Page 8 of Serenity at Seagrove
"Well, I like to start my day early here," she said, uncrossing her legs and stretching them in front of her. "I find that the ocean has a way of clearing your mind."
His hands shifted uncomfortably, finding their way into his back pockets. "Yeah, I suppose that's why I'm out here, too."
She studied him for a moment, and he fought the urge to look away from her gaze.
"How's your shoulder?" she asked.
The question caught him off guard. Most people in town tiptoed around the subject of his injury, acting like it was some kind of taboo topic no one was supposed to bring up.
"It's fine," he said automatically. "Well, I guess as fine as it can be."
"You favor it when you walk," she observed. "Have you tried any gentle stretching or movement therapy?"
He felt his defenses rising up like a wall around a castle. "Look, I've got physical therapists for that. I don't need?—"
"I'm not trying to fix you, Archer," Luna interrupted, holding up her hand. "I was just making an observation."
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of salt and seaweed. Archer watched as Luna gathered her long hair and put it in a knot at the nape of her neck. The simple gesture seemed to diffuse some of the tension hanging in the air.
"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I mean about what I said at the café. Your work being, you know...”
“Oh, you mean about my life’s work being ‘woo-woo stuff’?” Luna's lips curved into a small smile, and he hated to admit that it gave him some butterflies in his stomach. It wasn't really a very manly thing to say out loud.
"Yeah, that. I was having a bad day."
"Seems like you have a lot of those lately," she said. There was no judgment in her tone.
He let out a humorless laugh. "I guess you could say that."
She stood up and brushed the sand from her yoga pants. "You know, sometimes the hardest part isn't the physical pain. Often it's the stories we tell ourselves about who we are without that thing we lost. I've dealt with that with a lot of clients."
"You sound like a therapist."
"Hmm, funny how that works," she said with a hint of amusement. "Well, I should get going. Janine's coming by to plan out our first yoga sessions."
She rolled up her mat and tucked it under her arm. "You're welcome to join us anytime, you know. No pressure or expectations. Just breathing and moving at your own pace."
"I'll think about it," he said, although he knew they probably both realized he wouldn't.
She nodded and started walking back toward Serenity. She paused after a few steps and turned back. "You know, Archer, sometimes the bravest thing we can do is admit that we need help, even if it's just learning how to breathe again."
He watched her walk away, her words settling into the spaces between his thoughts. The sun had fully risen, painting the beach in shades of gold. Archer stood there for a long time, just listening to the waves and wondering when breathing had become so complicated.
* * *
Luna's hands trembled slightly as she unlocked her front door. Her encounter with Archer on the beach had left her feeling a bit unsettled, although not necessarily in a bad way. There had been something in his eyes when she talked about breathing, a flash of vulnerability that he had quickly attempted to hide. Or maybe she was just having low blood sugar and needed to eat an orange.
"Well, you're back early," Janine's cheerful voice broke through her thoughts. She was already on the yoga deck, setting up for their morning session together. They had decided to do a couple of sessions just to make sure that it was everything Luna wanted for her clients.
"Oh, you know, I was doing my morning meditation on the beach," Luna said, dropping her mat by the door, "and then I ran into Archer Hawk."
Janine's eyebrows shot up. "Really? And how did that go?"
"Well, I guess better than our first meeting," Luna said as she started arranging some meditation cushions. "He actually did apologize for being rude at the café."
"Archer Hawk apologized?" Janine let out a low whistle. "That's unexpected. I've heard he's not exactly known for admitting when he's wrong."
Luna thought about his stiff posture and the way he'd struggled to meet her eyes. "He's hurting, and not just physically."
