Page 14 of Archer
I followed him into Luxe, where apparently, he knew everyone who worked there based on the greetings sent his way. He directed me to the table by the entrance. “This is my favorite spot,” he said.
Peering out into the hallway, I nodded. “This is great for people-watching.”
He smiled slowly. “Exactly. You wait here while I grab us lunch. Do you trust me to order for you?”
I barely knew this man, but I’d trust him with my life. Metaphorically speaking, of course. “Um. Sure.”
“Any allergies?” he asked seriously, staring at me with an intensity I didn’t really understand.
“No. I’ll pretty much eat anything.”
“I’ll be right back then.” He winked and took off toward the counter where the worker peered over at us inquisitively.
After we’d eaten BLTs and chips—which were quite delicious—Archer finally opened his laptop. “Why don’t you pull your chair around and sit next to me?”
Since I wanted to be closer to him—hell, I’d gladly climb into his lap if he offered it—I moved my chair as close to his as possible without being obnoxious. He cleared his throat, sounding nervous. “Okay, I took some great photos of you the other morning, which I’ll show you. But first, I wanted to give you a peek at my favorite ones first.”
“Okay,” I said, eager to see. I was sure that the ones in the studio turned out great because it was a beautiful space, but I wasn’t holding my breath for the ones he took of me. But none of that mattered. I just wanted to see Archer’s photography.
“Here we go.” He clicked a button, and I was suddenly looking at a webpage that saidHarmony and Joy Yoga Studioacross the top. Directly underneath was the most fabulous picture of our Tree of Life wall. Somehow, he managed to make it appear almost alive. “Wow. Archer, that’s…”
Without saying a word, he clicked again, and the top of the page saidAbout the Owner. Followed by a picture of me playing my crystal bowls. There were no words to describe what I saw on the screen. It was obviously me. But I looked… different. It was like staring at one of the yoga gurus that I followed online or someone I trained with.
I appeared lost in what I was doing, but also very much in control. Guiding someone into that peaceful space of consciousness was one of my greatest joys, and somehow, Archer caught it. On top of that, it was the best picture of me I’d ever seen. Look, I knew I wasn’t unattractive. I would say I was adorable as opposed to classically handsome, but Archer had made me look like… more. Radiant. Is this how others saw me? Is this how he saw me?
“Archer, I can’t believe this.” I hoped he heard the awe in my voice.
Chapter 7
Archer
I watched him as he looked at the webpage I’d thrown together for him the best I could with what I knew, and his reaction was everything I’d hoped for. He might have said he didn’t need one, but he sure seemed excited about having it. He might be buying an established business name, but that didn’t mean he would keep all the previous owner’s students, and a webpage was a great way for new people to learn about him and his studio.
“It’s really just a beginning. It still needs work, but there were a lot things I didn’t know.”
He looked up at me with big doe eyes. “Like what?”
“Well, there’s a place we can put your class schedule, and you can also let people sign up for classes. There’s even an option for you to take payment for the class online if you want.”
“Oh, so you would need my class schedule then.”
“Right.” I clicked through the site to where I had a page all ready to go. “And I would also like to put a description of the different types of classes you offer.” I stopped talking and looked at him. “You do have different kinds of yoga, right? I tried to do this part myself, but I don’t know anything about it, so I didn’t know what to say.”
“Yeah, I offer a few varieties. I even offer chair yoga for those people who aren’t able to take the other classes.”
“See, that’s the kind of thing people need to know. And you have the thing you do with the glass bowls as well. I was going to try to look that up, but I decided it would be better to get the information straight from the source.”
“They’re actually crystal bowls, not glass, and it’s called sound healing. I’d love to tell you all about it.”
“Great. When do you have your next class? I don’t have anyone scheduled for portraits today, so if you have time, we could work on it.”
He glanced up at me nervously, and I was afraid I’d read him wrong, and he hated it. Maybe he didn’t want a webpage at alland had just been trying to be nice. I knew that sometimes I could be a bit heavy-handed.
“But if you aren’t interested, I’d be happy to share the photos with you. Maybe you can use them for promotional materials or something.”
“It’s not that.” He rolled his bottom lip up over his teeth and chewed on it for a second before continuing. “It’s amazing, but I can’t pay you for this.”
“I didn’t ask you to, Crispin. I was a new business owner once, and someone helped me to get all my ducks in a row. I want to pay it forward.”