She was out the door in less than five minutes and when she got into Viv’s Jeep she noticed that the back seat was filled with boxes. She didn’t remember having any big shipments for Brewed coming in. And even if they had, she wasn’t sure why they’d be in Viv’s backseat.
“What’s all this?”
Viv’s face lit up. “It’s singles week swag, baby!”
Viv reached behind her and pulled open a box and then grabbed a shirt and sweats and handed it to Audrey. She held them up and saw that on the front of the shirt was a tiny cupid with an arrow and on the back the words Hope Falls Effect. And on the sweats, along the leg were the letters HFE and a tiny cupid.
Audrey was impressed. “These are so cute!”
“Look at the back of the shirt!” Viv instructed excitedly.
She turned it around and saw that in the center of the back of the shirt she’d put her sister Ava’s definition of the Hope Falls Effect in tiny writing similar to how tour dates are listed on a band T-shirt.
HOPE FALLS EFFECT
Hope Falls:
noun (place)
1. a small, picturesque town tucked in the Sierra Nevadas 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
“These are amazing!”
“I also ordered pens, mugs, wine tumblers, and PopSockets with The Hope Falls Effect on them. I’m trying to make it a thing.”
Audrey was so impressed, as always, with Viv’s creativity. She’d been the one who’d come up with the logo and swag for Brewed Awakenings. She designed mugs and pens for the coffee shop for each season, and they usually sold out.
“I’m thinking of adding some of these to Brewed’s swag collection.”
Audrey looked at her sister who was clearly in her element. When Viv was excited about something, she came to life. Her brain was an endless idea factory.
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m just really impressed with how your brain works.”
Viv smiled widely. “Thanks, most people are horrified at how my brain works.”
Josh pulled up to Om Sweet Om, which wasn’t opening for another week, and saw Viv’s SUV parked out in front. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved that Viv was the one who was here or disappointed. When Nonna had asked him to come by and get some information about a yoga class for Valentine’s week his first thought was that it was another setup and Audrey would be there just like when she asked him to go to Dining in the Dark.
But she wasn’t. Viv was here. He recognized Viv’s Jeep Cherokee right away.
He hadn’t gone into Brewed Awakenings the last few days because he’d been trying to figure out why Audrey revealing that she was a virgin had been affecting him so much.
They weren’t together. They could never be together. He loved her but he knew there was absolutely no future for them.
He was broken. Physically and emotionally. She deserved someone who didn’t have night terrors and get anxiety attacks. She deserved someone who didn’t have to take medication for constant back pain. She deserved someone who could give her a family.
Over the years, he thought he’d come to terms with her being with someone else. He loved Audrey, he was in love with Audrey and because of that, he wanted the best for her. He wasn’t the best, plain and simple.
But for some reason, knowing that she’d never been intimate with someone had brought up a lot of feelings for him that must have been simmering under the surface. Feelings that he’d been able to ignore before now. Primal me-Tarzan-you-Jane feelings that he wasn’t sure he could disguise if he saw her.
So, he’d stayed away. But when Nonna had asked him to come to the yoga studio, his pulse raced at the thought of Audrey being there.
He knew that he was being ridiculous. She was his friend, one of his best friends. If he wanted to see her, all he had to do was stop by her house. Or the coffee shop.
He hadn’t been in counseling for a few years, but if he didn’t get this straightened out in his head in the next couple of days, he thought he might need to call Dr. Lowe.
Josh got out of his truck and made his way up to the studio. On the short walk, he noticed that there was a heaviness in the air and the clouds overhead looked dark and ominous. All day he’d known that a storm was coming. Ever since the explosion, his back was more accurate than any meteorologist. It had been aching since he woke up this morning, not the usual pain but the bone deep gnawing ache that only happened when there was a storm coming in.
When he reached for the door, he realized it was actually convenient that Nonna had asked him to stop by because he’d been planning on checking this place out once it opened. His PT had suggested incorporating yoga into his therapy and it had made a difference. It wasn’t a cure-all by any means, but it had helped with his core strength and also flexibility, which in turn helped with his back pain.
As he pulled open the glass door and walked in, it took his brain a second to catch up to what his eyes were seeing. Viv was standing in front of him, but she wasn’t alone. Audrey was there.
“Hey, J! What are you doing here?” Viv asked, seeming to be surprised to see him there.
“Nonna sent me to pick up some paperwork.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot to tell her that I was covering this. She did say she would check it out but I figured AcroYoga wasn’t her thing. Sorry it was a wasted trip, and you came by for nothing.”
Josh looked over at Audrey who smiled at him. It wasn’t a wasted trip, and he hadn’t come by for nothing because he got to see her smile. That was everything to him. She was everything to him.
When a blush rose on her creamy cheeks he wondered if she could read his mind. He needed to get out of here before his thoughts turned less PG, which they always did when Audrey was around.
“No worries. See ya.” He lifted his hand and was turning to go when Viv stopped him.
“Actually, if you have some time would you mind taking the AcroYoga class with Audrey? I hurt my back the other day and I just don’t think I’m up for it.” Viv put her hand on her lower back.
Josh had no idea what AcroYoga was, but it was an excuse to spend time with Audrey so he didn’t care. There was only one problem.
He glanced down at his jeans, boots, and hoodie. “I would but I don’t think I’m dressed for it.”
“No worries! I have just the thing!” With that Viv rushed around him and out the door leaving him and Audrey standing alone in the lobby of the yoga studio.