Page 25 of Wild Card

“Who’s that?” Ford asks, though I don’t pay him any mind. He’s new in town and still learning the ropes. I’m too lost in my head to pay much attention to what the guys are saying. Until one single sentence out of Rhys’s mouth stops me in my tracks.

“That’s my yoga instructor, Gwen.”

My head snaps toward the table, and my gut drops to the floor beneath me. Because, sure as shit, there is Gwen from the airport.

Tripp’s Gwen.

Sitting at a table with my friends.

In my town.

The guys rib Rhys about doing yoga, but I’m frozen, mind racing with why she might be here. What she’s playing at. Why this keeps happening to me.

My heart races uncharacteristically. I’m too fucking old for this shit. My molars grind against each other as I watch Gwen stand to let Tabby back into the booth. As Gwen slides in beside her, the guys head over there, and my feet move to follow, even though I’m dreading facing her again. Especially after my meltdown at Tripp’s party.

I stand stiffly as introductions are made, Gwen smiling graciously each time. That captivating twinkle in her eye takes me back to gazing at her over too-sweet margaritas. Then, the moment I’ve been bracing for arrives when Tabby gestures in my direction.

“Gwen, this is Bash.”

My lips turn down as I realize I don’t know how she’ll spin this. How are we supposed to explain that we know each other? The last thing I need is the guys knowing this much detail about the cosmic joke that is my personal life. The silver lining is that Clyde isn’t here tonight to spill the beans.

Gwen glances up at me from beneath a thick fringe of lashes, that plush mouth just slightly parted as she nervously tucks platinum hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, actually… We’ve met.”

I can’t tell if it’s just me or if the entire bar suddenly becomes quieter.

Rosie, Ford’s fiancée, goes wide-eyed, already sinking her teeth into the moment like a dog with a bone. She’s a force to be reckoned with—I know because she’s bargained with me, talking me into taking offseason contracting jobs I didn’t need. If she starts sniffing around, it’s only a matter of time before all the dirty details of my and Gwen’s missed connection will come spilling out.

“You have?”

Yeah. Rosie soundsfartoo intrigued for this to be safe.

So I opt to jump ship.

“Yup,” I reply brusquely, trying not to cave under the weight of everyone’s stares while also trying not to gawk at Gwen. “Good to see you again. I’m going to head out. You kids have fun.”

And with that, I flee.

Like the down-bad coward I am.

CHAPTER NINE

GWEN

I watch Bash go with my heart in my throat and my eyes on his ass. I don’t even think I’m being subtle about it. Which is probably why Rhys pipes up with, “Do you know him from yoga?”

From yoga. It takes me back to that night in the airport. The heat of his gaze on my body as I flowed through some of my favorite poses. I’d felt sensual—desired—in that moment, like I could sense his appreciation humming in the air around me. It’s something I’ve never felt before.

So you could say that I know him from yoga, but it’s become so much more than that. And saying that I know him because the universe keeps pushing us together would probably get me an eye roll.

Plus, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know he lived in this town. I’d tried looking him up online with little success. It was only when I read the job offer that a memory surfaced of Tripp telling me his dad lived in Rose Hill.

I got an email straight to my inbox asking me to take on a one-year contract in this exact town. But the studio’s owner, Kira, didn’t know that—she only knew she wanted to travelaround Asia for a year and needed someone to fill in. The bonus was that her furnished apartment above the studio was rent free.

Apparently, a former employer recommended me, which is exactly how I keep getting gigs like this. I’m almost always ready for a new adventure, especially ones where I can work, learn, and save up to do some traveling of my own. What I love most is studying yoga abroad and learning from experts in other parts of the world. I’m on a mission to gather as much knowledge as possible, with the dream of one day opening my own studio.

So room, board, studio hours, and a consistent paycheck made for the perfect combination.