“What did you think of the workshop?” Leo’s question interrupted her musing. The timbre of his voice stroked the back of her neck, rubbing at the sore spot at the top of her spine.
Anna stiffened on an inhale before she remembered to blow out her breath and relax. “My best friend signed me up, and at first I thought she was doing it as a joke. I went in with low expectations and high anxiety, but I ended up enjoying the experience. What about you?”
“I enjoyed it too. Once I acclimated to the idea of being on vacation and not having to get up each day and think about other people, I decided this trip would be the perfect opportunity to try new things. I’m going to my first Tai Chi class on Thursday.” Leo pondered the horizon before turning to look at Anna. “Ever have one of those times in your life where everything seems to tell you to stop and take a good look at yourself?”
“I’ve had times where everything changed in a moment.” She didn’t mention Daniel or his email. His re-entry was a stop-and-take-measure moment for her, but it didn’t arise from the weighty place of a cancer diagnosis and the end of a relationship—or the sudden death of a beloved spouse.
He returned to contemplating the view in front of them. “I have an uncle who knows me well. He’s been more than an uncle; he’s been a friend and a mentor. And he suggested I take a few weeks off and go far enough away from my work that it would be a pain in the ass to jump on a plane and go home before I was ready.”
“Sounds like good advice.”
“It was. And I love being outdoors, so this place is perfect. I want to explore more of British Columbia while I’m out here.” He leafed through his copy of Gaia’s book, put it on the rock between them, and splayed his fingers across the cover. “I know this is going to sound totally out of left field, but would you be interested in practicing some of these exercises together?”
Leo’s question caught her off-guard. Anna searched her empty coffee mug for answers.
“I mean, a lot of it is stuff I can practice on my own,” he continued, “but I felt very comfortable with you. If you’re married or seeing someone, or—”
“I’m not in a relationship,” she said hurriedly, “and I felt comfortable with you too.” There was a lot to ponder in the contents of her mug. “I know if I tried to do some of the exercises with my friend, Elaine—the one who signed me up in the first place—we’d be doing a lot more laughing than inhaling.”
And we’d probably get ourselves arrested in the process.
“I’m willing to give it a try,” she continued, “but I think I’d be more comfortable if we got to know each other a bit. And if we met at my house.”
“I’m not in a relationship, either, and my schedule is wide open. Mostly wide open. I’m planning to go hiking and camping for a week or two.”
“You might want to think about doing that soon. Because if you’re heading north of Vancouver, you should leave before the snows start.”
Leo’s eyebrows lifted. “Snow? This time of year? Good advice, thanks.”
“You sure a city boy’s ready for the Canadian Rockies?” she teased, praying the strain of reining in unfamiliar, flirtatious urges didn’t show on her face.
Leo laughed. The outer corners of his eyes crinkled, reminding her of the first time she’d seen him smile, in the market. She’d like to see him do that more.
“I know the east coast isn’t known for its majestic mountains, but I’m a competent outdoorsman,” he assured her, holding her gaze in a wordless exchange. There was nothing about him or their interactions—so far—that would cause her to have misgivings about continuing with some of the more basic breathing exercises.
“I have appointments in the city tomorrow, but what about Wednesday morning?” she offered.
“Deal.” Leo extended his hand. Anna shook it and smiled, a new variety of tingle flitting about in her belly. It was probably the caffeine, but it could be Leo.
“See you on Wednesday, Saffron.”
“See you on Wednesday, Leo.”
Anna managed to make it through the rest of the day without stumbling into walls or forgetting her keys. She even made it to the next morning’s six-twenty ferry to Vancouver with time to spare. From the mainland terminal, an hour’s bus ride dropped her three blocks from her daughter’s place of work.
“Mom, you brought food!” Gigi enveloped Anna in a hug and kept her arm around her shoulders as she steered her into the spacious design studio and over to the woman who’d founded the small clothing design company where she worked as an apprentice.
“Neena, this is my mom, Anna, and this is her world-famous apple crumble.”
“Hi, Anna,” the designer said, extending her hand and smiling. “And welcome. Rumor has it you have a hot date and you need a special dress?”
Neena exuded grace and style in a black, knee-length tunic made from a lightweight knit fabric paired with a flax overdress styled like a chef’s apron. A pencil and ruler peeped out of its center pocket, and unusual eyeglasses framed her kohl-ringed eyes. She’d have to ask Neena where she shopped. New frames were another item on her makeover list.
Anna turned from the designer and glowered at her daughter. “Gigi, I never said anything about a hot date!”
“Mom,” she countered, “seriously? Suddenly you need a sexy velvet dress, for what, washing dishes? Mucking out the bilge pump on one of the boats you’re working on?”
Looked like it was going to be a day for pink cheeks. “A mother can
