Page 16 of An Unlikely Knight

An hour later, she unlocked the door to Namaste a While, her pride and joy. Light scents of citrus, lavender, and vanilla from oil diffusers placed around the studio perfumed the air. Noting the light was on, Erin peeked from in front of the counter into her small office and was pleasantly surprised to find Aubrey on the laptop.

“You’ve always been such an early riser,” Erin said, hanging her tote and jacket on hooks beside the small office doorway.

“The sunlight wakes me.” Aubrey replied looking refreshed. She’d tamed her wild curls into a cute style, bunching them atop her head. Wearing the basic yoga uniform of leggings and a light sweatshirt along with soft ballet-style shoes, she looked ready for the day.

“I want to see your new routine,” Aubrey continued. “I have heard nothing but good things in our customer feedback and would like to incorporate it into my classes.”

“It will be fun to have you here,” Erin said. “But first before anyone arrives, I must make a cup of tea.”

Aubrey frowned. “You are addicted to caffeine. Should try green tea.”

“Gross,” Erin replied, dunking her favorite Yorkshire black tea bag into the steaming water. “This is what keeps me going.”

After adding a splash of cream, she stirred it and sipped it cautiously. “Oh, yeah baby,” Erin murmured.

“You’re the one that’s gross,” Aubrey said laughing.

“Good morning,” Terra, a woman of undetermined age due to overuse of Botox, bounced in wearing a very tight neon pink ensemble. Considering how high and round her breasts were, it was obvious they were impervious to the aging process and were never, ever going to sag. “I am super excited because this is mine and George’s anniversary week,” Terra exclaimed. “George is taking us to the French Riviera.”

“I bet that will be fun,” Erin replied, contemplating why she’d never considered going there.

“After class I am shopping for bikinis,” Terra boasted. “I need new tops to accommodate these babies.” She clutched each breast with her hands. “Aren’t they amazing?”

“We missed you,” Erin said as Terra continued to hold her boobs. “Take it easy today, it’s barely been six weeks since you ... er, since the new additions.”

Just then, Evalyn appeared outside the shop, her rail-thin shape of sharp angles framed by the golden morning light. Of all the activities the woman did, Erin doubted there was anything Evalyn enjoyed more than smoking. Lifting a cigarette to her lips, Evalyn took a deep, deliberate drag, her red-painted nails flashing as she held it between her fingers. The ember flared, then dimmed as she exhaled a plume of smoke, watching it curl lazily in the air before she repeated the process, savoring every breath as if it were the last one in her life.

Evalyn had always been vocal about her love for smoking, especially when Erin reminded her—repeatedly—not to do it so close to the front door.

“I require shade,” Evalyn had declared with a casual flick of ash toward the sidewalk. “The awning should be wider and longer, then perhaps I would stand further.” Then, as though she alone possessed a secret, she whispered, “It’s all those cars and birds that are harmful to humans, not cigarette smoke.”

Erin waved to Evalyn to move from the door, but was promptly ignored as a petite woman, named Jane, strode up, flapping her hands dramatically to clear the smoke from her path.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Evalyn, really?” she muttered, opening the door and scrunching her nose as she stepped inside.

Jane, a harried thirty-something mother of three, barely had time for herself, let alone patience for other’s vices. She rolled her eyes and shot Erin a look as she passed. “How many times do we have to tell her to move away from the door?”

“At least there are no birds nearby,” Terra quipped, in a dry tone. “Lord forbid we inhale feather dust.”

Their laughter rippled behind as they moved to find the best spots to roll out their mats, the chatter light and familiar, the way it always was before class.

Outside, Evalyn lingered, drawing every possible inhalation from her cigarette, her lips pursed in satisfaction as the last wisp of smoke dissipated. Only when there was nothing left to enjoy did she finally flick the spent stub into a nearby receptacle and stride inside, trailing the scent of tobacco behind her like an expensive perfume.

Behind her, Joe Dunbar, the lone man in the early class opened the door and walked in, his gaze on the retreating Evalyn. A tall, solemn figure with an unruly mop of brown curls, Joe carried himself with the air of a professor, perpetually unimpressed.

“Good morning,” he greeted the room in his usual somber tone, his voice steady. He glanced in the direction of where Evalyn had gone before turning his scrutiny to Erin. “I thought she was told not to smoke by the door.”

“Good morning, Joe,” Erin replied, her patience well-practiced. “I will remind her again.”

“See that you do.” Joe’s look was pointed, the kind that made Erin feel like a student being corrected for talking during class.

Despite his grave demeanor, she liked Joe. He was a fixture of the class—a fifty-year-old confirmed bachelor, reliable as the sun, though considerably less warm.

Two additional women entered, each with a mat strapped to their backs, greeting all as they walked into the class area.

Everyone settled into their usual places. Terra and Jane took the front row, chatting quietly. The other two women occupied the second row, Joe was in the back, his matt as far from Evalyn as possible. Near the doorway, Aubrey positioned herself slightly apart from the others, stretching idly while observing the room.

With the class poised to begin, Erin took a deep breath, shaking off the morning’s minor chaos. Another day, another class, another attempt at keeping the peace.