by Sue Gibson
“I’m in heaven,” Flo whispered from the next bed. “This is worth every penny.”
Christy turned her head a fraction to the left, “Me too, Flo.” Feeling guilty that her treatment was free, she sympathized with Flo’s situation. Divorced, bringing up her rambunctious twin boys and holding down a full-time job in real estate couldn’t be easy. Flo complained loudly and often to anyone who would listen, but most tolerated her because underneath the bitterness lay a generous heart and kind soul. She volunteered at her kids’ school and baked for every fundraiser in town. She’d even taken
Delaney in for a time after her house fire and before she’d married Trey Sullivan. Never mind that her twin boys had accidentally started it.
She’d noticed Flo chatting and laughing with Stan wife’s several times during the afternoon. It’d be therapeutic for Flo to make a new friend, someone who could pull Flo away from her troubles for a time.
A tiny turn to the right revealed the four ladies from the hotel in equal states of inertia. Nothing but the sound of the bees buzzing in the meadow disturbed the perfect silence…until her cell phone danced across the sheets and fell to the tiled floor.
Jean, the spa attendant, leapt from her stool, dove for the phone and fumbled to silence the thing.
“I’ll do it,” she whispered, clamoring to a sitting position. Pulling her hand out of the soaking dish, she stretched to take the phone. On the bus trip over she’d called her brother Paul to confirm their weekly dinner and had forgotten to shut it off, breaking Rule One at the Spa.
“Hello,” she whispered, dropping her head and turning away from Jean. It could be the hotel calling with an urgent message for one the guests.
“Is that you, Christy? You don’t sound like your usual perky self,” a deep male voice asked.
Flo’s bed creaked as she shifted.
“Of course it’s me. It’s my phone,” she croaked. “Who is this?”
“It’s Edward, er…Ted.” He sounded disappointed. “Oh. Edward.”
“Edward?” Flo twisted to her side, clutching her cotton sheet to her chest.
“I’m at the Spa…with my group from the hotel. What do you need?” Christy knew she was coming off as abrupt, but this was no time to chat.
“I’m just back from fishing…” He had the lackadaisical tone of someone enjoying a sun-soaked vacation day. Her fingers tightened on the phone. “Stan and I got lucky and landed a nice catch of pickerel.”
“Good for you!” She looked right, then left. Everyone except for Flo remained motionless on their cots.
“Stan and I decided…ah, that is…er…I was hoping that you would join me and Stan, his wife and twin boys for dinner tonight on the Trillium Terrace. You enjoy that kind of thing, right? The chef is going to cook our fish and I thought—”
“Edward,” she interrupted, “I …”
“Jason said the hotel buys local mushrooms and does something with wild rice.” The phone warmed in her palm as she gripped it even tighter. Several of the women were now propped up on their elbows waiting out her call.
“Edward.” She spoke authoritatively. “I can’t talk now.” She glanced to the faces of the women. “Sorry, but I’m having dinner with my brother in Tay Valley tonight. I’ll talk to you soon.” She clicked the phone off, dropped it into the little cotton bag attached to the side of her chair, and returned to her semi-prone position, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Please, everyone,” Jean entreated. “Lie back. Close your eyes. Go back to that tranquil spot you were visiting….”
Jean’s voice went on, but she didn’t hear a word.
There would be no return to tranquility for her.
What had Edward wanted? Oh yes. Dinner. She dropped back to her pillow. Well, good for him. Going out with Stan Parker and family was a huge step ahead for a social phobic. And just as well, as
none of women at the Spa were a good choice for Edward. One was Stan’s wife, another engaged, the third, an introspective paleontologist, and…Flo.
Ten minutes later, the masseurs produced lovely thick facecloths soaked in lavender water. After removing their mud masks, the ladies slipped into thick terry robes and trooped back to the change room.
Flo dropped back from the group. “So Edward called?”
She missed a step. She’d have to be careful not to reveal Edward’s plans. He’d made it abundantly clear that Flo wasn’t his type.
“Ah, yes.” She grabbed her clothes from her locker and walked toward an unoccupied cubicle. “Edward is a friend of my family. Our mothers are close.” It didn’t really explain why he was calling her, but at least it was some kind of explanation.
“Is he enjoying his vacation?” Flo’s voice floated through the thin wall. “Because he looked kind of lonely the other night.” There was a long pause. “Are you and Edward…involved?” Her voice dropped several registers with the last word.
She paused. No, not involved, at least not the way Flo meant. “No. And Edward isn’t lonely. In fact, he just told me that he spent the afternoon fishing with a man he met at Tai Chi this morning. He and this Stan fellow are even having dinner together tonight on the terrace. Not just Stan, but his wife and kids too. No, Edward isn’t lonely.” She pulled her T-shirt over her head and tucked it neatly into her shorts.
With no further comment from Flo’s cubicle, she swept her hair up into a loose knot and hurried to join the rest of the group waiting by the van.
Gravel rattled against the van’s undercarriage as
the driver navigated the van through the rocky hillside. She pulled her knees up against the seat and pressed her head against the window, her gaze following the trail of rail fences snaking alongside the dusty road. Other than the awkward phone incident, she was confident her guests had enjoyed their time at the Wilderness Spa.
Fifteen minutes later, the van swept up the drive to the hotel. Jason slid open the side door. “Welcome home, ladies. We’ve missed you!” he said with a wide smile. A burst of girlish laughter bubbled from the ladies. Jason gallantly guided each woman from the van to the cobblestoned walk, each one falling a little bit in love with the charismatic young intern.
“Thanks, Jason,” she said, climbing from the van. Jason was the real deal. He’d do well to stay in the hotel business after graduating from college. Like her, he had the DNA for the biz. Flattered by Trey and Ethan’s urging that she join the administration team as Director of Guest Services, she knew she’d miss interacting with the guests. Each one brought something irreplaceable to her day.
“Goodbye,” she called to the backs of her mellow companions as they broke form and scattered in the lobby.
With Edward steaming along in his social rehabilitation program, she’d take tonight to enjoy dinner with Paul and his family. A smile formed on her lips with just the thought of her niece and nephew.
Tomorrow she’d apologize to Edward for the abrupt ending of their phone conversation. And when he heard how she’d convinced Flo that he wasn’t lonely, he’d forgive her anything.
She sauntered through the lobby, catching her reflection in the gleaming glass façade. Her smile was a bit smug maybe, but completely justifiable. Edward was excelling in his social program. At the rate he was changing, he’d have a girlfriend in no time and Pauline; grandbabies.
And in a few weeks, she’d land the job that would bring something much harder to come by than money and a big office. Her steps slowed. Respect, the respect she’d been chasing since her high school days.
She sighed. Too bad nobody was mentoring her, teaching her how to be a “Christine.”
Chapter Eleven
“Can’t wait to see you too, Tyler,” Christy said to her four-year-old nephew. She pressed her cell phone to her ear with one hand and sifted through a stack of papers with her other. “I love when your Dad cooks. Don’t I come over to Tay Valley just to eat his hamburgers? Nobody can burn a burger like your dad.” Tyler relayed his aunt’s words to his dad. Her b
rother’s laughter rumbled through the phone line.
His wife Jude came on, “I hope you don’t mind that we eat at such an early hour. But the kids are starving, and it really works for us too.”
She smiled. Her brother and Jude adored the kids, but she knew that they missed their time alone together too. She always helped clean up, shared a cup of tea, but made sure she was on the highway by nine.
“This was my early day—Tai Chi. So I’ll leave about 4:00. I’ll just pop home to change and see you around 4:30.” She’d pick up a fresh batch of cookies from Grandma Graham on the way by too.
She pushed through the glass doors and stepped into the afternoon sun. The wind had settled to a balmy breeze, a perfect evening for a backyard barbeque. She hurried across the almost empty lot to her car. A small white sign indicated the slot was reserved for the Recreational Director. She paused, key in hand, and studied the sign.
In two weeks, she’d meet the Weatherall Board for the official interview. The Nirvana chain had been Ethan’s baby, from the ground up, the Loon Lake location his flagship hotel. Marketed as “vacationing in the wild”, its popularity grew beyond the Board’s expectations. With two more hotels almost completed, it was essential that the position of Director of Guest Services be filled by the end of the summer. Her gaze moved from the tiny sign back to the hotel’s massive façade.
Suddenly exhausted, she slid into the car and quickly rolled down her window. Fresh air rolled in, pushing out the hot and stale. Snapping on the radio and buckling in, she put the car in gear and carefully backed out of her spot.
“Off already,” a friendly male voice called out.
She twisted in her seat. It was James, one of the tag along husbands from Tai Chi.
“You don’t live here?”
“Seems like it sometimes, but no,” she laughed along with his joke. She slipped the car into drive and waved. “See you tomorrow, James.”
“Sure thing, I’m going to try fishing tomorrow. Edward and Stan are boasting about their big catch. Gotta give that a try!”
The breeze from the open window lifted her hair from the back of her neck, cooling both her body and the stuffy interior.
Edward had said something about his fishing trip.
No matter, she’d hear all about it tomorrow.
Passing McKay’s farm, she noted with satisfaction that the cows were grouped closely around a stand of spreading maples. Grateful to have avoided their evening trek to the milking barn, she glanced at the dashboard clock. She’d be
home in less than five minutes. Now that was the perfect commute.
Waving as she carefully passed a lumbering tractor, she stored away all thoughts of work, a skill she had acquired by practicing both yoga and Tai Chi. Neatly swerving into her parents’ driveway, she threw the car into park and climbed back out into the afternoon heat.
“Hi Christy.” Her Mom stepped out into the back yard. “Say ‘hi’ to Paul and Jude for me tonight. Give the kids some hugs and kisses from Grandma and Grandpa.”
She took the wooden stairs to her top floor apartment two at a time. “Will do, Mom.”
Pulling off her hotel issue shorts and t-shirt she grabbed for a halter-backed sundress and stuck her feet into silver flip-flops. A quick check into the mirror revealed slightly messy hair that could use some taming but perfectly presentable for dinner with the family.
Back down to the driveway and her mother who’d already deposited the plastic container of cookies on the passenger seat. “They’re half peanut butter and half chocolate chip,” her mother informed her. “That way no one gets disappointed.”
She smiled. “Those kids will devour them and probably ruin their dinner.” Her smile broadened. “Good work, Grandma.”
She dropped back into her seat and turned the key. The engine caught and idled while her mother crossed in front, drumming her fingertips against the hood. She bent her head into the open window and reached to tuck a strand of her daughter’s hair behind her ear.
“You’re off work this Sunday, right?”
She nodded. “That’s right. I’ve got a ton of laundry to catch up on and a book I’ve been dying to read.”
Her mother dropped her gaze from her daughter’s face and scratched at a bit of cookie dough stuck to her apron. “Then you have no plans or….a date?”
“My plans are to wash my clothes and read a book. I haven’t had a date on a Sunday since last March when you set me up with the Randall’s oldest son. Remember?” She leveled a meaningful look directly into her mother’s eyes. Her mother looked away first. “Look, I said I was sorry about that. How was I to know their son…er…was not into women. He was so
nice and dressed so well…”
Christy sighed, her body deflating against the vinyl seats.
“Anyway, I have no intention of setting you up with anybody. She looked away, her eyes following a lone bird circling the bay.
“I have to run, Mom. The burgers will be charcoal by the time I get there.”
“Dad and I thought it would nice if you invited Edward for lunch on Sunday. Nothing fancy you know. It’s been years since we’ve seen him. I spoke with Pauline last night and she thought Edward would love to come by…considering how much time you two spend together.” Her voice faded off and she looked over the top of her narrow reading glasses to her daughter’s face.
“Sure. I guess…” Clearly her mother believed they were secretly dating. “But, just so you know, Edward and I are not a couple. I don’t know what Pauline has heard, but we’re just friends.”
“Of course, dear.” Her mother wasn’t buying any of it, but that was all right. It meant both of the mothers would relax for a bit, quit searching for the next
contender. “It’s probably just wishful thinking on Pauline’s part. Even if you and Edward aren’t dating, your father and I would enjoy seeing him again after all these years.”
“Okay, fine. He is the son of your best friend after all.”
Her mother’s face lit up.
“Tomorrow I’ll ask Edward if he is free.”
“Thank you, honey.” She pulled her cell phone from her apron pocket.” I’ll just text Pauline and let her know.” With her free hand she patted her daughter’s forearm. “Don’t bother to cook anything. Just pop down to the backyard around noon, okay? And wear that pretty, white sundress you brought home from Mexico last winter.”
“Bye, Mom.” You had to love her. She checked the rear view mirror and backed out of the driveway, confident her mother would tell Pauline that on Sunday their children would fall in love.
She turned onto the highway leading to Tay Valley and her burnt burger. Her work here was done.
Chapter Twelve
Promptly at six, Edward shouldered through The Trillium Terrace’s heavy double doors. With no hope of seeing Christy tonight, anticipation of his fish dinner had gone from excitement to full-on dread.
Warm air, infused with Cajun smoke, wafted over the heads of the diners as he threaded his way across the busy restaurant. The place had smelled just like this when he and Christy had dined together. Whenever he opened his closet, a reminder of their dinner on the terrace drifted from his jacket
“Ted!” Stan rose from the end of a long table heavily populated with redheaded folk and waved. “Over here, buddy.”
Mindful of the bustling wait staff, he aimed for the only remaining chair and squeezed in-between the twin boys. A proven parental seating strategy, separate and conquer, desperately employed by the boys’ mother, he assumed.
A cursory glance around the table revealed more junior redheaded people than he’d counted on putting up with tonight. He was sure Stan only had one set. He stole another look. No, the four pale, freckled faces appeared to be about the same age. He sought out Stan’s bigger, pale, freckled face. He’d straighten this out.
There he was, sandwiched between his petite wife, Marie, and a somewhat familiar, larger woman with
bright yellow hai
r lacquered into stiff obedience. “Stan?” he ventured.
“Glad to see you made it, Ted. I’ve already printed off my pictures.” He waved a pack of photos in the air. “We knew you wouldn’t mind so we brought along some company.” He patted the big blonde woman’s shoulder and grinned conspiratorially, “You know, to even out the numbers.”
A sick feeling grew in his belly as the pieces fell into place. Apparently, it was Stan’s turn to play matchmaker. He caught Jason’s eye as he sailed by with a tray loaded with drinks. Not a drinking man, tonight might be the exception. He blew out a long breath and faced the crowd.
“Remember me, I’m Flo,” the blonde women shrieked over the restaurant buzz.
Fighting to control his features, he acknowledged the addition of Flo and family with a nod.
“Edward, how great to see you again,” she said, her silky caftan’s sleeve skimming the salt and pepper shakers as she reached across the table to shake his hand. “We haven’t had a chance to chat since our disco lesson. Wasn’t that a hoot?”
He forced the requisite smile and nodded to hide his confusion. His gaze shot around the table, still inventorying heads, in a desperate attempt to understand.
“I’m Stan’s sister. I live here in Buttermilk Falls and when I heard from Marie that you were joining them for dinner this evening, I just had to come along.” She laughed and threw her arm around her tiny sister-in-law. “And of course when my twin boys heard about their uncle’s big catch, I couldn’t possibly leave them out of the fun. And not only that,” she continued with enthusiasm, “they’ve
invited my boys to spend the night here with their cousins. Isn’t that sweet?” Flo tightened her arm around Marie.