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“Welcome, everyone. I’m Zodiac, your guide for today.” He put his hands together in a prayerful pose.
Leo looked at Piper, cocking a sardonic eyebrow. She shot him a look that saidBehave.
As Zodiac explained a breathing technique, then prompted everyone to close their eyes and clear their minds, all Piper could think about was the man sitting next to her and how much she wanted to spend more time with him.
“Okay, everyone,” Zodiac said. “Mindfulness is more than just a—”
The ringing of a cell phone interrupted him, and he scanned the attendees to see who the culprit was.
Leo made a face, pulled the phone from his pocket, and silenced it. “Sorry.”
Zodiac nodded and cleared his throat. “As I said before... silence or, better yet, turn off your cell phones. They are a major obstacle to living in the now.” He stood and walked over to a woman across from Piper.
“You are not your thoughts,” he yelled. The woman jumped.
“Yes, that’s startling. But true. Your essence has nothing to do with what you’re thinking.” He tapped a finger to his temple. “Clear away the clutter. One way to do that is meditation. We’ll focus on the basics of that soon. But for now... sit and be in this moment. Look around you. How does it feel to just be?”
Leo shifted in his seat, and Piper, feeling his restlessness, had to resist looking at him. She did her best to concentrate on Zodiac and force her thoughts away from Leo.
An hour later, as they filed out of the studio for a ten-minute break, she turned to him. “So, what do you think?” she asked.
As they moved to a corner of the hallway, he gave her a measured look. “No offense, but it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me.”
She put a hand on his arm. “It’s hard for everyone at first. It takes practice. But meditation can be very soothing.”
He held up a finger and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Do I get points for putting it on vibrate?” he joked before answering. Piper walked away to say hello to a few of the other attendees and give Leo some privacy. By the time the break was almost over, he was still on his phone.
He looked up as the sound of wind chimes came through the speakers on the wall, and ended the call. Piper walked back to him.
“Sorry. Work,” he said sheepishly.
“No worries. The next session is only thirty minutes,” Piper told him. “You game?”
“Why not?” He was quiet as they followed the group back into the studio. Piper found she couldn’t concentrate on the mantras the group was repeating, and the half hour passed slowly again. When the session was over, Leo rose from his chair.
“Sorry, Piper. All this is doing is making me think of everything I need to get done.”
She bit her lip. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, this just isn’t for me.”
“I understand. Would you like to join me for some lunch here before you go? After all, you’ve already paid for it.”
He tilted his head. “Tell you what, tofu and green drinks are not really my thing. Why don’t you let me buy you lunch at the Spotted Horse? You do eat regular food, right?”
She laughed. “That I do. I’d love to. Let me just tell Zodiac that I’m leaving.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That’s a made-up name, right?”
She shrugged. “Probably. Good one for a meditation instructor, don’t you think? Meet you in the parking lot.”
Piper stopped by her office for her purse and to freshen up, and when she exited the building, he was waiting for her by his Mercedes. When she approached, he walked to the passenger’s side and opened the door for her. She slid into the supple leather seat and felt butterflies taking flight in her stomach again. She hadn’t been this attracted to someone since Matthew. Her eyes were drawn to his hands on the steering wheel, his long and elegant fingers, and she found herself imagining what they would feel like on her body.Stop it, she scolded herself.
They sat at an outside table, under the orange awnings. Piper looked at the menu, but her stomach was in such a flutter she wasn’t sure she could eat anything. “I think I’ll just have one of the small plates,” she said.
“Really? I’m starving. All that meditating made me work up an appetite.” They both laughed.
“I’m sorry you didn’t like the class,” she said after they’d ordered. “Have you ever done meditation on your own?”