Jacob #2
cupped together, obviously toting the offending arachnid.
“You shoulda just let me kill it!” Ford shouted.
Jacob texted back.
Jacob:
DO I NEED MY POM-POMS?
Rory:
NO. JUST brING YOURSELF.
Jacob managed to take a quick shower; put on sweats, a T-shirt, and his red-and-gold varsity soccer jacket; and get to the
Woodmont farmers’ market in just under twenty minutes.
The market was held on the community baseball fields next to the library, and he couldn’t believe how crowded it was.
Didn’t these people know it was Saturday morning?
If not for the rogue spider in Lindsay’s room, he’d still be asleep right now.
It seemed the good folks of Woodmont, though, got out of bed early for fresh pumpkin spice lattes and apples off the tree.
Couples strolled in beanies and corduroy jackets, holding hands and bags full of carrots and kale.
Parents wrangled their kids at the bakery stands as they begged for chocolate chip muffins and apple tarts.
There was a gigantic pumpkin at one stand with a sign that read: “Guess my weight and win a FREE pumpkin pie!” The air smelled like maple and coffee and sugar.
Jacob had to admit, he didn’t hate it. Not a bad way to start his morning.
But where the heck was Rory? And what were they doing here? This felt weirdly like a date, but obviously that wasn’t right.
She was with Tucker. He wasn’t about to let his brain go there. His stomach grumbled—he’d had to leave the house before the pancakes were ready—so he got on line for a muffin and pulled
out his phone to text her. Before he could, she was beside him, grabbing his arm.
“What are you doing over here?” she demanded, dragging him away.
“You said meet you at the farmers’ market!” he replied, tripping sideways.
“Right, but did you really think we were going for lattes and Cronuts?”
Jacob balked. “What the heck is a Cronut?”
They had emerged from the tunnel of food tents out onto the field, where a bunch of little kids played tag, shrieking and
laughing as they ran. Rory wore a pair of red leggings and a red-and-gold Woodmont sweatshirt. Her brown hair was back in
a low ponytail, and her face was free of makeup, as far as he could tell. Her freckles stood out adorably across the bridge
of her nose. He wondered what it would be like to lean down and kiss her. What would she do if he did?
“Never mind,” she said. “Follow me.”
Jacob did as he was told and followed Rory toward a group of women gathered in a circle at the center of the field.
They were all in leggings and sweatshirts, and they all had yoga mats laid out around them.
For the first time, he noticed that Rory had two mats rolled up under her arm.
There was an odd, sinking sensation in his chest.
“Uh, Rory. What are the yoga mats for?”
“They’re for yoga,” she said flatly.
Jacob stopped in his tracks and then slowly began to back away. “Right, okay, well this has been fun! But I just remembered
I have a, uh . . . dentist appointment I have to get to. I’ll see you at the game tonight.”
“This is why I didn’t tell you why we were coming here! I knew you’d be too chicken to try it.”
Jacob paused. He wasn’t too chicken to try anything. He had, in fact, built his entire reputation around always being up for
a challenge of any size. He looked back at the yoga area. Rory’s raised voice had attracted the attention of the women already
gathered there; he could see them all watching. They ranged in age from twentysomething to grandma, and every last one of
them was clearly judging him.
“Fine. Forget it.” Rory shrugged. “I just thought you might want to improve your flexibility. You know, for the squad. But
whatever. If you think yoga is beneath you.”
Someone in the yoga group tittered, and someone else tsked.
If there was one thing Jacob hated, it was disappointing people.
Especially older women, if he was honest. In his family, he was seen as the polite, solicitous young man among his siblings.
His grandmas and aunts adored him because he held doors and always said please and thank you and never cursed in front of them.
Not that they didn’t also love Ford and Chad, but everyone knew Jacob was their favorite.
A fact that he was sure would surprise Rory if she ever found out.
“Fine. I’ll try it. But if you post this anywhere . . .”
Rory grinned, and it made his upcoming humiliation worth it.
“I promise,” she said, crossing her heart with one finger—a gesture so cute it nearly broke him. “No one will ever know.”
“All right, everyone, now that that’s settled . . .” A woman with long gray hair down her back moved to the front of the group.
“Let’s all begin in mountain pose.”
Jacob took off his varsity jacket and Rory unfurled their yoga mats, making sure they were perfectly straight and aligned
a foot apart from one another. Then she kicked off her shoes and stared at his feet until he did the same, and the two of
them joined the others, standing at the tops of their mats.
“What’s mountain pose?” Jacob whispered.
Rory had her eyes closed, so she opened them a slit. “It’s mindful standing.”
Jacob snorted. “Oh, cool. I can do that.”
“Shhhh!” someone nearby admonished them.
“Now breathe in . . . and let’s start out by challenging our balance. Slide your right foot up the inside of your left leg
as you move into tree pose.”
Jacob watched as the instructor brought her foot all the way up the side of her leg until the underside lay flat just above her knee. Rory’s foot landed so far up her leg she looked like a flamingo, while some of the other ladies’ feet perched next to their ankles.
“Just move to where you feel capable and comfortable,” the instructor said. “And if you fall out of it, don’t worry about
it. Just move back into the pose when you feel ready.”
“Please. I’ve got wicked balance,” Jacob muttered. He lifted his foot and planted it as far up his leg as he could get it . . .
then promptly fell sideways, toppling Rory with him.
“Gah!” she shouted.
They landed together on her yoga mat, their legs entangled. “I’m so sorry!” Jacob cried. He pushed himself up on his hands,
which happened to be planted on either side of her face. “Are you all right?”
“Is that what you meant by ‘wicked balance’?” she asked.
“That was so much harder than it looked!”
“Maybe start at a one instead of a ten,” Rory suggested. Then she looked down the length of their bodies. “Are you going to
be getting off of me anytime soon?”
Jacob blushed. “Oh. Right. Sorry.” He stood up quickly, then offered her his hand, which she took. Hoisting her up was like
lifting a feather. He pulled hard enough that she tripped into him as she stood, and once again, they were chest to chest.
Jacob put his hands on her shoulders and gently put some space between them. “I didn’t know there was a ten in yoga,” he joked.
“Well, there is,” she said, glancing around at the rest of the class. They’d moved on without them and were now doing tree
pose on the other side. “So just . . . take it easy, Tiger.”
“Tiger, huh? That’s an improvement on dingus.”
Rory rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. Jacob’s heart gave a flutter. He lived to make her smile. Or laugh. Or basically
notice his existence in any way.
“Don’t press your luck,” she said.