Free Healing His Soul's Mate by Dominique Eastwick Page B

simple thing as being with yourself.”
    Ashlynn almost choked on her food, which brought her mother’s attention straight back to her and her empty plate. “How much have you eaten?”
    “Enough.” Yes, over the last four months she’d put on weight. A lot of weight. Before, she’d eaten next to nothing but rabbit food and employed all the model tricks to stay thin. Now she could barely work out because of the pain. She found simple enjoyment in eating. She didn’t find solace in food but in the sustainable nutrients she had lacked for so long.
    “May I say, you are far more appealing than the woman I remember form the billboard. Even with the small scar, your beauty is always there,” Shade said between bites.
    “She’s the size of a car.”
    Shade stood up and leaned over the table. “I do not understand this need in you to belittle and destroy your children. You lost one daughter. If you want to lose another, keep this up. But you will find the upcoming years are cold, lonely, and unkind. You are about to be a grandmother. Perhaps that should give you food for thought.”
    “Mrs. Stone, Cemil is waiting for you in the yoga room,” Sage said, eyeing Shade.
    When her mother got up and left without another word, Ashlynn sat amazed. No one spoke to her that way, no one she knew of, anyway. The people in her mother’s circles were afraid to say anything, scared the wrong word would put them in the bad social sphere. But Shade’s concern had been for Ashlynn.
    “My apologies, Sage,” he said. “It is not my place to school your guests.”
    “You may school Mrs. Stone all you wish. But be careful she doesn’t affect you.” Without a pause, she continued, “Ashlynn, drink your shake. It will help. The kitchen has been instructed to keep chocolate off the menu for you. Not because of your waistline but because it might be a trigger to your headaches. There are lots of chocolate-free desserts for you, here.”
    The choice between the chocolate cake from last night and her headaches might be a toss-up. The cake had been divine. “Sage, where might I find my sister?”
    “I believe she’s with Serena this afternoon. Myron can tell you where she is and give you directions.”
    “I can take you to her,” Shade said, pushing his plate away and standing up.
    Sage smiled. “Excellent. Keep those glasses on. They might be awkward, but we need to gauge if they’re working.”
    Ashlynn managed a weak smile. “I will thank you.”
    They walked out of the dining room in silence. She was unsure what to say to a man who stood up for her one minute, talked about speaking to souls another, and was so handsome it made her head spin and butterflies churn in her stomach. That said something. All the men on the island were a modeling agent’s wet dream. But this one did things to her no man ever had. It both terrified and excited her. As they approach the front desk, Myron, who now wore Tonga’s name tag, smiled. Before she could ask or question the purple-haired woman, she stated, “The lagoon. And you have a second session with Lakshmi this afternoon at four seeing as the first one was ruined by a certain lunch companion.”
    Uncertain how to react to either of those two things, she thanked her.
    “Think nothing of it.” She flipped a card. “Could you ask Dana what she would like for lunch? The first tray Cherry sent down went untouched. Reese is hoping he will have better luck with the next one.”
    “Her appetite changes on a dime,” Shade supplied. “I understand it’s normal pregnant mama stuff. Most just don’t have the luxury of an entire staff to cater to them.”
    “If only she would let us do that,” Myron said. “Stubborn woman can’t seem to sit back and let us pamper her.”
    “My sister’s not really the pampered type.” Of course she had never been given the opportunity to be.
    “Oh,” Myron exclaimed, dropping a card on the pile. “Oh my…have you told her?”
    “Told her what?”