Page 13 of Saltwater Sweets
CHAPTER10
There was nothing more relaxing than yoga on the beach, Sam thought, as she shifted to the downward dog position. Breathing in the fresh sea air, listening to the soothing sound of the lapping waves, and having the whole beach to yourself to focus on the practice all alone was paradise.
Whoops, not quite alone. A movement behind her caught her eye, and she peered upside down through her legs to see who it was.
Darn it! It was Cole. Had he followed her down here?
There went her relaxing morning yoga session. But wait… maybe she could work this to her advantage. This might be a perfect time to ask him some questions. She was no crack interrogator, but she’d learned a few techniques on the job.
Cole hesitated at the bottom of the steps. Probably because she had her butt in the air and was looking through her legs at him.
“Oh. Good morning,” he said as if he hadn’t been expecting her to be there.
Sam adjusted her position to something more modest. “Morning. Beautiful day. What brings you down here?”
As if she didn’t know he’d followed her.
He glanced down the beach as if deciding how far away from her to get. “Meditating.”
“There’s a great spot right over there.” Sam indicated a spot about six feet from her. “The view from here is gorgeous.”
Cole frowned. He eyed the spot uncertainly, then as if making a decision, he strode over and plopped down the towel.
Was he going to meditate on the towel? Seemed like you would get a little bit sandy.
“Maybe you should think about getting a yoga mat if you meditate when you travel. You can roll them up. Takes a bit of room in the luggage, but worth it. It would be more comfortable.”
“The towel is fine.” Cole sat down on it as if to illustrate how fine it was.
Sam fluidly moved into the cobra position. “So, your dad must really miss your mom.” Was that a good question to start with? She knew to start off with innocent friendly questions and then move into the hard stuff.
Cole, who had been trying unsuccessfully to bend his legs into a pretzel, glanced over. “Of course. Doesn’t your mom miss your dad?”
“Of course she does. She hasn’t dated anyone else. Has your dad had a lot of girlfriends?”
Cole frowned. “No. Your mom is the first one. It’s funny, though, he’s really taken to that chocolate shop. I wonder why she hasn’t improved it before, though. Hasn’t your family owned it all this time?”
Sam’s warrior-pose footing faltered. Why was he asking that question? How much should she tell him? The truth probably wouldn’t hurt. “After my dad died, she kind of got into a funk.”
But now more than ever she was convinced he was up to something. Because if he really did come here just to meditate, then why did he keep asking questions?
Cole nodded. “I guess that’s understandable.” Cole took a deep breath, placed his hands palm up on his knees, and looked out at the ocean. He actually did know something about meditation, apparently. But Sam wasn’t about to give up on her questioning. She was working her way to the questions she really wanted answers to.
“It’s nice that your dad is helping out, but he can’t really be interested in making chocolate, can he?”
* * *
Cole glanced over at Sam. What kind of question was that? He had to admit, though, that he’d been wondering himself if his dad was really that interested in making chocolates. He was making a good effort, but it was probably just to please Deena. But the way Sam asked, it was almost as if she was suspicious of him.
“It seems like he is.” Cole noticed that she hadn’t really answered his question about why her mother didn’t improve the shop before.
His leg was starting to cramp, so he adjusted his position. More sand gathered on the towel. Maybe Sam was right about the yoga mat. The sand was becoming a problem, and in this weird position, it was creeping into places he didn’t want to think about. And how could Sam bend into those positions? She was right about one thing, though, the view was great… ofher.
Why had she invited him to sit here? Wasn’t yoga supposed to be solitary, like meditation? And why was she asking him all these questions? It was like an interrogation, and she wasn’t very good at it, either, not like Cole. He was a pro. But if she was going to interrogate him, he could do the same. “I know you’re a lawyer and all, but didn’t you ever want to get into the family business?”
Cole had been wondering about that. Who wouldn’t want to run a family business that had been handed down over generations? And he could tell by her clothing and the budget rental car model that she wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough, so money couldn’t be the motivation for her lawyering. He could only conclude that they needed money to keep the business going.
“I just never wanted to stay in this small town. It didn’t seem very ambitious to just fall into a family business when I was younger.”
