Chapter 6 #2
Her red-rimmed-eyed mat neighbor cried pretty much the entire class.
Not audibly, but a steady stream of tears fell down her face.
Frankie witnessed dozens of drops thud onto her mat with a tiny splash.
Before she could check in with her or even just introduce herself, the woman jumped up, grabbed her mat, and rushed to the back, where signs pointed to bathrooms and the changing room.
Frankie knew it was none of her business, but something made her feel connected to her hat-clad mat-neighbor, and she wanted to make sure she was okay.
She took her time spraying and wiping down her mat at a snail’s pace while people around her hurried to get on with their day.
Once she’d cleaned both sides ten times, which was overkill, she rolled it up and went to her cubby, still moving at turtle speed.
She pulled out her bag and shoes, putting each on her foot and then rolling her ankles to stall, when she felt a vibration in the front pocket.
Please be Zee, she thought as she grabbed her phone, only to feel the all-too-familiar stomach drop of disappointment.
It was another text from Tristan.
Tristan: Please call me. You’ve made your point. I love you. I know you love me. We can fix this. Whatever I did, I’m sorry.
Frankie deleted the text and shoved the phone back in her bag.
When she lifted her head, she saw everyone had cleared out, and Tiana was standing in front of her looking like a yoga angel, her long, light-brown, curly hair now wrapped up in a silk scarf.
“It’s Frankie, right? We met at the book club. ”
“Oh, yeah, we did.”
Frankie didn’t think anyone would remember her being there that night.
She’d only been in town a day or two, and there was a lot of excitement during those three hours.
Taylor passed out cold and had to be rushed to the emergency room for what ended up being a bad virus.
And Viv, who owned the coffee shop and was very pregnant, thought she was going into labor, but it ended up being Braxton Hicks.
Oh, and a romance author named Emma, who had moved to town a few years ago, announced her next series, which the women seemed very excited about.
She’d only been there because she knew some of the locals from spending summers in Hope Falls, and she ran into Nikki Maguire, who was a local, and invited her.
“It was a great class! Loved the music.” Frankie genuinely meant it, she had enjoyed the class.
“You crushed it!” Tiana enthused. “I’m guessing you do a lot of yoga in…”
“New York, I’m from New York. And, thanks, yeah, I do.”
“So, are you here visiting?” Tiana followed up.
“Not to sound like a Facebook status, but it’s complicated.”
The corners of Tiana’s mouth curled upward, her cheeks dimpling as her eyes crinkled at the edges, transforming her face from a serene yoga instructor to a conspirator sharing a delicious secret. “Did the Hope Falls Effect get you?”
Frankie had heard about the Hope Falls Effect.
In fact, Yaya had several different pieces of HFE merch—a pink tumbler, a t-shirt, and a throw blanket.
They were all branded with the Hope Falls Effect.
It wasn’t something that had been around when she spent her summers there as a kid.
Or maybe it had, and she was just too young to notice.
She had no idea who started it, or why, but as far as a marketing tactic for tourism, it seemed to be working.
According to Yaya, even the locals appeared to be buying into it.
HOPE FALLS EFFECT?
Hope Falls:
noun (place)
1. a small, picturesque town tucked in the Sierra Nevada with an idyllic landscape backdrop of lush, deep green pine trees and dotted with colorful aspens.
The heart of the town, Main Street, is a five-block stretch of small storefront businesses, lined on each side with wooden sidewalks filled with a cast of colorful characters sure to enrich your life.
Effect:
verb (action)
1. someone who never thought they would ever fall in love or fall in love again, and suddenly they meet their soul mate
2. a person who thought that their career was over suddenly gets a new opportunity that changes their life forever
3. someone who is running from something bad in their past or has issues with their family, they move here and the situation resolves itself
4. those who are lonely find support from the community
5. things magically fall into place in the following areas: love, career, friendship
6. saves people
7. heals people
8. is the missing puzzle piece in people’s lives
“Not yet.” She crossed her fingers semi-sarcastically, before explaining sincerely, “I was actually engaged, but I found out that he cheated on me, which is why I am here.”
Frankie didn’t share private information with random strangers, but she knew Tiana, unfortunately, could relate.
Frankie knew exactly who Tiana Marie was before she’d met her at the book club.
About a year ago, she’d gone through a very public divorce with an NFL player who also cheated.
She didn’t follow the NFL, or sports in general, but she knew Tiana’s ex in a six-degrees-of-separation way, except it was only two degrees.
Her brother Niko played professional baseball.
He went to the same D1 college as Tiana’s husband, or ex-husband, and although they played different sports, they’d been serious rivals.
There was no love lost between the two of the men.
“Been there.” She smiled, but Frankie could see that there was still pain behind her eyes.
“Listen, Jenna, who owns The Beauty Spot, right across the street, and I are going out to JT’s tomorrow night at eight o’clock.
She—and she won’t care I’m telling you this because she talks about it very openly—found out her husband was having an affair with her best friend. ”
Frankie gasped and covered her mouth. “No!”
“Yes.”
“That’s horrible,” Frankie spoke into her palm, muffling her words.
“I know.” Tiana nodded.
“I thought mine was bad.” She lowered her arm. “My ex cheated with Emmanuelle.”
Tiana’s eyes widened. “Emmanuelle, Emmanuelle?”
“Yes,” Frankie confirmed.
“Damn, girl.” Tiana lifted her hand for a high five.
Frankie wasn’t sure what she was high-fiving, but she went with it.
Tiana must have sensed her confusion because she explained, “Your fiancé—”
“Ex-fiancé,” Frankie clarified.
“Your ex-fiancé pulled the hottest supermodel on the planet, and he is still blowing up your phone trying to get you back. I’m assuming that was him texting you. You had the look.”
“The look?” Frankie questioned.
“The ‘fuck all the way off’ look.”
Frankie laughed at the colorful and accurate description. She really liked Tiana. Zee would absolutely love Tiana.
The brunette with the red-rimmed eyes emerged from the changing room, still rocking her ballcap and smiled as if she’d washed her face with cold water and hope. Unfortunately, the puffiness under her eyes and her clumpy lashes were a dead giveaway she was still going through it.
“Hey, thanks for coming to class. You were in the zone today. Are you new to Hope Falls or just passing through?” Tiana asked, voice gentle and coaxing, like she was talking to a wild animal that might bolt.
Frankie listened in, curiosity nudging her to lean closer. She didn’t know why she was so invested in the stranger’s story, except that she seemed so familiar.
“Neither, actually.” The woman took in a shaky breath as she slung her gym bag over one shoulder. “I live about thirty minutes up the road. My brother’s opening a family medicine practice here. He got the keys to it today, so I’m meeting him here to see the space and help with the decor.”
Frankie glanced over at her as another sense of déjà vu washed over her. “Sorry, but you look very familiar. Have we met before?”
“Well, if you’ve ever gotten an X-ray at Pine Ridge General, then I was probably your photographer.”
“That’s it!” Frankie snapped her fingers, remembering her from the day before.
Usually, she would have had no problem remembering someone she’d seen less than twenty-four hours earlier but running into Liam had short-circuited her brain.
“I was there yesterday. My grandma was visiting Arthur Santino.”
The X-ray tech’s smile grew wider, steadier, and more genuine. “Lydia, right? She is a firecracker.”
“Yes, she is.” Frankie nodded in agreement as she introduced herself. “I’m Frankie.”
“Poppy.” She smiled as she shook her head back and forth. “Your grandma and Mr. Santino are something else. His bark is much worse than his bite, but she has him eating out of her hand.”
“Oh, are you talking about the shooting?” Tiana cut in. “How is Mr. Santino? Is he okay?”
“All I can say is, if orneriness is key to recovery, that man will be on his feet in no time.”
Frankie knew that due to HIPAA, Poppy wasn’t allowed to give them any actual updates, but that told them all they needed to know.
The door to the studio opened, and four thirty-something ladies decked out in Alo, Lululemon, and Vuori walked in chatting with one another, two had to-go cups that read “Brewed Awakenings” on them. It was her cue to leave.
“Great class. Thanks again.” Frankie picked up her mat and bag and started towards the door.
Poppy fell in stride beside her. When the two reached the lobby, Tiana stopped them.
“Hey, Poppy, I’m recruiting for a Girls’ Night tomorrow at JT’s, you should come out with us. It’s me, Frankie, and Jenna. She owns The Beauty Spot just across the street.”
Poppy glanced between the two women. Frankie could see a brief moment of hesitation before her left shoulder shrugged. “What time?”
“Eight.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great!” Tiana beamed and then turned to prepare for her next class.
Frankie noticed the way Poppy took a deep breath and exhaled after agreeing to go, the way someone would when they were trying to soldier on through adversity.
She wondered what had happened in the last week—or maybe month or the last year—to make someone like Poppy leak tears through an entire yoga class.
But she didn’t ask. Instinct told her that Poppy would talk if and when she wanted.
“Hey, what are you doing right now? I’d love for you to meet my brother. His office is just down the street.” She pointed left, the direction Frankie had to walk to get back to Yaya’s.
“I actually have plans, but I’ll walk with you.”
Frankie knew those eyes, those were meet-my-brother-I-want-to-set-you-up eyes. As much as she appreciated the thought, there was no way she needed to have yet another brother in her life. She was teetering on a nervous breakdown from the two brothers she had already.