Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
I was even more impressed when she extended one leg to the sky in a slow, dramatic arc. She held it there for a moment, toes pointed, legs split in a perfect straight line—a work of art. Then she brought her foot back to the ground and repeated the process with the other leg. I was so enthralled I didn’t even hear Adelaide come down the stairs.
“Dad?”
I spun around so fast my coffee sloshed over the side of the cup and went splat as it hit the floor.
Adelaide stood there in her pajamas looking at me strangely. “What are you doing?”
“Morning, June bug. Nothing.” I grabbed a paper towel and wiped up the spill. My heart was beating erratically, as if I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
“You were looking out the window at something.” She went over to the back door and peered out the glass. “It’s Veronica!”
“Addie, don’t—”
But it was too late, she’d already yanked open the back door and run outside. “Hi! What are you doing?”
Veronica came out of her pose and popped to her feet. I wondered what it would be like to have bones and muscles that moved so easily in the morning. I always felt stiff as a board for a couple hours. Although, I had to admit, my neck and shoulder seemed a little less tight than they had yesterday. Maybe the revenge massage had worked. Standing at the screen door, I glanced over at the fire pit, where we’d kissed last night. A hot spark zipped up my spine.
“I’m doing yoga,” Veronica said with a smile. “Want to join me?”
“I don’t know how to do yoga.” Adelaide folded her arms behind her back. “Can you teach me?”
“Of course! Come on. We’ll start with an easy one.” Veronica stood up tall. “This is called Mountain Pose. Stand like this with your big toes touching but not your heels.”
Adelaide turned her legs completely inward so she was pigeon-toed. “Like this?”
“Not quite so much space between your heels.” Veronica bent down and adjusted Adelaide’s feet. “There. Now stand nice and tall, feel the ground with all your toes, the balls of your feet, and your heels. Stretch your legs and pull your belly button in toward your spine.” She placed a hand on Adelaide’s stomach and tailbone. “Good, that’s really good.”
Adelaide beamed. “What should I do with my arms?”
“Like this.” Veronica stood opposite Adelaide, as if she was a mirror. “Palms forward toward me, and spread your fingers out. Good! Now you’re going to lengthen your neck. Roll those shoulders back—we want a nice broad chest for deep breaths. Imagine you’re wearing long, dangling earrings and you want to show them off.”
Adelaide’s neck did suddenly look longer.
“Perfect! You’re so good at this. Now imagine one straight line from the top of your head all the way down your spine.”
“I’m picturing a skeleton,” said Adelaide.
Veronica laughed. “That’s a good way to do it. I once had a dance teacher who had a plastic skeleton in the studio so she could show us what she wanted our bones to look like.”
“Am I doing it right?” Adelaide asked.
“Yes. Doesn’t it feel nice to stand so straight and tall?”
It did feel nice—I realized I’d unconsciously followed the last few instructions about rolling my shoulders back, broadening my chest, and lengthening my neck. Even my palms were facing the screen door.
“What are you doing, Dad?”
Caught off guard again, I turned around to find Owen standing there in his pajamas, hair matted on one side, expression curious.
“Nothing. Just watching your sister learn some yoga poses.” I went to the fridge and took out the almond milk, pouring a little in my second cup of coffee. “Are you hungry? I could make you a—”
But Owen was already racing out the back door.
“Good morning, Owen,” I heard her say cheerfully.
“Can I learn yoga too?” he asked.
“Of course. We’re just about to do cat-cow. First, you get down on the ground like this.”
Watching out the kitchen window, I groaned inwardly as Veronica got down on all fours. Her ass looked spectacular in those shorts.
“Okay, so for the cat, you want to make a rainbow with your back. Like this. Think about your belly button being sucked up toward the sky—the very top of the rainbow.” Her gorgeous spine went convex, and I could practically feel my hand gliding over each vertebra as I lined my hips up behind hers.
“Like this?” The kids imitated her pose, and I felt like a total pervert for fantasizing about having sex with her while she was giving my children a yoga lesson.
“You are a terrible person,” I muttered to myself. But I kept watching.
“Yes, but don’t forget about your head,” Veronica said patiently. “Let it be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Drop it down.”