“You missed your calling, Counselor,” J.P. said. “You’ve made your argument, and I’llthinkabout it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check out of your estate and brace myself for the influx of overzealous golfers that will flood the clubhouse when you send out the email about the Employee Appreciation Weekend.”
Thirty-Two
Kenny skipped her morning laps in the pool and biked to the Beach Club to practice Tuesday morning beach yoga with yogi Bonnie. Bonnie enthusiastically greeted the mixed bag of students and directed them to lay their towels in a semicircle around her own, facing the ocean. Savannah and the Wine after Nine foursome had already staked their territory and were carefully selecting their affirmation cards and chakra stones.
She could always use a good stretch but that wasn’t the root of today’s mindful motivation. Every part of her considered—maybe hoped—that she may run into J.P. and Cliff on their morning walk. It was exactly one week since the infamous meet cute on the beach and she couldn’t believe how much more confident she felt, mentally and physically, since she commenced her hiatus of life. She wore her favorite pair of yellow running shorts that she deemed safe to wear on the sand, just not in the ocean, and a white racer back tank. The night before she spent hours on the computer attempting to master the French braid, so her hair was swept off her face in some version of a decent twist.
She hadn’t seen J.P. in four days, and she wouldn’t have minded if their paths happened to cross today. In the back of her mind, she had been longing to run into him since Sunday afternoon at the Salty Dog when, after snacking on popcorn and a shrimp appetizer, she had an epiphany about the book club bestseller she was ready to write.
Kenny unfolded her towel between the golfers and a group of tweens who wore short sleeved fitted T-shirts with Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory Summer ’24 scrawled across the front and black bike shorts that were so tiny they looked like they would fit an American Girl doll. She conscientiously chose an affirmation card and chakra stone and laid down on the towel, eyes closed and face to the sun, while she waited for Bonnie to open class with the round robin introductions that, surprisingly, Kenny wasn’t entirely dreading.
“I heard that he’s the grandson of Charles Fraser, you know, the guy who founded Hilton Head,” one of the Wine after Nine girls declared to her friends.
“Really? I heard he’s the great-grandson of Ely Callaway, the company that manufactures all the golf equipment. Which would make more sense than being the descendant of a real estate developer. But it must be on his mother’s side because I don’t think his last name is Callaway,” another friend chimed in.
“It’s Long,” another voice said. “The media had a field day with the play on words.It’s Never a Long-Shot for Long, One Long-Drive Tops the Leaderboard.”
“He’s so dreamy. And mysterious. How can he be considered the most eligible bachelor on the island, yet so little is known about him? He’s been around for eight years now and the most aggressive circles of women on the prowl haven’t been able to crack him. Even his name is mysterious. J.P. must stand for something. But what?”
Kenny shot up like she was being ejected from an airplane and quicky faked a coughing jag, so it didn’t look like her sudden movement was in reaction to the conversation she was guilty of eavesdropping on.
“There’s something so attractive about the unattainable, ladies,” Savannah, presumably the leader of the pack, said to her girlfriends. “We should invite him to join us for liquid lunch one of these Tuesdays. We’ll knock down that guard.” She giggled mischievously, and the rest of her posse clapped in unison.
“It’s time to get started. Let’s calm our bodies and quiet our minds. Begin to rid yourself of any distraction. It’s a beautiful day to practice in this paradise we call Sea Pines,” Bonnie said as she attempted to reel the rowdy class back to silence and stillness.
Bonnie led the class through a series of planks, wide legged forward folds, high and low lunges, and warrior poses before she guided the group to their towels and finished class with a few Bikram postures. The pace was faster than the first beach yoga class Kenny took with Bonnie, and she couldn’t believe how quickly the sixty minutes passed. The sun and air were warm, but the humidity wasn’t as high as it had been since she arrived a week ago, and a light breeze blew off the ocean.
Bonnie invited the class to wiggle their fingers and toes and pulled them out of their final, two-minute Savasana. Still in a trance-like state, the group slowly sat up to their sit bones or knees. They shared their affirmation cards and Bonnie explained the meaning behind the color of their stones. Kenny partially listened while she intently stared out to the ocean, but the sound of the waves crashing ashore and the cicadas buzzing in the dunes drowned out most of what the other women were saying.
“Last but not least, we have our friend from Manhattan. Kenny, would you like to share?” Bonnie prompted.
“Of course!” Kenny jolted her mind back to the group. “Today I am glowing. Today I have huge amounts of energy and focus to take on any challenge,” she read from her card. “And I have this pretty, deep red crystal. It looks to have a bit of black in there, too,” she said, picking up the gemstone and inspecting it closer.
“That is a beautiful stone and one that has restorative powers,” Bonnie excitedly shared. “Red garnet revitalizes feelings of love, passion, creativity, and determination. Last week, you mentioned you were hoping to find inspiration. If you haven’t already found it, you are well on your way with the energy you will receive from this stone.” The yoga instructor stared Kenny dead in the eyes and smiled.
Bonnie delivered a closing thought about gratitude, folded her hands, and bowed her head.
“Namaste,” the class replied in unison and quickly rolled up their towels and returned their cards and stones to the bag on Bonnie’s blanket.
Kenny took her time walking back to the Beach Club and tried to decide how she could distract herself from being envious of the Wine to Nine ladies who were on their way to Liberty Oaks for tee-off. She knew she had no right to be jealous. There was no chance that anything could ever develop between her and J.P., especially now knowing he was deemed the most eligible bachelor not just on Sea Pines, but on all of Hilton Head Island. Regardless, a part of her was irked that these women with their perfect tans, physiques and lives were on a mission to win J.P. over, like he was the biggest prize at the toughest game at the county fair. She unzipped the pocket of her cross-body bag to pull out her phone and noticed a text from Hailey.
Text from Hailey: Will b in SP this wknd! (Emoji: palm tree) Wud (Emoji: pink heart) 2 meet u!
Text to Hailey: That’s awesome! Would be great to meet you in person! When will you be in town?
Text from Hailey: (Emoji: plane) in Sat ayem. U free Mon (Emoji: moon)? (Emoji: champagne glasses)
Kenny interpreted this to mean that Hailey was flying into Hilton Head on Saturday morning and was proposing drinks on Monday evening.
Text to Hailey:Monday evening sounds perfect!
Text from Hailey: Yay! C u then (Emoji: smiley with star eyes)
Kenny doubted that she and Hailey would have much in common, but she looked forward to a night with her new girlfriend and chatting over a fruity cocktail. She threw her phone back in her bag, tossed the bag in the basket on her bike and took off for Pelican Pointe.
She couldn’t believe it was already time for lunch. Her morning duathlon turned into something of a sprint triathlon. Following the bike ride back to the villa after yoga, she felt so rejuvenated that she decided to go for a jog to Lawton Stables and back. She wasn’t an equestrian, but she always thought horses were beautiful animals and the horse farm made a good destination when she tried to get in a decent jog. She credited the burst of energy to a combination of the powers of the red garnet chakra stone and vanity. She was satisfied with how she looked in the yellow running shorts and white tank and wanted to keep the shape she worked hard to reclaim.
Kenny was unlacing her sneakers when her phone vibrated.
