“That’s her!” she confirmed. “I knew you’d remember her. Do you want to pet her?”
“I…” Really didn’t. “Sure. Maybe in a little while. Yoga should be about to start.”
“Oh wait, you know what? I can leave her here with you, you can do yoga together. And after you’re done, I’ll be back so we can hang out.” I watched her eyes shift to a spot to my right. Her expression changed. “Hi, Coach Camelback, I’d also invite you to hang but you don’t pass the vibe check. You could hang out with my brother, Tony, though, he’s not cool.”
I had to press my lips to suppress a snort.
“Thanks, María,” Cam drawled.
“María?” Josie said from the front of the group. “I love you, honey, but you know the rules and GOGHH is about to start. So…”
“Sorry, Miss Josie!” María turned around, all that messy dark hair bouncing with the motion. “See you later, Miss Adalyn,” she said over her shoulder. “Take care of Brandy for me! Oh, and don’t make super sudden noises? They freak her out and she starts pooping all over the place!”
My eyes widened at that last piece of information.
The goat bleated in what I interpreted as confirmation.
I looked down, finding her slit-shaped eyes directed at me. “That’s, um, okay. Brandy.” She took a step my way, and I forced myself to smile at her in case she could sense my energy. I softened my voice. “We will be fine. No freaking out, okay?”
A snort came from my right. And when I glanced in the direction of the sound I found Cameron—and his stupid skintight thermal—with his eyebrows up. My smile fell.
“So that really is your smile,” he said, shifting his gaze forward. He lifted his arms, stretching the length of his body and bringing my attention to new muscles that were being delineated by the fabric of his shirt. I swallowed. “Yeah, no wonder.”
Making an effort to rip my eyes off his chest, I settled them on his… left ear. “No wonder what? There’s nothing wrong with my smile.” I returned my attention to Josie, who was leading the group through a stretch. “I was smiling for Brandy, not you. And she liked it just fine.”
“Isn’t Brandy blind?” he asked.
My cheeks flushed. But I lifted my arms in the air, drawing an arch in the air, just like Josie was doing. I was going to ignore Cameron and be my best-behaved self. Civil. Calm. A through-and-through GOGHH lover. I’d never done yoga, but how hard could it be?
“All right, guys,” Josie’s calming and commanding voice sneaked into my ears from her post at the front of the group. “I want you to inhale…” She trailed off, taking in a loud and noisy breath through her nose as she lifted her arms up in a graceful motion. “And now… exhale.” She released both arms with her breath, letting them draw a perfect semicircle in the air as they fell. “And we fold forward.”
I gaped as everyone followed along, heads and torsos disappearing from my sight. Diane and Gabriel and some of the team’s other parents were here. They all had their hands on their mats. Including Cameron.
Yes. Cameron Caldani, who was a six-foot-two mountain of lean and firm-looking muscle.
I gave it a shot and… my fingers didn’t even reach my ankles.
Okay. Maybe yoga was going to be a little hard.
Josie cleared her throat, catching my attention. She smiled, giving me an encouraging nod as she guided the group through a third repeat of the same exercise. I looked down at my legs, bending my knees a few times, as if doubting the flexibility of the leggings. I lowered myself, arching my back again. But… it didn’t feel right. Muscles pulled in the wrong places. Like… my ears. Or my butt.
I craned my neck, my eyes unfortunately landing on Cameron, who was now upright. Just like everyone else. I sprung up.
Josie moved on to a new stretch, and one more time, I was incapable of following. I let out a loud sigh of frustration, and Brandy, who had camped at the foot of my mat, bleated. I gave her an apologetic look. “Just a little frustration. No need to get anxious, okay?”
Just as if I’d developed some new and useless sixth sense, I felt Cameron’s eyes on my profile.
Mood plummeting, I turned my head, and just like I had known, those two deep green eyes were on me. Intently. Keenly appraising all the ways I was doing this wrong. It was impressive, really, the ability of this man to do that while his head hung so low between his legs.