If the Shoe Fits (Meant To Be #1) by Julie Murphy

“Now reach out and embrace your partner’s forearms,” says Corbin. “Very nice,” he tells Henry and Sara Claire. “Now, everyone, breathe in and out in sync with your partner. You are a unit. Their breath is your breath.”

“You’re breathing too fast,” I tell Addison.

“You’re not breathing fast enough,” she says.

Corbin walks us through a few poses, some of which involve Addison’s ass way too close to my head. “Now, this next pose I only recommend for the most experienced yogis out there. But I think you and Sara Claire can handle it,” he says to Henry.

Henry looks to Sara Claire, his brow arched in question, and she shrugs with a giggle.

“This is called the double plank. Henry, you’ll position yourself in a plank on the ground,” Corbin continues. “And, Sara Claire, you’ll also do a plank, but on Henry’s back, facing the opposite direction with your feet on his shoulders.”

A quiet groan rolls through the rest of us as Sara Claire and Henry play their little game of Twister as she crawls on top of him.

A row ahead of me, Jenny sighs dramatically as she rests her chin in her hands.

“Is it possible for seventeen people to feel like a third wheel at one time?” I hear someone ask.

Sara Claire’s perfect breasts brush the back of Henry’s legs, and then voilà! They hit their planking pose for just a few seconds before Sara Claire balances on one arm and touches the bottom of Henry’s foot with the other.

Henry kicks wildly, and they both tumble to the ground in a fit of laughter.

“No tickling allowed!” Henry cries.

My stomach flip-flops as I notice the crew eating it all up, pulling in closer to the two of them.

Corbin lets out a stilted laugh—this is definitely breaking the rules of yoga. He leads us through one last breathing exercise. “With your eyes closed, I want you to remember that we are all connected and everything happens for a reason. The universe is a series of reactions. Will you be the re or the action?”

“I think I’m having a reaction to this bullshit,” Stacy whispers behind me.

I snort with laughter and my face turns a deep shade of red. When I open my eyes, the only other person who sees me is Henry. He watches me with one eye open and a faint smile.

“Namaste,” says Corbin.

Everyone else opens their eyes, and Henry’s gaze stays steady on me.

Warmth sinks from my chest all the way down to my belly, and I almost have to force myself to look away.

“Namaste,” we repeat.



Back at the house, we all take turns showering post-yoga and slowly congregate downstairs in the expansive living room. Exploring the château over the last few days has been almost otherworldly. The furniture is ornate and lush, but nothing is actually comfortable. The house is clean, but every room only looks good from certain angles, because there are cords and lights left out for night shooting, or rooms with bad lighting. With no library, television, or internet to keep us busy, we’ve been left to our own devices when it comes to entertainment. Last night, our attempts devolved into a contest of Chubby Bunny, which resulted in us getting in trouble with Mallory, who had stashed the marshmallows for later so they could get some B-roll of us all making s’mores.

“The first solo date is tonight,” Chloe says as she methodically scrunches her wet curls in her hands. “I’d bet money on it.”

“Unless your money can buy me five minutes on Twitter, it’s no good here,” Stacy says.

“Am I right?” Chloe asks Mallory, who is sitting perched on the arm of the sofa alongside one lone camera guy and a sound tech in case we do something interesting, but Mallory just shrugs and continues to type into her phone.

Drew sighs. “Sara Claire is a shoo-in for the solo date.”

Jenny’s whole body flops in agreement.

Anna studies her hand. “Does anyone know how to read palms? I feel like this one line is really short, and what if that’s, like, my life line? I was staring at it last night, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Honestly, it took me, like, three hours to fall asleep, and I forgot to pack my melatonin, so I just really wish I could get an answer.”

Stacy takes her wrist and looks over the lines of Anna’s palm. “If I had a stupid phone, I’d be able to look this up and tell you, but until then, all I can say is it’s either your life line or your love line. But it does shoot off into a—”

The doorbell rings, a deep chime and then a high one.

“I’ll get it!” Drew says before tearing off for the door.

Mallory thumps the camera guy on the leg, and he jolts to attention as Sara Claire joins the rest of us with freshly dried hair.

Drew comes racing back, waving a gold envelope in the air. “Gather round, ladies!”

We all pile up on the couches, and even Addison seems to be eager.

“Well, open it!” Allison demands.

Drew steps onto the coffee table and clears her throat. “‘Ladies,’” she reads, “‘thank you for spending the afternoon with me. You’re all the GOAT.’”

“We’re the goat?” Anna asks. “What does that even mean?”

“G-O-A-T,” Drew spells out. “The greatest of all time.”

Stacy shakes her head and looks to Mallory. “Please tell me one of you people is writing these corny-ass messages and not this man we’re supposed to be finding attractive.”