by Jae
“Happy to demonstrate your techniques, aren’t you, honey?” Lana stepped in when Claire seemed to be at a loss for what to say.
“Aye, then let’s introduce our listeners to those techniques.” Christine pulled Claire through the door of her studio and left Lana with the producer, who was leaning in the doorway of the control room, grinning at her.
Guess he saw the kiss.
Everything happened very fast now, or maybe her brain was stuck in slow motion.
Claire didn’t seem to have the same problem, or maybe she was just better at compartmentalizing things.
Through the glass, Lana watched her put on headphones and look down at the lit-up control board that Christine was pointing out to her.
“If you want to listen in, you can.” The producer offered Lana another set of headphones.
“Thank you.” She took them and put them on.
The red on-air light flashed, and then Christine’s voice came through the headphones. “Good mornin’, New York! You are listening to the Morning Couch with Dr. Christine. We’ve got Dr. Claire Renshaw as our guest today. Claire is a couples therapist and the author of a self-help book on successful relationships that she hopes to publish soon. Today, she’s here to answer your questions on love, sex, and relationships.”
Sex? Lana pressed her hand to her mouth, which still tingled. Claire would have to answer questions on sex? A short giggle escaped her. This she had to hear!
“Welcome, Claire,” Christine said. “You and your lovely fiancée flew in from LA yesterday, didn’t you?”
“We did,” Claire answered.
Through the headphones, her voice sounded more intimate, as if only Lana could hear her instead of millions of listeners.
“So as an expert on makin’ relationships last, did you do anything special last night? A romantic candle-light dinner at La Grenouille?”
“Um, no. Actually…” Claire looked up, and their gazes met through the glass. “We took a stroll along the High Line and then went roller-skating.”
The simple words couldn’t do their experience justice. It didn’t sound romantic at all, more like two friends out for a fun afternoon. That’s what it was.
“Ooh, the High Line! I love it,” Christine said. “Looks as if you did your homework on the must-see spots before comin’ to our lovely city.”
“It was actually my fiancée who found it,” Claire said.
“Ah, so she’s the organized one while you go with the flow.”
Lana laughed along with Claire, and again their gazes met through the window.
“No.” Claire chuckled. “It’s the other way around. But we complement each other well.”
“Is that one of the secrets of lasting relationships?” Christine asked. “Finding someone who complements you?”
“It’s certainly part of it. I think most successful couples have enough shared interests and values to give them a good common ground, but also enough differences to keep things interesting and to help each other grow and become more complete and well-rounded as human beings.”
“Let’s find out if our listeners agree.” Christine flicked a switch on her control board. “Good mornin’ and thank you for calling in. You are live on the Morning Couch. Who am I talking to?”
“Uh, my name is Eliza,” a woman’s voice came through the headphones.
“Good mornin’, Eliza,” Christine said. “So, what do you think is the secret to lasting relationships?”
“Uh, not throwing in the towel when things get tough.” Eliza sounded as if she either had a cold or was trying not to cry. “My husband and I were about to give up on our twenty-year marriage, but then we attended one of Dr. Renshaw’s couples workshops. We took away so much from that weekend, so I just called to say thank you.”
Oh, wow. Pride flowed through Lana. Claire wasn’t a quack who made fast money by selling her books and audio products to desperate people. She honestly helped patients, and that quiet glow that now emanated from her revealed how much the woman’s call meant to her.
“You were the one who did the hard work,” Claire said, her voice husky. “I only gave you a nudge in the right direction.”
“Isn’t it marvelous?” Christine said once the caller had said goodbye. “You’ve got your fans on the East Coast too. Let’s see if our next caller has got a question for you.” She flicked another switch on the control board.
“Uh, yeah, I actually do.” The caller was another woman. This one sounded younger. “My boyfriend and I have been together for a while, and, um, he has repeatedly brought up wanting to have a threesome…”
Ooh, now the sex questions start! Lana zeroed in on Claire to see how she would handle it.
Instead of blushing, as Lana had expected, Claire looked completely composed, as if the caller had just talked about her boyfriend squeezing the toothpaste tube from the wrong end. “And how do you feel about that idea?” she asked.
“I…I don’t know,” the caller said. “I’m worried, I guess. I mean, what if he ends up liking the other girl better than me?”
“Have you talked to your boyfriend about your concerns?”
“Um, no, not really.”
“You should,” Claire said. “Threesomes can be tricky, and they only work with a lot of honest communication. You and your boyfriend need to be on the same page and have the same expectations about this experience. If you’re only doing it to please him or because you think it’ll fix your relationship, it won’t work. You won’t be able to enjoy it if you are constantly worried about him liking it a little too much.”
Lana flashed back to the good-luck kiss. Liking it a little too much was a perfect description for what she’d felt.
She missed the rest of what Claire said to the caller and only started listening in again when Christine said, “You mentioned the importance of honest communication when it comes to negotiating a threesome. What role do you think honesty plays in making relationships last?”
Oh no. There it was: the question Claire had feared. Lana stepped closer to the window and laid one hand on the cool glass as if she could offer some support.
Both hands clutching the microphone stand, Claire stared at Lana with a get-me-out-of-here look.
Lana gave her an encouraging nod. You can do this.
“First of all,” Claire cleared her throat, “you need to be honest with yourself—about your needs and wants. Do some soul-searching. Sometimes, you think you know what you want, but it might not be what you actually need from a relationship. If you don’t know yourself, how are you supposed to communicate your needs to your partner?”
“Makes sense,” Christine said. “What about being honest with your partner? Is there a thing such as too much honesty? Are there situations where a little…creative handling of the truth might be better?”
Damn. Claire’s back was to the wall now. If she went on record saying that honesty was always the best policy, it would come back to bite her in the ass if their charade was ever discovered.
Claire made eye contact with Lana again before turning to Christine and giving her a tense smile. “Well, we can’t give away all the secrets now, can we? Your listeners will have to read my upcoming book to find out.” She imitated the tone Lana had used on the plane perfectly, and the hint of playful seduction in her voice made Lana shiver.
Christine laughed. “I guess we’ve got to have you back on the show once the book is out.”
The stiff posture of Claire’s shoulders relaxed, and she grinned at Lana through the glass.
Phew. Lana grinned back.
“I’ve got one last question about something that I know a lot of our listeners might be struggling with,” Christine said.
“Sure.” Claire’s tone was light, but Lana knew her body language by now and saw the tension returning to her shoulders.
Lana longed to reach through the glass and massage her stiff muscles.
“Nowadays, both partners usually have got a career and obligations outside of the relationship. How can they successfully navigate a relationship without giving up their other goals?”
Wow. Somehow, this woman seemed to target all the topics that were difficult for Claire to answer because they hit too close to home.
But Claire’s face didn’t give away any tension as she leaned toward the microphone. “First and foremost, get rid of your tunnel vision. Take a hard look at how you really spend your time. How often do you check your work email while you’re watching a movie with your partner?”
Lana stared through the glass. Was that in Claire’s book, or had she really heard Lana when she had pointed out that her cell phone and relaxing movie nights didn’t go together?
“Keep work and your private life as separate as possible,” Claire said. “When you’re at work, give it your all. But when you’re at home, be fully present. Otherwise, you’re not doing your relationship or your job a favor.”
“That sounds like good advice. Thanks for coming all the way from LA to talk to us,” Christine said. “This was the Morning Couch with my guest Dr. Claire Renshaw. Watch out for her book The Art of Lasting Relationships: Seven Secrets to a Thriving Love Life, which will hopefully be in the book shops soon.”
Some love song started to play, and Claire took off her headphones.
The interview was over, and as far as Lana could tell, it had been a success. Lana should have been able to relax a little now, but instead her hands were damp as she took off her own headphones.
Within the next few minutes, she would be alone with Claire, stuck in a cab, and she had no idea what to say to her after their good-luck kiss had turned a little too real.
One down, one to go. Claire shook hands with Christine, who then gave a friendly wave in Lana’s direction and told Claire where to find a recording of the interview online.
Claire nodded and thanked her, but her thoughts were no longer with the radio show or its host. She stared past Christine to the woman in the glassed-in booth next door.
You’re really making a mess of things. In less than an hour, they would sit at the table with Wishing Tree Publishing’s acquisitions editor. She couldn’t afford to have things between her and Lana be awkward or tense.
She needed to take her own advice: keep work and relationships separate. Lana was a professional actress hired to play a role. She needed to remember that.
They both stepped out of their respective booths and met up in the hall, where they lingered, not touching, not saying anything.
Lana’s hair was adorably mussed from the headphones she’d been wearing, and Claire’s fingers itched to smooth them back into some semblance of order. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her blazer to resist temptation.
Finally, Lana cleared her throat. “You were great.”
“Yeah?” She knew she was fishing for compliments, but Lana’s praise felt too good.
“Yeah. You handled that question about the threesome as if you got asked things like that every day.”
Claire shrugged. “I do get questions like that every now and then.” Her cheeks warmed as she realized how her words could be interpreted. “In therapy sessions, I mean, not in my own relationships.”
“Of course not.” Lana let out a possessive growl and wrapped one arm around her. “You’re mine, and I’m not sharing.”
“Uh…”
“The producer is right behind us,” Lana whispered into her ear while pretending to nip it.
Claire’s knees nearly gave out. Since when were her ears such an erogenous zone? Get yourself together. You’re a mature woman, not a teenager. She was so out of it that she hadn’t noticed that they weren’t alone in the hallway. If something like that happened during the meeting with Ms. Huge, her book deal would be toast.
“Good.” Claire’s voice came out raspy, and she hoped that Lana would think she was just acting for the producer’s sake. “Because I don’t want anyone but you.”
They looked into each other’s eyes. Was it just her imagination, or was it overly warm in the radio station?
“Great interview,” the producer said from behind them.
“Um, thanks.” Claire tore her gaze away from Lana to give him a friendly smile. “And thanks for letting Lana listen in.”
“My pleasure,” the producer said. “Good luck with the book deal.”
Oh shit. The book deal. They needed to go, or they’d be late to the meeting with Ms. Huge.
It seemed to take forever until their cab arrived. Claire didn’t know what made her more nervous: possibly being late or waiting in front of the radio station, alone with Lana.
“Um, do we need to talk about…uh, earlier?” Lana asked quietly.
A lump the size of a basketball seemed to settle in Claire’s throat. “If you want to.”
“I think we should.”
Claire sighed. She knew it was the mature thing to do. But how could she explain what she didn’t understand herself? Her feelings made no sense at all, so it would be best to ignore them until she was sure she could trust her judgment again. “All right.”
They looked at each other, each clearly waiting for the other to go first.
Considering Claire had been the one to talk about the importance of communication not even ten minutes ago, maybe she should start. “I…I’m really sorry. That wasn’t appropriate. I don’t know what to say. I guess I got caught up in our ruse for a moment and in that whole emotional roller coaster of the interview and the meeting and everything…”
Lana studied her for a while, as if searching for something. “It’s okay,” she finally said. “I guess I’m out of practice at slipping in and out of roles too.”
Was that really all it was for Lana—a role? Or was she just giving her an out?
Before Claire could find an answer, the cab arrived.
On the trip across town, Claire leafed through her manuscript once more, but she barely registered what she was reading.
With two minutes to spare, they arrived at the Italian restaurant where they would meet with the editor. The hostess led them to a corner table, where Ms. Huge was already seated. Wishing Tree’s acquisitions editor was in her fifties and had sharp, blue eyes that were constantly in motion. Claire had a feeling that she wasn’t missing much.
“Dr. Renshaw?” Ms. Huge asked when they approached.
Claire nodded. “Call me Claire, please.”
“Then feel free to call me Bridget.”
As soon as Bridget stood, Claire realized two things: despite her name, the woman was tiny, and if her gaydar wasn’t mistaken, she was a lesbian too. Claire wasn’t sure if that would be to her advantage or not. It might mean that Bridget Huge wouldn’t be fooled so easily because she was familiar with the dynamic in a relationship between two women. One more factor in this equation that she couldn’t control. She was starting to sweat already, and she hoped her fingers weren’t damp as they shook hands.
She wrapped one arm around Lana’s shoulders and pulled her against her side, grateful for that bit of security and support. “And this is Lana Henderson, my fiancée. I hope we didn’t make you wait. The interview went on longer than expected.” It couldn’t hurt to let Bridget know how dedicated she was to promoting the book, even in this very early stage.
But Bridget barely seemed to have heard that last sentence. “Lana?” she repeated. She shook Lana’s hand while looking from her to Claire. “Didn’t you say in one of your first emails that your fiancée’s name was Abigail? I remember because it’s my partner’s name too.”
The blood rushed from Claire’s face, making her dizzy. Shit, shit, shit. They hadn’t even sat down, and it was already over.
“It is,” Lana said with a relaxed smile.
“But you know how it is with first names. Any time my mother called me Abigail, I knew I was in trouble, and I have a sister named Gabby, so Abby as a nickname was out. I tend to go by my middle name most of the time.”
Bridget laughed. “My Abby winces every time I call her Abigail too.”
Claire discreetly wiped her brow. Phew. That was one disaster avoided. She threw Lana a grateful look, marveling at her quick thinking and improvisation that had saved Claire’s ass time and again. God, I could kiss her. But since she was in enough trouble as it was, she settled for a quick squeeze of her hand.
They sat down at the table, and when the waiter came by, Claire ordered the first thing on the menu without even registering what it was.
“Thank you both for coming all the way from LA,” Bridget said. “I know nowadays most things are handled via email, but a nonfiction publication is a huge investment for a boutique publisher like Wishing Tree, so we like to meet the authors before offering a contract. The author and her background are as important as the book itself.”
Lana slid closer in the booth and covered Claire’s hand on the table with her own. “Well, you don’t need to worry about Claire. She’s the real deal. She lives and breathes psychology.”
“I know. I listened in on the interview on my way here.” Bridget gave Claire an impressed nod. “I like how you handled yourself in front of a microphone. But there’s one thing that made me curious.”
Uh-oh. Claire swallowed, already sensing what would be coming. She tried to smile despite the tension in her jaw.
“That you’ll-have-to-buy-the-book answer… I mean, you pulled it off in a charming way, but I work with PR people all day, and that’s what they say when they have something to hide.”
Claire’s mind raced. Beneath the table, Lana’s free hand found hers and squeezed it encouragingly. But this time, Lana couldn’t answer for her, or Bridget would start to suspect that something strange was going on.
“Well…” Claire drew out the word to buy herself a few precious seconds to think. “You see, I didn’t want to say too much because…um, because, well, to tell you the truth, I’ve come to believe that the chapter on honesty—and maybe the one on balancing work and relationships—could use a little more work.”