Chrissie turned her head to the side and bit on her smile. ‘I used to think I was born for journalism.’
‘You were a journalist?’ Drew crossed his arms over his chest, and a furrow formed between his eyebrows.
‘Yes. Though that part of my life is long gone. I don’t keep up with media now, there could be a cure for cancer making news headlines and I wouldn’t hear about it.’ It occurred to Chrissie that Drew was probably uncomfortable around media people. She’d worked with genuine professionals who cared about covering the truth, but there were a few who liked to stretch it, twist and mould a story to attract an audience. Celebrities were often the victims of such ploys, and no doubt Drew had been exposed to that at some point.
He dropped his arms to his side and his face relaxed. ‘Oh, right. So what made you leave the industry?’
Chrissie rubbed the back of her neck. ‘Ah, got a bit stressful I guess. Lost the passion for it. I had my time, but needed to move on to something different.’ It was the truth, but not the whole truth. She didn’t exactly want to get into a discussion about the tragic story she’d covered which led to the resurgence of her panic attacks. Despite that awful time in her life, in a way it had been a good thing. It led her to yoga. First as therapy, then as a career. Once she became accustomed to the peace and control it brought, she couldn’t go back. If she could bring peace and strength to others, she’d live a happy life.
Drew held his arms out to the side and glanced around. ‘And different it is. Do you think you’ll always teach yoga?’
‘Yes, I think so. I mean, who knows what the future will bring, but I feel like I’ve found my true passion. And I’d love to eventually run a yoga retreat, work more intensively with a smaller group of people.’ Visions of doing yoga outside in the fresh air at dawn floated through her mind. Celebrating a new day and preparing the mind and body for the activities ahead. One day. One day…
‘That’s a great idea.’ Drew tapped his chin. ‘I know a fair few music industry people who would jump at the chance to have a calming retreat away from their busy lives. You could even tailor it to,’ he made quotes with his fingers, ‘“celebrities”.’
Wow, she’d never thought of that. They’d certainly have the money to pay for an exclusive high-end retreat, but who was she to be responsible for their wellbeing? Then again, she was getting a bit of V.I.P. experience working with Drew. Maybe he would put in a good word for her with others.
‘I could spread the word, put in a good word for you,’ he said.
Was he a mind reader? Chrissie held back a smile.
‘It’s a wonderful idea, I don’t know if it’s possible to sustain it, but time will tell.’
‘Think big, I always say. You never know what might happen. Sometimes you’ve got to take a leap of faith.’
Drew could practically pass as an inspirational speaker. Did he even need yoga and meditation, or time away? He seemed so together and balanced.
‘I’ll be sure to remember that. Thanks.’ She smiled. ‘First, though, I need to get my aunt’s house in order so I can sell it.’
‘Oh yeah, how’s it going?’
‘Slow. I’m just making plans at the moment, I’ll do a few small things when I can and start more significant renovations next school holidays.’
‘Do you have any family close by to help?’
There it was, the inevitable family question that always seeped into conversation at some point between new friends. Friends?
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Bummer. Scattered around the country are they? Or overseas even?’
‘No, no, I just don’t have any.’
‘At all?’
‘Nope. It’s just me and Kai left.’
Drew ran a hand over his head and shook it. ‘Geez, I’m sorry Chrissie. Foot in mouth disease and all that.’
‘It’s okay, don’t worry.’
‘So your aunt was the last, er…’
‘Remaining relative, yes. My mum died quite a few years ago, before Kai was born. She had ovarian cancer.’ Chrissie’s head dropped a little toward her chest.
‘Oh man, that’s tough.’
Chrissie nodded.
‘And your dad? If you don’t mind my asking.’
‘He died when I was a baby. Train accident at Granville.’
Drew’s eyes went wide. ‘I remember hearing about that. Holy crap.’ He shook his head again.
‘Yeah. It was one of those wrong place wrong time situations. If he’d sat in a different carriage, he may still be here.’ She gulped down a lump of sadness. ‘But you can’t dwell on the past. What happened, happened, and you’ve just got to move forward.’ Which is what she’d been trying to do all her life, even though she felt like she was attached to her past with a strong length of industrial rope that wouldn’t break, trapping her in its hold forever.
‘I really am sorry, Chrissie. You’ve been through such a lot.’
No need to bring up the issue of her sister’s death, the poor guy would probably need intravenous Prozac afterwards.
Chrissie shrugged and raised her hands. ‘Thanks. That’s life I guess. You never know what it has in store for you.’
‘No you don’t,’ he said. ‘But you can create the life you want. You’ve done that, by following your heart to a yoga career, and working towards your goal of owning a retreat. You’ll get there, Chrissie, I know you will.’
He placed his hand against her arm and gave it a slight but definite rub, sending tingles across her skin, not only at his touch, but also at the conviction in his words. He really believed in her. He had faith in her. His belief straightened her spine and raised her chin.
‘That means a lot, thank you.’ She offered a grateful smile. ‘Well I better practise what I preach and teach my stuff.’ She gestured to the yoga mat and Drew stepped onto it. ‘Let’s forget about the past for now and think only about the immediate future. By the end of this class I want you to be a pro at Ardha Chandrasana.’ She placed her hands on her hips in a show of authority.
‘As long as I don’t have to spell it,’ Drew replied with a cheeky grin.
Chapter 13
‘And when you’re ready, slowly open your eyes.’ Chrissie opened her own and eased herself up off the floor, a calm sense of peace enveloping her as it always did after a yoga session and lying down in Shavasana. She rotated her ankles and stretched her arms above her head to wake up her body, then glanced at Drew, still in Shavasana. Well, she had said ‘when you’re ready’. She stepped a little closer and repeated, ‘Whenever you’re ready, open your eyes.’ Nothing. She leaned over him, deep rhythmic breathing making his chest slowly rise and fall. The guy was asleep. Chrissie held back a chuckle and turned away for a moment, then back again.
What should I do? Do I wake him up or let him sleep?
She nibbled on her bottom lip and glanced around the room. She’d had students fall asleep before, but they’d always wake up when other members of the class shuffled out. This was different, it was just her and him. She thought if she moved towards the corner table to get her things, the movement and sounds might rouse him, but her legs wouldn’t budge. She stood over him, watching the hypnotic movement of his chest, taking in the contours of his gorgeous face. Her fingers wanted to trace them, slide across his skin, curve around his jawline. They tingled at the possibility. Oh for God’s sake, wake the man up and put an end to the awkward situation!
She bent over and reached out her hand, preparing to touch his shoulder and give it a gentle shake, when his eyes blinked open. Chrissie lurched backwards. ‘Sorry, I was just…’ watching you in a completely unprofessional way. ‘Just about to wake you up.’ Heat crept across her face.
Drew rubbed his eyes. ‘Did I really fall asleep? The last thing I remember is you telling me to breathe deeply and relax my muscles.’
‘You were out of it.’ She grinned.
‘Sorry!’ He laughed, easing up into a seated position with his hands supporting
his weight behind him. ‘How rude of me.’ He rubbed his fingers across his forehead and shook his head, still smiling.
‘You must still be jet-lagged. It’s no problem.’
‘How long was I out?’
‘Not long. I only finished the meditation a couple of minutes ago. I didn’t know whether to wake you or not.’
‘It’s better if I don’t nap, otherwise I won’t sleep at night. Nothing worse than insomnia.’
Didn’t she know it. She’d suffered for years as a teenager.
‘A few minutes of napping shouldn’t affect your sleep tonight. Lucky I didn’t fall asleep too or we’d both be in trouble.’
He caught her eye and his smile widened.
‘Yeah, can’t have you sleeping with me on the job.’
Did he just say what I think he said? Chrissie’s mouth dropped open a tad and after a moment, so did Drew’s.
‘Oh my God, that sounded better in my head!’ His cheeks grew pink and Chrissie tried to contain her laughter. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…what I meant was…’
‘Sleeping, as well as you, on the job, right?’ she suggested.
‘Exactly. Geez, I must be really jet-lagged, it’s messing with my head!’
‘Forget about it, God knows I’ve had more than a few faux pas in my life.’ But his took the cake, especially as it was actually true in the literal sense. Sleeping with guests or students was, of course, forbidden. It was even listed in her job agreement: staff members will refrain from any relationships of a romantic or sexual nature with Serendipity guests, clients, or students. Not that it would happen with Drew anyway; he was her student, she was his teacher. Strictly professional. Yes, they’d grown comfortable around each other in only a short time and shared fun and enlightening conversation, but in a few short weeks it would all be over. No sense even going to the place in her mind that wanted to chuck the rules out the window and grab him with both hands. It was obviously just infatuation enhanced by being around him every day. There’d never be any hope of a romance between them, even if he wasn’t a guest or her student, she had her life and he had his; completely opposite lives that would in no way fit together.
Why am I thinking all this? Chrissie tried to put the brakes on her rapid-fire thoughts and return to the moment at hand. He’d simply said something that didn’t come out right, it just happened to allude to a physical relationship, and now it was time to move on.
‘Well, I better let you get some lunch. I don’t know about you, but my stomach is grumbling,’ Chrissie said.
‘My stomach is always grumbling. I’m a man.’ Drew rubbed his belly, and Chrissie nodded.
‘True,’ she said. ‘I know Kai will probably eat me out of house and home when he’s a teenager. But maybe I’ll get lucky and he won’t be like other guys.’
‘Yeah, good luck with that.’ Drew’s expression suggested he was being sarcastic, as if the constant desire for food was as common to men as facial hair. Then his expression changed to one of anticipation. ‘Chrissie, do you want to join me for lunch in the dining room?’
‘In the dining room?’ She furrowed her brows.
‘No, the V.I.P. dining room downstairs.’
‘Oh, of course, sorry.’ As if he’d share a plate of vegetarian lasagne with a bunch of guests if he was so careful to avoid being seen here. She turned her wrist and glanced at the time. It was either eat lunch with other staff as usual, or share a private meal with her favourite singer. Tough choice. ‘Sure, that’d be nice.’ She nodded.
‘Great, I’ll call up a double serving of everything, hang on a tick.’ He headed towards the studio door then turned back. ‘Meet you downstairs in a few minutes?’
‘Sounds good.’ Chrissie nodded and watched him disappear around the corner into his room. She took a can of deodorant from her bag and sprayed it under her arms, then slid a lip balm across her lips and plumped them together, before hooking the bag over her shoulder, blowing out the candles, and making her way downstairs.
Drew arrived after one of the kitchen staff set the meals on the table, along with a fresh vase of flowers, a carafe of water, and even a floating candle in a bowl. Every detail was taken care of for V.I.P. guests, and even though she was just a staff member, for the next hour she’d get to see how the other half lived. Sort of.
‘Mmm, looks good.’ Drew rubbed his hands together as he entered the dining room that opened up into the garden. Chrissie had opened the French doors, letting sunlight and fresh air into the room.
‘It sure does. And I think someone else thinks so too.’ She pointed to the butterfly who had decided to pay a visit and was flapping its wings towards the table.
Drew approached the delicate creature. ‘C’mon, sweetie, not much for you to see in here. Out you go.’ He tried to coax the butterfly from the room, but it evaded his encouraging hands.
‘Maybe you offended it,’ Chrissie said.
‘How do you figure that?’
‘You called it sweetie. It might be male.’
‘Hmm, you could be right. Although how does one tell?’ He tilted his head and tried to peer underneath the flying creature.
‘I have no idea,’ Chrissie giggled. ‘But I think by doing that you’re offending it more!’
Drew laughed. ‘Poor thing, calling it sweetie then examining it for genitalia. I’ve probably scarred him or her for life.’
‘Maybe not,’ Chrissie said, pointing as the butterfly landed on Drew’s head.
‘It’s on my head?’ he asked. ‘I hope it doesn’t poop on me. Quick, take a picture, this’ll be a good one to show Sam.’ He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to Chrissie.
Before swiping the screen she noticed his screensaver, a painting of a sunset. It looked familiar. She snapped a picture and at the sound of the camera, the butterfly flew away.
‘Did you get it?’ He sidled up to her and glanced at the screen, displaying a goofy image of him with eyes looking upwards and the multicoloured creature atop his head. ‘Cool, thanks.’ Chrissie handed the phone back to Drew, and as the butterfly approached her, she held out her hand. It rested on her fingertip and she smiled softly at its beauty.
Click! Drew took a photo, and the butterfly took flight again. ‘Oh, I wasn’t ready!’
‘Exactly. Those “not ready” moments make the best photos. See?’ He directed the screen towards her.
Her eyes weren’t looking towards the camera, they were fixed on the butterfly, and a rare moment of peace had been captured. ‘True. If you’d said, “smile”, I probably would have tensed up and looked all weird and unnatural.’
‘I don’t know about weird, but I know what you mean. I’ve been to so many photo shoots that I’ve become sick of them. I just tell photographers to follow me around and snap pictures whenever the moment strikes, otherwise they never look like the real me.’
‘So what about the one on your latest album?’
‘Okay, that was a little bit staged, but I really was singing during the shoot. And it was outdoors, none of that fake background and artificial lighting bizzo.’
Chrissie doubted that Drew could ever take a bad photo. She was sure he looked just as gorgeous first thing in the morning. And guys with short hair had it easy, they didn’t get that morning hair mayhem when one’s hair looks like it’s been caught in a tornado.
Drew walked to the French doors where the butterfly flitted about as if it didn’t know where was inside and where was outside. ‘Out you go, swee — er — buddy,’ he slid a glance in Chrissie’s direction as if to seek approval for his word choice, ‘this way.’ His hand hovered next to the butterfly, until it flitted beyond the patio and into the blazing sunlight reflecting off the shrubs. ‘See? I have the magic touch.’ He brushed his palms over each other as though dusting off sand.
‘It appears you do.’ She smiled, impressed by the gentle way he handled the butterfly.
‘So, I think it’s time to dig in.’ He eyed the plates of chicken salad,
crusty sourdough rolls still steaming from the oven, and a dainty jug of salad dressing on the side. ‘Here.’ Drew pulled out a chair and motioned for Chrissie to sit.
The gesture took her by surprise. Victor had never pulled a chair out for her; not that it mattered, she was perfectly capable of pulling out her own chair, and for that matter could even lift said chair and hurl it across the room if a situation required it. She’d sure been tempted a number of times when Victor had been ignorant and disrespectful towards her. He wasn’t a bad bloke, just a bit of an arse sometimes. He loved Kai to bits, but wasn’t cut out for day-to-day care of a child’s needs. Alternate weekends worked out much better for him, and although Kai missed his dad, she knew Kai was probably better off with only short periods of time spent with his father.
Chrissie took her seat and flashed an impressed smile in Drew’s direction. ‘Why, thank you, Mr Williams,’ she coated her words with sweetness.
‘It is my pleasure, Miss Burns.’ He sat on his chair and lifted the carafe. ‘Would the lady care for a refreshing drink?’ He embellished his words with an English accent.
‘The lady would be most appreciative.’ She competed with her own best version of an English accent.
‘Then I shall oblige.’ He poured the water into her glass.
Chrissie chuckled. ‘What is this, Downton Abbey?’
Drew laughed. ‘You know, I’ve never watched that show.’
‘You haven’t? Oh, you’re missing out.’
‘So I’ve heard. I never got around to watching it. My schedule doesn’t always allow for regular TV viewing. And I’m not organised enough to record anything.’
‘You’ll have to get the DVD’s. Be warned, though, it’s addictive.’
‘If a show isn’t addictive it’s not worth watching. Life’s too short to waste time with substandard entertainment.’
Didn’t she know it.
They delved into their gourmet salads, Chrissie pushing the olives to one side.
‘I’ll have your olives if you don’t want them,’ Drew said, pointing his fork in the direction of her plate.
‘Go ahead.’ She moved her plate closer to him. ‘I don’t mind them, but I’m not their biggest fan.’ Although I am yours…
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