crumbled under the weight.
“You will set up a meeting with your coach and me. Together we will discuss your options. I cannot believe you. This is your dream!”
I walked over to her and placed my hands on her shoulders. They sagged in relief or perhaps on reflex, but I hoped it was the former, my touch being the catalyst.
“How about we go order up some treats and chat about this? You can tell me what you’ve been told, and I can maybe give you some advice, yeah?” I said.
The kid nodded, and without a word, turned and entered the bakery. Through the window, I could see their sister, Mary, was holding the line. She had a couple people in front of her, but if Dara was at the counter, it would be a while yet.
The woman beneath my palms turned around and buried her face against my chest. Unexpected but not unwanted. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and held her quietly for a few moments.
“I know what he’s doing.” She sniffed and wiped at a tear that was threatening to fall down her cheek.
I leaned forward. “What’s that, gumdrop?”
She huffed. “He thinks he’s doing me a favor, giving up his dream to help me. But doesn’t he realize I’ve already given up mine? There’s no reason that two Harper kids should lose everything they’ve ever wanted and worked for. It’s not fair. I’ve already given mine up…for him.” She pointed to the bakery and the line where her siblings stood. “And for her!”
I wiped away her tears. “Babe, where are their parents in all this? A kid like that needs his dad giving him the what for right about now.”
She scoffed, “Don’t I wish.” She frowned and if it were possible looked even more miserable.
“They aren’t in the picture?” I asked.
Her eyes were filled to the brim with sorrow when her gaze hit mine. “Our parents died in a car crash three years ago. I’ve been taking care of them alone ever since. And now he’s going to do what I did and throw his dreams away out of some twisted alpha hero crap where you take care of your own or something.” Tears poured down her cheeks.
I wiped the tears away as best I could. “Genevieve, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Yeah, I had an awful lot to learn about Genevieve Harper, and for the first time, I looked forward to the good and the bad of it. Holding her close, allowing her to put herself back together in my arms, I wanted to be the man that made sure nothing bad happened. Because with her, I saw nothing but a bright, shining light in places where my life had only been dim.
Chapter Seven
Headstand (Sanskrit: Sirsasana)
The headstand pose in yoga is considered an intermediate to advanced level asana and can take weeks, months, and even years to master. It takes incredible core strength to hold this position correctly with the forearms and crown of the head to the ground and legs straight up toward the sky. Inverted poses bring blood flow to the head, which is said to improve memory and thoughtfulness and to release tension and stress.
----
GENEVIEVE
M isery . Everyone in the Harper household avoided one another and had nothing but cold shoulders, chin lifts, and soft sighs while we sat down to eat Sunday night dinner. I’d made their favorite, turkey tacos. Even made a point to hit the garden and pull some fresh cilantro from Mom’s herb garden. At least that’s one piece of Mom that lived on. Her herbs. She loved gardening. The only thing I could keep alive were the herbs because I just sprayed them with water once a day, kept them out of full sun, and they did their thing. The rest of the yard, not so much. With my schedule, I could only do so much. Rowan mowed weekly, so the grass was short and green, and the bushes were somewhat in order. Every once in a while, he’d whack at some of the taller fronds, but it didn’t look meticulous the way Mom had kept it. Regardless, I think she’d be proud that we were even able to keep it going this long, even though it lacked the beauty
“You will set up a meeting with your coach and me. Together we will discuss your options. I cannot believe you. This is your dream!”
I walked over to her and placed my hands on her shoulders. They sagged in relief or perhaps on reflex, but I hoped it was the former, my touch being the catalyst.
“How about we go order up some treats and chat about this? You can tell me what you’ve been told, and I can maybe give you some advice, yeah?” I said.
The kid nodded, and without a word, turned and entered the bakery. Through the window, I could see their sister, Mary, was holding the line. She had a couple people in front of her, but if Dara was at the counter, it would be a while yet.
The woman beneath my palms turned around and buried her face against my chest. Unexpected but not unwanted. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and held her quietly for a few moments.
“I know what he’s doing.” She sniffed and wiped at a tear that was threatening to fall down her cheek.
I leaned forward. “What’s that, gumdrop?”
She huffed. “He thinks he’s doing me a favor, giving up his dream to help me. But doesn’t he realize I’ve already given up mine? There’s no reason that two Harper kids should lose everything they’ve ever wanted and worked for. It’s not fair. I’ve already given mine up…for him.” She pointed to the bakery and the line where her siblings stood. “And for her!”
I wiped away her tears. “Babe, where are their parents in all this? A kid like that needs his dad giving him the what for right about now.”
She scoffed, “Don’t I wish.” She frowned and if it were possible looked even more miserable.
“They aren’t in the picture?” I asked.
Her eyes were filled to the brim with sorrow when her gaze hit mine. “Our parents died in a car crash three years ago. I’ve been taking care of them alone ever since. And now he’s going to do what I did and throw his dreams away out of some twisted alpha hero crap where you take care of your own or something.” Tears poured down her cheeks.
I wiped the tears away as best I could. “Genevieve, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Yeah, I had an awful lot to learn about Genevieve Harper, and for the first time, I looked forward to the good and the bad of it. Holding her close, allowing her to put herself back together in my arms, I wanted to be the man that made sure nothing bad happened. Because with her, I saw nothing but a bright, shining light in places where my life had only been dim.
Chapter Seven
Headstand (Sanskrit: Sirsasana)
The headstand pose in yoga is considered an intermediate to advanced level asana and can take weeks, months, and even years to master. It takes incredible core strength to hold this position correctly with the forearms and crown of the head to the ground and legs straight up toward the sky. Inverted poses bring blood flow to the head, which is said to improve memory and thoughtfulness and to release tension and stress.
----
GENEVIEVE
M isery . Everyone in the Harper household avoided one another and had nothing but cold shoulders, chin lifts, and soft sighs while we sat down to eat Sunday night dinner. I’d made their favorite, turkey tacos. Even made a point to hit the garden and pull some fresh cilantro from Mom’s herb garden. At least that’s one piece of Mom that lived on. Her herbs. She loved gardening. The only thing I could keep alive were the herbs because I just sprayed them with water once a day, kept them out of full sun, and they did their thing. The rest of the yard, not so much. With my schedule, I could only do so much. Rowan mowed weekly, so the grass was short and green, and the bushes were somewhat in order. Every once in a while, he’d whack at some of the taller fronds, but it didn’t look meticulous the way Mom had kept it. Regardless, I think she’d be proud that we were even able to keep it going this long, even though it lacked the beauty
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