Page 10 of Playing for Keeps (Seattle Hawks Ice Hockey #4)

Anyway, the lessons ought to take my mind away from the fact I quit my job a few weeks ago back home and haven’t told my parents yet.

In my spare time I’ve been shooting some videos for the new online app I’ve been creating for my yoga and Pilates classes, it’s aptly called Just Jade Pilates and Yoga, a combination of pilates and yoga routines.

I’m only in the beginning stages, but I hope to have it up and running soon.

I’ve also been thinking about studying for one-on-one yoga therapy sessions, something I’ve always been interested in, especially for people who have had loss and trauma in their lives. It’s pretty deep and going back to study would be full on, but someday I’d like to make it happen.

Fitness has been my life for the past few years now. I’ve been slowly building my business from the ground up while working as a teacher in an elementary school in California.

When I finished my degree in teaching, I started working for a school right out of college in San Diego.

Later, when I moved to LA, I continued teaching, and though I love the kids and the experience it’s given me, I knew it wasn’t my life’s passion.

I think I was trying to make things fit because I spent so much time and energy on my degree, when what I really wanted to be doing was more aligned to fitness.

It wasn’t until some friends convinced me that I should do my yoga teacher training because it’s something I’ve always been passionate about. Yoga, Pilates and fitness were always something I’d loved doing from a young age. I just never realized I could turn it into a career.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been building things up slowly, working in different gyms and yoga centers, doing classes before and after work and on weekends.

I’ve been trying to get as much experience as I can over the years.

I stuck it out with my teaching job, but the pressure from the school board and all the politics involved in it just became too much, it’s something I never realized would stress me out.

It was starting to take its toll. So I quit.

I mean, I gave notice and everything, the last time I was here in Seattle I was on my last trip for work for a teaching conference. My parents still don’t know. And I don’t think they’ll be mad, they’ve always been supportive of my dreams, I guess I just don’t want to disappoint them.

They know how busy I’ve been and how hard I’ve been working in my job, and doing classes on the side, but I think they see yoga as more of a hobby.

But since dating Aaron, a player in the South Bay Lakers G League who is making a name for himself, my on-line presence on social media kinda blew up. That was pretty crazy, and not always the good kind of attention that you want, but unfortunately it comes with the territory of being online.

This second trip to Seattle was to clear my head and talk to Beth before I let my parents know the deal. Now I’m a free agent, I can more or less do what I want.

When I gave up my teaching job, leaving Los Angeles those few months back, I invested in a good camera and equipment.

Since then, I have just been focusing on filming videos of different class styles for my app that I’m trying to launch.

It’s been fun and exciting, and a world away from school life.

Something I don’t intend to go back to, even though it was a valuable learning thing for me.

It’s like a breath of fresh air being my own agent. I’ve only just gotten to the point where I can invest in my own app, and in myself, but I’m fully immersed in bringing it all to life.

“It sucks you have to go so soon,” Jay says. “But I’m glad you could come out here again.”

I lean on the counter and sigh, biting my lip and wondering if I should tell him what’s been going on with me. I know I should, maybe before I head back to face my folks next week. “Tell me about it, I’ve really enjoyed getting out of town again.”

A cute smile pulls at his lips and I’d pay more than a penny for his thoughts. I want to tell him what I’ve been keeping a secret for two months, but we’ll get to that. “I’ll go shower and get changed,” he says.

Taking his coffee mug with him, I watch him slide off the stool and shuffle back down to the hall in his sweats and moccasins. “Thanks again for the breakfast,” he hollers down the hallway.

“No problem,” I holler back.

While I finish my coffee and wait for Jay to emerge, I walk over to the double doors. Twisting one of the handles I step out onto the balcony, taking in the view of the city.

It sure feels a million miles away from it all up here as I take a seat in one of the large outdoor chairs, contemplating my last shoot before I go home.

I love filming in new locations, so I’ve made the most of the time I’ve been here and tried to get some new videos done ready for my launch in January.

I love making new content, so my aim is to upload one or two new workouts a week, so I have plenty of classes to choose from once I go live.

I sip my coffee as I go over the sequencing in my head for the vinyasa flow I have planned for today. My playlist is ready, and the weather is looking good.

I’m a little lost in thought when my phone buzzes from the back of my jeans where I slid it when I was preparing breakfast. When I glance at the screen, Tanner’s name flashes up. Ah, my big brother is checking up on me.

We haven’t talked since I’ve been in Seattle visiting Beth again, but have sent a couple of messages back and forth.

“Hey, Tan,” I say when I answer.

“Hey, Sis. Caught you at a good time?”

The irony of sitting here on my brother’s best friend’s patio without his knowledge isn’t lost on me. “Perfect time,” I muse, more to myself than to him.

“How’s Seattle treating you? Did you catch up with Jay yet? He hasn’t answered my texts.”

“Actually, I’m with Jay as we speak.”

“Great, well, put him on in a sec.”

“I think he’s um, in the shower—” I trail off. Oh Lord, I don’t need to be thinking about Jay in the shower, or anywhere else naked, for that matter. “He’s taking me ice skating,” I quickly add. Not that Tanner would think there was anything going on between us. And nothing is going on, of course.

I need to slap myself.

“Any chance he can get to be on the ice,” he chuckles.

“You know Jay,” I reply. “And you know me, I couldn’t give up the opportunity to take to the ice.”

“Some things never change. How is he?”

I look out over the Seattle skyline to a clear, blue-skied day and try to form a coherent answer to my brother’s question.

Every time he asks about Jay, the night at the bar flashes through my brain.

I’ve always thought Jay was cute, I possibly even had a crush on the guy.

Well, I know I did. But he’s as close to me as a friend as he is to my brother, so there’s no way anything could ever happen between us.

He also isn’t a one gal at a time kinda guy. “He seems fine to me.”

“More importantly, how are you? You haven’t heard from Aaron this time around?”

The name hits me in the chest like a wrecking ball.

Mainly because I wasn’t expecting Tanner to ask about him.

He didn’t know my ex all that well, even though we’d been dating for almost a year.

Living in California meant I didn’t get to see my family as much as I liked.

That was until we broke up and I headed back to San Diego before my last visit to Seattle.

Tanner knows Aaron has been contacting me ever since we split, but I’ve been ignoring his calls.

“I haven’t,” I say. And it’s not a lie. He finally stopped trying to get back in my good graces because he knew it was never going to happen.

No one in my family knows why we split. My dad would have a fit over it and want to hunt the guy down.

Tanner probably wouldn’t be much better.

Not that either of them are fighters, but they’ve always been protective of me.

“Are the two of you going to work things out?”

“No,” I say flatly. “I don’t want to live in Cali anymore, so it would have never worked out long term.” I don’t want to tell them that he cheated, or that he made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to be with him. He was pretty good at that during the time we were together.

“I worry about you, Sis. Is there something you’re not saying?”

“You don’t have to worry about me.” I do my best to try and sound perky and reassure him with a softer tone in my voice, making it as light as possible. Tanner has enough going on with the wedding, he doesn’t need to be worrying about me.

The truth is, I don’t really want to talk about what happened with Aaron. I want to put it all behind me now. It was months ago and I’m moving on. “I’m having a great time here again. Beth is a riot and the change of scenery has been good.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“How’s the wedding plans coming along?” I ask.

“It’s looming too close,” his voice drops an octave. “Meaning there’s still so much to do, I had no idea.”

I laugh. “Well, I’m sure Deb will keep things on track. I’ll be back in town anyway soon enough, so if there’s anything you guys need.”

“Thanks. Deb is keeping me in check, with a jobs list a mile long. She’s the one to talk to if you want a job.”

Tanner and Deb are sweethearts and have been together since college. She’s a great woman and they’re lucky to have found each other so young. They have a three-year-old little boy, Luca, who is the apple of everyone’s eye, not just my parents, but mine too.

“It will all come together, don’t worry. Speaking of which, I’ve finally convinced Jay to come to dance lessons while I’m here.”

Now it’s Tanner’s turn to laugh. “Seriously?”

“Yep. Right after we’ve been skating today. I’m not sure how much we can learn six weeks before the wedding, but hey.”

“I’d pay to see Jay fall on his ass, though knowing him, he’s probably good at that, too.”