline said as she and Arlin got into the same position. “Emmie, have you decided where to take your man?”
Emery smiled at the term of endearment they’d adopted toward her. Her mother would cringe if she ever heard it. For as long as she could remember, her mother had made a point of correcting people when they called her anything but Emery.I didn’t name you, Emmie. I gave you a strong name so you would always be respected.She often wondered what her mother would think of Dean’s calling herdoll. But she let these women call her Emmie, because it made her feel like she had even more family here than Dean, Des, Vi, and the others. She felt like she had three grandmothers watching out for her in a way that only women of a certain age could, and that felt really good.
“I’m still thinking about it,” she answered. “How about if we work on our breathing, and talk about it later?” They asked her about her personal life often, but she’d been careful about keeping Dean’s name and profession out of their conversations. She could just see these three gals trying to get all the dirt on him.
“She’s afraid we’ll give herold-ladyideas,” Arlin said with a sigh.
“That’s not true!” Emery had been trying to plan a special date for Dean, but having been in town for only a few weeks and being so busy during that time, she was coming up empty. He was always doing little things for her, like stopping by after her yoga classes when he could just to see how she was doing, bringing her flowers, and keeping fresh lemons on hand for her water. They took long walks on the beach, and he was always sending sweet, sexy texts. He’d even purchased a subscription toYogamagazine. She’d teased him about wanting to see women in their yoga clothes, since every time he saw her in hers, he got a hungry look in his eyes and they usually ended up making out. But he’d said he wanted to learn everything he could about the things she enjoyed. It was then that she knew she was truly the luckiest woman alive. She knew he didn’t need a big, elaborate special date, but she wanted to take him someplace meaningful, and she just hadn’t found or heard about the right spot yet.
“Weareold ladies,” Rose pointed out.
“But we’ve still got it,” Magdeline said.
Listening to them made it easy to see what she and Desiree would be like when they were older. They’d had so much fun when they’d gone dress shopping for the benefit dinner next Friday. She could see them in forty years having just as much fun. While there were plenty of sundresses, finding a dress fancy enough for the event had been like finding a needle in a haystack. They’d finally found an elegant blush-colored strapless dress with a sash that ran from the hemline of one side to the center of the bodice. The underskirt ended midthigh, and a transparent top layer, split down the middle, hung to just above her knees in the front and dusted her calves in the back. It was fancier than anything she’d ever owned, but it was also comfortably stretchy and it fit like a glove. She couldn’t wait to see Dean’s face when he saw her wearing it.
“Heck, Magpie,” Arlin said, bringing Emery’s mind back to the moment. “Wedefinedit, but we’re not exactly twentysomething anymore. Maybe we should ask our grandchildren for date ideas for Emmie.”
“No, really. I want to hearyourideas,” Emery assured them. “I just want to make sure Rose’s therapy doesn’t get pushed aside.”
“Oh, no,” Arlin said. “We’d never do that. You’re absolutely right. You tell us what to do, and we’ll talk later.”
“Thank you. Okay, ladies, inhale through your nose. Remember to inhale deeply. Feel the air moving through you. Visualize it filling your lungs.” Emery inhaled deeply, watching the women’s lips curve up in a smile as they followed her instructions. She blew out her breath and said, “Exhale through your mouth, and let me hear it.” A collectivehasound filled the air. “That’s it. Very nice. Now let’s do it again, but let’s take it deeper. Allow yourself to feel your lungs expanding. Become one with your breath, and let everything else go.”
Over the next hour, as they worked through Rose’s therapy, the women peppered Emery with ideas for what they were now calling herbig date. Getting Arlin and Magdeline to focus on one thing was like trying to corral mosquitoes.
“How about the drive-in theater?” Arlin asked after the session, as Emery packed up her supplies.
“The drive-in was all the rage when it first opened,” Magdeline said excitedly. “We went there, and of course we took our children there.”
“Yes, and our children took their dates there.” Rose waggled her brows. “They didn’t think we were onto what really went on at drive-ins. Coming home with their hair all tousled and their clothes rumpled.” She laughed and shook her head. “As if they’d invented fooling around in cars and could put one over on us. Ha!”
“Just remember, Emmie, dear,” Arlin said. “If you go, park in the row closest to the movie screen and all the way down on the far right.”
“But won’t that make it hard to see the movie?” Emery asked.
All three women grinned.
“That’s the idea,” Rose said.
Magdeline picked up her mat and flashed a wicked smile. “And if you park on the end, no one is going to be looking your way.”
“O…kay. Let’s not go there right now.” Emery laughed and dug around in her bag, withdrawing a box of tea. “I appreciate your suggestions, and I’ll think about the drive-in. In the meantime, I bought this for you, Rose.” She handed her the box. “It’s tea made with a special blend of anti-inflammatory herbs that helps with achy joints. My friend Morgyn Montgomery makes it. She owns a little shop back home in Virginia. If you like it, I can get you more, and a few other flavors to try.”
“Thank you, Emery.” Rose, who was now seated in her wheelchair, set the box in her lap and took hold of Emery’s hand. “Darling, I know you want your big date to be special, but you must know that what you plan is not nearly as important as the fact that you are spending time together. Whether you’re out at a five-star restaurant, the drive-in theater, or just walking along the shore together isn’t what matters.Timein and of itself is a precious commodity.”
Magdeline and Arlin nodded in agreement.
“We know just how unexpectedly the future can be whisked away,” Rose said thoughtfully. “You’ll find the perfect date. Just follow your heart. It will never lead you astray.”
LATER THAT EVENING, Emery stood in the kitchen at the inn, wrapping yellow ribbons around the pots with the lemon tree sprouts in them. Her phone vibrated with a text. Dean’s name flashed on the screen, and the familiarzingof excitement she’d come to expect skittered through her. They had plans to watch a few more episodes ofOutsiders, even though when she’d spoken to her brother Alec earlier, after giving her the third degree about Dean—Thank you, Austin—he’d told her that the show had been canceled and there would be no future episodes.
She opened and read the message.I should be done working in about half an hour. Grilled salmon sound good for dinner?
She loved that he didn’t mind cooking, since she was horrible at it. She briefly pondered taking a cooking class and had visions of setting the classroom on fire. Nixing that idea, she sent Dean a quick response.Naked boyfriend sounds better.
