11
“Okay,let’s take one more deep breath in through our nose.” Ava inhaled audibly. “Hold for four, three, two, one and exhale out through your mouth.”
The group of twelve campers all seated on yoga mats in a clearing surrounded by pine trees exhaled as instructed.
Ava continued to lead them through the meditation on mindfulness, but the truth was her mind was not present. All she could think about was Asher Ford. She’d thought that she’d obsessed over him when all she knew him as was tall, dark, and dangerous. But now that she’d actually spent time with him and knew his name, her obsession had become all consuming.
It was getting out of hand, especially considering she hadn’t spoken to him since he dropped her off after her labs. He hadn’t contacted her since. She’d seen him around a little bit, but that was inevitable in a town the size of Hope Falls.
The first few days after their reunion, she kept expecting him to text her or show up at her door. She wasn’t sure why she had that expectation, but it turned out to be wishful thinking on her part. After taking a fearless inventory she’d realized that their shared history had been so impactful on her but maybe not so much for him and that she was ridiculously attracted to him, but the feeling was not mutual.
The “bond” they shared appeared to be very one sided. Asher clearly wanted to leave the past in the past and Ava had to respect that.
Beside her the alarm on her phone vibrated indicating that time was up.
“Okay, guys, great work today.”Ava smiled at the young faces staring back at her. “Remember, when you start feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad, mad, or any emotion that is just too big for you, take the time to stop, clear your mind, and breathe. It might not solve all your problems but it will put you in a better mindset to deal with them.”
The group stood and began rolling up their mats as they talked amongst themselves. The session she’d just led was only twenty minutes, but she could see that the teens appeared to be more relaxed and present.
She’d forgotten how much she loved working with youth. It’s not that she hated her work with adults, it was just that she felt like she made more of an impact with younger people.
This day and age with technology and all the pressures that young people face there was an uptick in mental health issues in people younger and younger. The truth was, they were facing things that their brains weren’t developed enough to handle.
Study after study has shown the ill effects of social media and technology on adolescents. The mental health field was doing everything it could to keep up with the newly developing issues, but it was an ever-evolving field. One that Ava was happy to be doing her small, tiny part in assisting.
As she said goodbye to some of the campers, she noticed that Blake was huddled up with Noah. It wasn’t a new thing. The two of them were pretty much always together.
She couldn’t help but wonder what Asher thought about his daughter spending so much time with Noah. Honestly, if Ava had a daughter, she’d be thrilled if she was interested in Noah. From what she’d seen the kid was hardworking, smart, funny, and had a big heart. He was always making sure that the kids who weren’t exactly fitting in had someone to talk to or sit with, even when he had no idea anyone was watching. He was a lot more mature than his fifteen years, but that might not be in the pro column when it came to Asher’s thirteen-year-old daughter.
Ava was collecting all the mats the kids had rolled up when she heard Noah say, “Here Dr. A, I can help you with those.”
“Oh, that’s okay, Noah I’ve—”
She wasn’t even able to finish her sentence before Noah scooped the mats up and started heading toward the path that led back to the resort.
“Thank you.” She called out after him and he turned back and grinned. She would have thought for sure that Blake would have followed him, but instead she was hanging behind.
“How are you liking Hope Falls?” Ava asked, knowing that she’d come from back East and it had to be a huge adjustment for her.
“It’s good. I like it.” The girl dipped her chin and looked down at the ground. When she lifted up her head Ava could see that she obviously wanted to say something, so she waited.
In her experience, people talked when you gave them the chance. Peppering people with questions rarely induced them to open up. In fact, the opposite could happen, they would clam up.
So, Ava waited. She glanced up at the bright blue sky that hung above them, and listened to the leaves rustling in the light breeze as the birds chirped.
After a minute or two Blake took a deep breath. “Can I ask you a, um, personal question?”
“Sure.” Normally that wasn’t how things worked, but Ava had a feeling she knew what this “personal” question was going to be about. Blake must have found out that she was the person who had caused her father to be shot. She’d sworn her sisters to secrecy, but Viv might have let something slip. It wasn’t Viv’s fault, she just really didn’t have a filter, especially when it came to juicy gossip.
Blake lifted her head and looked directly into her eyes. “It’s really personal.”
“Okay.” Ava took a deep breath.
She’d agreed not to tell Blake who she was, but Ava wasn’t going to lie to Blake. She hoped that Asher would understand that, but if he was upset, then so be it. She wasn’t going to betray the tenuous trust that she’d managed to form with the teenager.
“Um, I heard that you were supposed to get married.”
Well, that was a left turn. Ava felt like she had conversation whiplash. She’d been expecting to address Blake’s anger at her for her father being shot, and instead Blake was bringing up her wedding.
