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“What?” Cass pouted after being forced out of a passionate kiss. Rebecca nodded toward the house, and Cass glanced behind her. Sure enough, the porch light kept turning on and off. “Pussy-blocker,” Cass muttered as Rebecca continued to laugh. Cass climbed out of Rebecca’s Mercedes and trotted to the other side to open the door for her wife. “Laugh it up.”

“I’d rather be lapping it up.”

“Come on!” Cass whined. Great, she was going to be wet and uncomfortable all night. Maybe tonight was a good night to switch roles in the playroom, she thought as she placed her palm on the small of Rebecca’s back and guided her up to the house. A little punishment was surely warranted after all the teasing. First, they had to get through socializing with their mean best friends. “Open up, Dad. We know you’re in there flickering the damn porch light!”

The front door opened to a smirking Dr. Hunter Vale and her beautiful wife, Ellie. It was hard staying mad at such joyful faces. Especially since they were two of the nicest people Cass had ever known in her life.

“I apologize for my wife,” Ellie chuckled. “She thought letting you know we could see you making out in the driveway would be funny.” She kissed Cass on the cheek and gave Rebecca a fierce hug.

“Ha!” Hunter tsked at her wife as she welcomed their guests. “She wanted to turn the hose on the two of you! Hey, Becca,” she said, kissing the top of the shorter woman’s head. “Cass.” She slung her arm around Cass’s shoulders. “Want to sit out on the deck and kick back with a beer?”

“I’d love a beer. But you know they’ll be bending over a lot in those yoga pants, don’t you? Does the view on your deck beat that?” Cass glanced over her shoulder and winked at Rebecca.

“Not even close,” Hunter laughed and then lowered her voice conspiratorially. “But if I ever want to see my wife out of those pants again, we’re not allowed to bother them while they’re finding their zen.”

“Leave your shoes at the door,” Ellie instructed, her voice calm and inviting. “Then come and sit in front of me on your mat.”

Rebecca wondered if she could get Ellie to record a meditation audio that she could listen to every night. Ellie’s voice was so soothing. She slipped her shoes off and followed Ellie to a mat in the middle of the room.

“Your studio is incredible, Ellie. I always feel so serene when I’m in here.” Rebecca sat and crossed her legs, mimicking Ellie’s pose. But she couldn’t help looking around. She wasn’t lying about the tranquility of this room. Rebecca remembered when Ellie was designing it. Ellie had wanted a place where she could relax and work on her recovery after her devastating car accident.

What Ellie produced was a yoga studio with white walls that reflected the sun shining through floor-to-ceiling windows—the ocean view from those windows aided in quieting any chaos of anyone who walked in there. Ellie had chosen a holistic design, using earth-toned hues and textures that gave Rebecca a sense of freedom and mindfulness.

“I’m glad,” Ellie responded with a gentle smile. “Are you ready?”

Rebecca nodded and took a deep, cleansing breath.

Ellie waited, observing Rebecca. There was a disturbance beneath the calm. But knowing Rebecca, Ellie would have to gently coax the clutter from Rebecca’s busy — brilliant — mind.

“Let’s begin with our grounding. Since we’re already in Sukhasana, we’ll stay here. Now let’s do a gentle twist.”

Rebecca placed one hand behind her with the other on her opposite knee, then twisted her torso.

“Straighten your spine, Rebecca. Sit tall.” Ellie switched sides, knowing Rebecca would follow along. They went through four more stretches in their grounding before moving on. A gentle warm-up followed to prepare their bodies for more vigorous poses.

“How’s your hip?” Rebecca asked as she performed cat/cow. If Cassidy could see me now, she mused with a small smile.

“It only hurts when it rains,” Ellie joked. “Seriously, though, most days are good. It gets tired quicker than it used to, so I’ve shortened my days in the kitchen at the diner to appease Hunter’s concerns.” She stood up, gesturing for Rebecca to do so as well. “Ready for sun salutations?”

“Ready.”

Ellie started their following sequence, going easy on Rebecca. She wanted Rebecca to stick with this so Ellie wouldn’t scare her away with poses that were too difficult—even with Rebecca’s experience taking Ellie’s classes, the time away warranted a slow comeback.

As Rebecca positioned herself into the Tree pose, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She brought her leg down just in time to catch herself.

“Whew.” Rebecca blinked a few times to try and clear her vision.

Concerned, Ellie went to Rebecca and helped her back down into a comfortable sitting position. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yes. Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve done this. I just need to find my balance again.”

“Haven’t you been utilizing your Zen area at home?” Ellie asked, rubbing Rebecca’s back gently. She knew about the renovations to Cass’s gym because Rebecca had requested Ellie to help her design it. Though not as big as Ellie’s home studio, it did give Rebecca a peaceful place to practice.

Rebecca blew out a breath. “I haven’t had much time to use it, unfortunately. But I’m going to have more time now. That’s why I’m here. You’re going to be so sick of me,” she chuckled quietly, but even to her ears, it wasn’t a mirthful sound.

“I would never,” Ellie smiled. She knew now that she was definitely right about a disturbance within Rebecca. “Why will you have more time now? You seem to have more clients than ever these days. Including me, which, if you need to put me on the back-burner, I more than understand.”

“No, no. I’m happy to help you — and anyone else in our group — expand. But I think our little group will be my only clients for the foreseeable future. I have decided to…” Rebecca shook her head. “I hate the word retire, but that’s it essentially.”