After slipping into a pink top and black shorts, she hurried downstairs. She didn’t want to show up late and mess up Abby’s class.
By the time she joined the group, three other women had arrived. An older woman with graying hair smiled.
“I’m Mary Margaret,” she said. “If you hear anything cracking, you’ll know it’s just my old bones rumbling around in my back. My doctor insists that I stretch every day. Use it or lose it, he says.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jack said while fixing his gaze directly on Sasha.
Heat rushed into her cheeks. Before she could come up with an appropriate response, the other women introduced themselves. Lonnie from South Carolina displayed the mannerisms of a genteel Southern woman, while Justine from Tennessee bounced around like a teenager who’d chugged one too many Red Bulls.
“Shall we get started?” Abby asked.
As she led the group through sun salutations, Sasha stole glances at Jack. He managed to move through the positions with a gracefulness that stole her breath, all while maintaining his virile masculinity. Not many men could pull that off, but he managed to do it with ease.
When they reached the downward dog segment, Sasha averted her gaze. If she stared at him now, she’d totally lose it. Fortunately, the entirety of her focus shifted to her arms, which threatened to collapse under her weight. Even though she did a lot of walking, she was a few pounds heavier than she wanted to be. But pizza and cookies were too good to give up.
Long ago, she’d accepted that she’d never grace the pages of a bathing suit catalog. But she loved her figure. As long as she could cram her butt into a nice pair of jeans, she wasn’t going to worry about the number on the scale.
“Are you having fun?” Jack whispered.
“Yes.”
“You going to breakfast after this?” he asked.
“Yep. Wouldn’t miss it,” she said under her breath.
“Maybe I’ll see you on the back porch,” he said. “There’s an awesome view of the lake from there.”
“Okay.”
Pride put a smile on her face. So what if she wasn’t a ten-foot-tall supermodel? She was still hot. If she ever decided to date again, it would be with someone tall and sexy like Jack. Too bad she wasn’t in the market for a man right now. Oh well. It was just coffee, right?
After the class ended, she headed upstairs to her room. Jack followed on her heels.
“Looks like we’re neighbors,” he said when they reached their respective doors.
“Looks like it.”
“See you soon,” he said before disappearing into his room.
She bit the edge of her lip and grinned as she walked into her room. Now she really needed a cold shower. To have that hunk of hotness right next door was one hell of a temptation. Not that he’d offered to throw her down on the bed and make rough, sweaty love to her or anything. Nope. He hadn’t done that at all. Those bedroom eyes didn’t mean a damn thing. She was reading far too much into it. Oh well, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
As she padded across the bedroom, the lumps of plastic-wrapped clay seemed to glare at her as if trying to remind her that she shouldn’t be thinking about peeling his shirt off with her teeth. She should be focused on a new ceramic design. A cold shower would definitely help.
After drying her now-icy hair, she slipped into her favorite jeans and slipped a ruby-colored cowl-necked sweater over her head. She fluffed her hair with her fingers, then inspected her reflection in the mirror. Normally she didn’t wear makeup, but a little lip gloss couldn’t hurt. She dabbed her lips until they sparkled with a pink shimmer. Much better.
She headed downstairs and into the dining room. The scent of cinnamon filled the air. As she surveyed the offerings, her eyebrows rose. They’d cooked enough for an army. Platters of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and a huge coffee cake decorated the table. Madison walked in from the kitchen carrying a bowl of steaming biscuits.
“I’m bringing the gravy right now, just one moment,” she said.
“Can I help you with anything?” Sasha asked.
“No, I got it.”
“This is amazing!” Sasha yelled toward the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Madison returned with a huge gravy boat. “I never want anyone to go hungry. Feel free to serve yourself. Breakfast is buffet-style so everyone can eat wherever they want. A few people are out on the back porch. You can stay inside or join them.”
“Okay.” Sasha grabbed a plate and loaded it up.
She ventured onto the back deck. Two tables with red-and-white striped umbrellas sat to one side. The women from the yoga class were already seated at one table.