Aha.
Grace can hardly blame him. Twenty-seven-year-old Yolanda Tolentino looks like Chrissy Teigen’s little sister; she has tousled dark hair highlighted auburn, flawless skin, big brown eyes, and a deep dimple in her left cheek. Her body is trim, limber, flexible. Over the past few weeks, Grace has seen Yolanda sail through the lobby. Once, she stopped to talk to Lizbet and held a tree pose—foot tucked against opposite knee, hands held over her head like branches—which was unusual but also impressive. Another time, Yolanda was waiting for the elevator and executed a full-on backbend, which caused Mr. Goldfarb from room 202 to hiccup in surprise. Yolanda, Grace is happy to report, is as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside. And she must eat like a horse—she’s back and forth between the yoga studio and the kitchen of the Blue Bar half a dozen times a day.
When Yolanda sees Zeke, she hurries over to get him set up at the barre with a ball, a looped resistance band, and two-pound hand weights.
“Um…” Zeke says, looking at the tiny lavender weights. “I’ve held burritos that weigh more than this.”
“Feel free to switch them out for heavier ones,” Yolanda says. “Just remember, I warned you. And unfortunately, I don’t have any grippy socks that will fit you.”
“Big feet,” says a woman just walking in. It’s Daniella; she’s followed by Alison and Claire. “We know what that means, don’t we, gals?”
No, this won’t do, Grace thinks. She blows cold air down the back of Daniella’s neck, and as she does so, she inhales the unmistakable scent of last night’s tequila. Daniella doesn’t notice the draft; possibly, she welcomes it. When Claire and Alison spot Zeke, they start furiously whispering.
Grace is embarrassed for them. She has seen fourteen-year-olds with more composure.
“Zeke is a barre virgin!” Daniella cries out. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you, Zeke, admiring your form.”
“Me too,” Alison says. She’s wearing leggings printed with rainbows and peace signs.
“I’m moving closer,” Claire says. She has on a T-shirt that reads I DATE EVERYBODY.
Yolanda starts the music. “Ladies, let’s try to focus.” She lifts her leg while crossing her arms in front of her chest. Zeke follows suit; he can’t lift his leg very high at all, or maybe he can but he’s simply too enraptured by Yolanda, in her white leggings and her hydrangea-blue tank, with her hair in a thick braid hanging over one shoulder, to try very hard.
Leg lifts transition to planks on the yoga mats, followed by push-ups. Grace watches Zeke do all this with ease. When the class moves to the barre, Yolanda says, “Who’s ready for a thigh party?”
Daniella hoots and raises her arms over her head, giving Zeke an unimpeded view of her chest; Grace notices that she has removed the pads from her yoga top so that Zeke can see her nipples protruding.
“Heels together, toes apart,” Yolanda says. “Now sink down six inches and find your high diamond.”
Zeke tries to approximate the position but his heels lift only an inch off the ground; when he sinks down, he winces. “Up an inch,” Yolanda says, “and down an inch. Remember, an inch is the size of a paper clip.” When they “press down to finish,” Zeke’s legs shake uncontrollably; it’s the funniest thing Grace has seen in a long time.
“End of the first set,” Yolanda says. “Two to go.”
Zeke looks longingly at the door.
“Everyone grab your balls,” Yolanda says.
Daniella rolls her tongue. “Now you’re talking,” she says.
When barre class ends, there’s a standoff. Zeke seems to want to chat up Yolanda, but Daniella, Alison, and Claire are clearly lingering in order to talk to Zeke.
Yolanda says, “Thanks for coming, everyone. I’m going to run to the restaurant for an acai bowl before I teach yoga. Ta!”
Daniella, Alison, and Claire close in on Zeke, who has his back up against the barre.
“Tonight’s my birthday dinner at Ventuno,” Daniella says. “Then we’re going to the Club Car to sing and hopefully to the Pearl for a nightcap.”
“Guess what we’re giving Daniella for a present?” Claire says.
Zeke tells the ladies he can’t begin to guess.
“You!” Alison says. “Please join us. We’ll pay for everything.”
“Wish I could, ladies,” Zeke says. “But I have to work tonight.”
“That’s okay,” Daniella says. “There’s always the after-party.”