Chapter 9
OR HOW A HOT BASEBALL COACH WATCHES YOU DO YOGA.
Poppy
“You’re here earlier than usual.” Lily laughs, glancing at the clock in the bakery.
I round the counter and collapse into a chair, letting my head fall back as I stare at the ceiling.
My heart has been racing since this morning, when I finally saw the man living in the once-vacant house next door.
I’m torn between the excitement of a potential romance and the fear of disrupting my routine.
“I met my new neighbor.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
My head snaps forward, and I shoot Lily a glare.
“No. Not great.” She shakes her head, raising her hands to make an X. “Bad vibes.”
I groan. “Not the worst vibes, but not the best neighbor.”
“Loud music? Plays with car engines all day? A barking dog?” she teases.
“None of the above.”
“Well, spill.”
I sit up, resting my elbow on my thighs. “You know that guy I was talking to at the bar on your birthday?”
“The one you have yet to tell any of us about?”
I nod.
“The one we’ve been dying to know about but haven’t asked about because we’re, you know, respectful. But also really nosy.”
I roll my eyes.
“Blair,” Lily calls into the kitchen. “Poppy is here and ready to talk about the hot baseball coach!”
Blair bursts through the double doors. They swing and slam against the wall before she hops on the counter, ready to hear whatever I have to say. Her dramatic entrances never fail to amuse me.
“Tell me more,” she coos.
“Stop that.” I wave a hand. “You’re making it more than it is.”
Lily raises an eyebrow. “Are we?”
I sigh, sinking back into the seat, knowing I shouldn’t have brought this up with them.
Yet again, my head isn’t on straight this morning.
My morning routine was going perfect today, too.
I woke up when my alarm went off, and my coffee pot didn’t break down.
My plans for the students today were ready, and I was eager to do all the fun things with them.
I even started a mini list of everything I want to accomplish to cross off throughout the day.
Although it was freezing outside, my yoga session was smooth and grounding.
Until I caught my neighbor watching me through my legs.
In nothing but sweatpants and a T-shirt that clung to his ridiculously built body.
I want to put emphasis on the T-shirt, because my god, it hugged every curve of muscle on his body.
Is the man immune to winter weather? It’s freezing in the mountains this time of year.
His hair was a tousled mess, as if he had just rolled out of bed and done nothing but run his fingers through it.
And damn, if it didn’t throw me off balance.
Once I went back inside, I kept repeating to myself, you can’t control everything, because it’s true.
I can’t. No matter how much I wish I could, I just freakin’ can’t.
I knew there was a chance that he would be moving next door to me, as it’s one of the rentals available.
But when I didn’t see him his first few days here, sitting outside or moving boxes inside, I just assumed Nan set him up elsewhere.
“Well,” I mutter. “The guy you two think is hot? He’s my new neighbor.”
“It’s okay if you think he’s hot. I thought your brother was hot when I moved next door to him.” Blair shrugs.
“First, ew.” Lily grimaces at Blair before facing me again. “Second, I agree with the first part of that statement. It’s okay if you think he’s hot.”
I shake my head. “I don’t do relationships, nor do I want to get involved with someone Nan considers a celebrity.”
“He’s kind of a big deal,” Blair remarks.
“At least he was back in San Francisco. He was the starting pitcher for the Staghorns. They’re a major league team.
And then something happened. I have no clue what because I never followed sports like that, but he stopped playing and took over as head coach. ”
“Ohh, a head coach,” Lily murmurs, waggling her eyebrows.
“The team is awful,” Blair huffs out. “Like, really bad.”
“Is that what has you all out of sorts and here earlier than usual?” Lily asks. “It’s not like you.”
She’s right. It’s not like me to be off my schedule.
She might not know the extent of my routine and how structured I am, but…new things are scary for me, so I like having a plan. I’m not good when things change at the last minute.
Which is why I got ready and left my house earlier than I normally would, determined to maintain my routine and avoid another run-in with my dangerously attractive neighbor. Now, I need to add a new thing to my daily list.
Avoid the hot neighbor at all costs.
Can’t wait to check that one off.
“I didn’t know he was my neighbor until this morning,” I admit.
“I didn’t put two and two together when Nan was rummaging on the property next door for a few weeks, or when I saw a black Tahoe parked out front.
We always know when someone’s new in town.
Like everyone knows about it.” I look at Blair because she was once the new person in town. “No offense.”
She holds up her arms. “None taken.”
“I should have known it was him. And I was doing morning yoga on my back deck the way I always do, and he was standing there—watching me.”
Lily practically growls. “That’s so hot.”
Throwing my head back, I groan. “It’s not hot. It’s annoying.”
Blair scoffs. “Hot and annoying are not mutually exclusive. Your brother was hot and annoying.”
I rub my temples, already regretting getting here early. “I was having a great morning. I was feeling all the zen. Then, bam. He’s standing there, staring at me. And not in a normal, friendly neighbor way. It made my skin heat up and my brain short-circuit.”
Instantly, I regret saying that much because I never open up like this about men with anyone. It’s a rare moment of vulnerability that I’m not comfortable with.
Blair and Lily exchange a look.
“That’s hot,” Blair confirms.
“So what did you do?” Lily asks.
My brows furrow. “Nothing?” What did she expect me to do?
Lily’s eyes widen. “You didn’t even say anything?”
“Wait, did he say anything?” Blair asks.
I press my lips together, reluctant to relive this morning.
“Poppy,” Lily says. “What did he say?”
I exhale, letting my eyes travel to the tile floor to avoid seeing their faces. “He smiled.”
Blair gasps. “You’re so done for.”
“Game over,” Lily adds before the two high-five, forcing my attention back up.
“Stop it,” I groan. “I can’t do this. Am I mildly fascinated by him? Sure. In a way that someone might be when a bear comes into town.”
“Or how a hot baseball coach watches you do yoga,” Blair interrupts.
I level my stare in her direction before continuing.
“My only focus is my job and my students. Today, I have a meeting with my new student’s parents, and since my day started on the wrong foot, I’m anxious about this meeting.
Oh, and did I tell you what the student said to me that makes me not want to meet her father? ”
“What?” they say in unison.
“She said—and I quote—my dad likes murder.”
Blair freezes, and Lily’s eyes go wide.
“Yeah. It’s going to be a fantastic day.”
“Sarcasm aside…” Lily chuckles. “What’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
She shrugs. “Are you planning to avoid him forever? Are you going to put together a welcome basket for him? What’s the plan here?”
“The murderer dad?”
Lily rolls her eyes. “No, Pop. Your new neighbor who has you all worked up.”
I scoff. “Absolutely not.”
Blair smirks. “What if he shows up at your door looking all hot and broody again?” She gasps. “And what if he has that smile when you open the door?”
Standing from the chair, I cross my arms over my chest. “Then I’ll hand him a frozen pizza, say welcome to Poplar Street, and call it a day.”
Lily sighs, letting her back fall against the wall. “Romance is dead.”
Blair hops off the counter, laughing. “It’s just getting started, Lil. And it’s all going down on Poplar Street.”
“I hate you both.”
“No, you don’t,” they say together.
Exhaling sharply, I round the counter again. “I have to get to work. Thank you for the lack of advice this morning. Forget I said anything.”
“We won’t.” Lily smiles, wiggling her fingers in a wave.
Leaving the bakery, I get in my car for the short drive to work.
Opening up to them wasn’t the best decision. It makes me more curious about Dallas and forces me to replay the entire morning.
What if I just said good morning?
What if I didn’t run inside like a coward?
What do I do if he actually knocks on my door one day?
I feel my cheeks heat at the thought of seeing him standing there the way he was on his deck. The vision of seeing the smile on his face makes my stomach swirl in a way I’m not familiar with.
Dammit.
Maybe Lily and Blair weren’t completely wrong.