The Retreat (A Clean and Sweet Romance Novella)

by Veda Whitfield

Chapter Five

  "Good morning, beautiful!"

  Tamara laughed. "Hey Wendy. Wow, you're phoning me early."

  "Yeah, I just wanted to wish you good luck for the retreat. Have you left yet?"

  "I'm just about to. I want to get there early to set up before everyone arrives."

  "How're you feeling?"

  "So nervous, but also very excited. I can't believe I'm finally doing this. Aw, I wish you were coming."

  "Trust me - so do I. I asked again, but they said they need me this week. The place has been booked for some conference two days in a row, so I'll be on my feet a lot."

  "You just want to meet Thomas Winter," Tamara teased.

  "I still cannot believe you are going to meet him."

  "Me too. I just hope he's a nice guy."

  "He seems like fun. But I still don't see him sitting still long enough through o meditation class or a yoga class."

  "Same here. Who knows? Maybe he won't even come."

  "Well, you better let me know. Anyway, I have to go. Call me when you're back and good luck, Tamara! You've got this."

  "Thanks, Wendy. Have a good week."

  Tamara put down the phone and smiled. Wendy was a good friend. She might have joked that Wendy only wanted to come to the retreat because of Thomas Winter, but she knew that wasn't true. Wendy would've come no matter what. With a deep breath, Tamara grabbed her bags and headed out. The retreat was only an hour's drive away. She'd been there before and had been blown away that a place like that could exist so close to the hustle of city life. Once inside, it felt as if you were in the middle of nowhere. It was the perfect place to hold a retreat, and she knew that its close proximity was one of the most appealing parts to it. Nobody wanted to drive far anymore.

  "Tamara, welcome. Are you excited? We have the place all set up for you," Ronald said as she walked into the reception area. Ronald owned the place, and he'd been incredibly helpful throughout the planning process.

  "I'm ready and good to go. As it turned out, it wasn't nearly as difficult to get people to come on board. We sold out within a few days, and I already have people asking me about the next one. So, hopefully, this goes well, and it can become a regular thing."

  "Oh wonderful! That's great news. Well, you know where everything is, so you're welcome to walk around and settle in. Here is the key to your room."

  "Thanks, Ronald. The guests should be arriving in about two hours. Can you just show them to their room and ask them to join me in the dining room at twelve? I'll be there to welcome them, and we can start the retreat from there over lunch."

  "Of course. That sounds great."

  Tamara went to drop off her bags in the room that had been dedicated to her. The room was beautiful, far better than her room back home, and she smiled when she saw the bouquet of flowers that had been placed for her next to her bed. A small envelope lay beside it with her name. Inside, there was a card with the words, 'In silence lies truth. Welcome to your very first retreat. We're happy to have you, Tamara.' It was incredibly touching. Afterwards, she took a walk around to make sure that everything was in its place, went to say hello to all the staff, and then settled into the dining room to await her guests. She could feel her heart pounding as she saw the clock move closer to twelve. By now, most of the guests should be there, and soon, they would be joining her. She sat there trying to keep calm. Finally, she heard footsteps.

  "Hey Tamara!"

  Tamara smiled as Chantal walked in, followed by three women. They were all beaming at her. "Chantal, you made it. So good to see you."

  "Good to be here. These are my three friends I was telling you about - Tanya, Greta, and Pauline. This is Tamara, my yoga instructor."

  "Great to meet you all. Sit down. We'll be having lunch in about half an hour. We're just going to wait for everyone to arrive."

  Bit by bit, people started to arrive until everyone was there, except for Thomas. Tamara wasn't sure what she should do, but when she saw the time, she decided to start the retreat without him. She knew he wasn't going to come. Poor Wendy was going to be so disappointed. Tamara stood up and welcomed the group.

  "We're going to start by enjoying a delicious meal together. After that, I want you to spend some time relaxing on the grounds. There are some beautiful places to walk and a gorgeous lake to visit. When the lunch is finished, I'll hand out the order of events, so you know exactly what is happening each day and where you have to be. For the rest of the time, feel free to relax and do whatever you want to do. Remember, this week is all about you, and I want you to walk away from this time feeling refreshed and happy. If there is anything that you don't want to do or any questions that you have about anything, please come talk to me at any time. Now, let's enjoy this delicious meal together."

  Everyone burst into applause, and the moment they did, about four people came out of the kitchen, as if on cue, with trays of food. Tamara had eaten at the retreat when she'd first visited the place, and she'd been blown away by the food. Everything was fresh and organic, and despite having no sugar or gluten, it was incredible. Murmurs around the table confirmed that everyone agreed with her.

  "Do we get to learn how to make meals like this?" a lady from across the table asked. Tamara dug into her memory and remembered her being introduced as Angie.

  "Absolutely, Angie," she said and hoped that she had gotten the name right. Angie beamed at her, so she supposed she had been right. "One of the biggest things I want everyone to take away from this retreat is that it's possible to eat healthy food that still tastes amazing."

  "Yeah, that's one of the biggest reasons that I came, to be honest. I like food like this, but I have no idea how to make it. I always end up cheating, just because it's easy," Angie said and everyone around the table agreed with her.

  "Sorry I'm late. Oh wow, it smells amazing in here."

  Everyone looked up and gasped. Of course, Tamara knew who it was, without even having to look up. She could see by the reactions on everyone's faces that it was going to be Thomas Winter. When she did look up, she tried not to gasp. Geraldine had been right. Thomas was even better looking up close.

  "Ah, you must be Thomas Winter," she said and stood up to greet him.

  He shook her hand and smiled. That was a smile that probably got him everything he wanted in life. It infuriated her immediately. She didn't like people who got what they wanted simply by the way they looked. "Yes, and I'm sorry I'm late. I'll be honest; I overslept. And then it was a mad rush to get here."

  "That's no problem at all. I'm glad you could join us. My name is Tamara. Please sit down and join us. Everybody, this is Thomas, although I'm sure you all know him already. He'll be joining us on this retreat. Thomas, please help yourself."

  "Don't mind if I do. Hi everyone," he said and smiled at everyone at the table. Nobody said a word. Their mouths were practically hanging open. Tamara wished for a second that she hadn't agreed to him coming to the retreat. It was good for business in a way, but she was sure he was going to be a big distraction. Who could concentrate when a celebrity was sitting next to them? She hoped that, by the end of the retreat, everyone would realize that he was just a person.

  Thomas didn't seem to have any idea of the effect that he just had on everyone. Either that or he was used to it. He grinned up at Tamara after taking a few mouthfuls. "This is actually pretty good. I'm not usually a fan of food like this."

  "Well, that's good to hear. We were just saying how important it is to keep healthy. Almost all problems are caused by not eating properly, and it's not nearly as difficult as people make it out to be."

  Thomas laughed. "Well, this is delicious. But I'm not sure that I could live without alcohol and pizza. I mean? they do sort of go hand in hand, don't you think."

  "There's better things in life than alcohol and pizza."

  "There is? Like what? Oh, you mean sex," he said nonchalantly, and the other people at the table gasped. Tamara could not believe what she was hearing. Had Thomas
really come to her health retreat to talk about pizza, alcohol, and sex? What was wrong with him? Again, he didn't seem to notice that what he had done was wrong.

  Tamara took a deep breath and smiled. "You'll see, by the end of this retreat, you'll be a different person."

  He chuckled. "We'll see about that." Then he turned to the woman beside him and started talking to her. She went bright red and tried desperately to remain calm. Tamara inwardly groaned. Why did women always become so flustered in front of good looking men? Thankfully, the rest of the group finally started talking and eating again, although it was impossible not to notice that the atmosphere had changed. At the end, Tamara stood up to thank everyone and then handed them each their schedule. When the group dispersed, Thomas came up to her.

  "Hey, I'm really sorry I was so late."

  "Nah, it's okay. You didn't do it on purpose. And anyway, you weren't all that late. It's fine. But do me a favor - try not to mention things like alcohol, pizza, and sex again. I mean, it's your life, and you can do what you want, but this is a health retreat. It's meant to cleanse the body and the mind. I know you're a celebrity and a very popular one at that, but that only means you can easily sway the way some of these people might think. They came here for a reason, and I don't want them walking away only thinking about the things you said."

  Thomas seemed taken aback. Perhaps, he wasn't used to regular people talking candidly to him. Tamara's heart was beating fast, but she was glad she had managed to sound so calm on the outside. "Oh? okay. Sure, sorry about that. I can't help it. I get carried away. And you know this is not really my thing. My agent just wanted me to come. She thought it would be a good idea for me to take a week off from partying and all that. I think it's a load of rubbish, to be honest, but what can I do? She's my agent, and she finds me the jobs. Oh? I mean? I don't think that what you're doing is a load of rubbish." Thomas suddenly sounded flustered. "I just mean that I don't think I need to be here. That's all."

  Tamara couldn't help but smile. It was quite nice to see him flustered. He seemed more real when he wasn't so put together. "Yeah, I had a feeling that you hadn't come here on your own accord. Well? it's just a week. Who knows? You might actually like it."

  Thomas laughed. "Who knows? Anyway, listen; do you know where my room is? I sort of ran in here in such a hurry, and my bags are still in my car."

  "Sure, come on. I'll show you."

  Tamara took Thomas to his room. His room, just like hers and all the others, was beautiful, a whitewash of serenity. But Thomas just threw down his bags and then flopped onto the bed. "Thanks. It's a bit small, but it's cool."

  "Seriously? What were you expecting? A big room just because you're a celebrity? You got the same room as everyone else. And to be honest? it's a beautiful room. I'd give anything to have a room like this," Tamara said. She felt annoyed that she hadn't been able to keep her cool. But in that instant, she felt the heat rising to her face in anger. How dare he tell her that the room was small?

  He smiled at her. He obviously found her very amusing. He held up his hands in protest. "Whoa. I'm not being nasty. I said the room was cool. It is cool. I like it."

  Tamara huffed. "Okay. Well, here's your schedule. Take a walk around if you want or rest here. We're keeping it pretty simple on the first day. We have a yoga class this afternoon and a talk before dinner."

  "Yoga class? I don't really want to do that."

  "Well, you don't have to. But it would be nice if everyone at least gave it a try."

  "Will you be doing it too?" he asked.

  "I'm the teacher."

  "Oh yeah. Hmm? okay then. I'll come along. If only to see you in your yoga outfit."

  "Seriously?" Again, Tamara could feel the heat rising to her face. The man infuriated her more than she wanted. It wasn't often that she allowed people to get to her in this way. She was usually very calm and accepting of other personalities.

  "Sorry. Just kidding," he said and then he winked. "Or am I?"

  "See you later, Thomas," Tamara said and walked out. She could hear him chuckling as she left the room, which only frustrated her further. Thankfully, as she walked out, she was called by some of the girls, who had a few questions for her. But, of course, talk soon turned to Thomas.

  "I could not believe it when I saw Thomas Winter walk into the room. How come he's here? This doesn't seem like his sort of thing. Oh, he's so beautiful. How beautiful is he?" She swooned, and Tamara did her best to keep smiling.

  "He's very good looking. But he's just a person like you and me. So, we must treat him like that. The last thing he's going to want is everyone running, blushing, and not being able to talk to him. If you want to talk to him, then you must. But don't ask him about other celebrities or anything. Treat him like a person. Just like the rest of you, he's here to get away and relax."

  Everyone was nodding solemnly at her. "You're right. But he's so good looking!" they said and Tamara sighed. She hoped everyone would be able to concentrate. She knew the first day was a write-off because of him, but perhaps, by the morning, they would've forgotten that he is a celebrity.

  Later, she set up for yoga and was surprised to see Thomas arrive as promised. He set up at the back and smiled at her. She smiled back and started the class. But halfway through, he stopped and sat on his mat. She walked up to him, "You okay?"

  "I'm fine. Not my thing. I'm just going to watch."

  She sighed. "Okay fine. But join again when you're ready."

  The rest of the class became very difficult to handle with Thomas constantly staring at her. She also noticed him eyeing all the girls who were doing everything in their power to get him to notice them. One girl had hitched up her shorts so they showed off more of her legs, and Tamara groaned. Thomas was clearly enjoying the sight. She was going to have to talk to him again afterwards, which was the last thing she wanted to do. Thankfully, the people near the front hadn't noticed him at all and were enjoying her class.

  "Well done, everyone. That was just a gentle class for the first session. If you are interested in doing a few one on one sessions, please let me know, and I'm sure we can make time for that. Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to come and talk to me. The showers are all at the end of the room. Please feel free to use them now and to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. We'll all meeting in the dining room in two hours for dinner."

  Tamara started to pack up, and Thomas suddenly appeared at her side.

  "Are the showers unisex?"

  "Excuse me?" she asked. What was he on about?

  "The showers. Are they unisex? I only noticed one room."

  "Yeah, they're unisex. But the room has ten individual showers inside, with plenty of room inside each one. So, they're all very private."

  "Well, that's a pity," he said and laughed. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm just kidding. I just noticed some very attractive women on this retreat. You included, of course. In fact, I'd go as far to say that you're the most attractive of them all."

  "Thomas, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't talk that way. You're making me uncomfortable. And if you're not going to partake in the yoga, then I'd also appreciate it if you didn't sit there and ogle all the women. It's very disrespectful."

  "Oh. Uh? sure. Sorry. I didn't realize I was going to offend anyone. I'm only playing. You're very serious - you know that."

  "I'm not, actually. I just don't appreciate men like you, that's all."

  "You sure do use the word appreciate a lot."

  "I'm just trying to be polite."

  "But you don't really want to be, do you? You want to say a lot worse to me. I know it. You can't stand me."

  "I don't even know you."

  "Wow, you really do know how to keep yourself calm."

  Tamara looked at him. She'd never met a man like him before. He really wanted to push her buttons, and she wasn't going to let him. "Thank you. I try. So, what exactly did you hate so much about the yoga class?"

  "I didn'
t hate it. Like I said, it's just not my thing."

  "Ah, so you're the sort of guy who doesn't get involved in anything unless it suits him. Let me guess - you're used to getting your own way?"

  "That's not very nice of you."

  Tamara realized that she might have overstepped the mark. "Sorry. Yeah, you're right; that wasn't very nice of me. I'm normally a very nice person. You just frustrate me, that's all. And this is my first retreat. I'm just trying to do it right. Imagine if everyone here acted the way you did. I'd just have a bunch of people sitting around doing nothing."

  "I was kidding. You can say whatever you want to me. You have every right to. And yeah? I am used to getting my way. It sort of comes with the territory of being a rich kid and an actor. It's no excuse, I know. But I promise to try a bit harder. Like I said, though? it's hard when your teacher is just so good looking."

  Tamara rolled her eyes. "See you at dinner time, Thomas." She walked away quickly before he could see that she had started to blush. She hated that, despite not liking him, he still managed to have that effect on her.

  Later that evening, Tamara called Wendy. She was only going to phone her after the retreat, but she desperately needed to talk to her.

  "Oh, I'm so glad you called. I thought phones weren't allowed at the retreat."

  "Well, they are allowed. They're just discouraged. But I wanted to talk to you. Nobody can hear me anyway, so it's okay."

  "So, day one is done. How was it?"

  "So far, so good. Lovely group of people, and they all seem very excited."

  "And Thomas Winter? Tell me he's there."

  "Oh yeah? he's here. Only, I wish he wasn't."

  "What? Why not? Tell me he really is that good looking." Wendy swooned.

  "He's better looking in real life. He's the whole package - dark 'just out of bed' hair, deep blue eyes, and that slightly unshaven look that he manages to perfect. But? other than his good looks? he's a nasty piece of work," Tamara said. She wasn't sure why she had decided to give Wendy the full breakdown on his looks. It wasn't as if his looks had any effect on her whatsoever. She'd barely noticed them.

  "What? He's horrible?" Wendy asked. She seemed horrified at the thought that her beloved Thomas Winter was anything other than perfect.

  "Well, no? he's not horrible. He's very charming, and everyone at the retreat has basically fallen head over heels in love with him, as you can imagine."

  "But not you?"

  "Not me. Oh, I am not fooled by his looks like everyone else. I can see right through them. First, he arrived late for lunch. I wasn't even sure if he was going to come, so I started the whole thing without him. Then, when he finally did arrive, he spoke about alcohol, pizza, and sex within thirty minutes of being there. He gave up halfway through yoga and spent the whole time just staring at the women. And he kept telling me that I was so good looking and that I was distracting him. He's literally driving me insane."

  Wendy laughed. "He sounds interesting."

  "Interesting is not the right word. Infuriating, annoying, exasperating. All of the above. But not interesting. That's the last thing that he is. In fact, he's boring."

  "Sounds like he has a bit of a crush on you, though."

  "A crush? Not a chance. He speaks like that to all the girls. Trust me - he thinks that speaking to me in that way is going to get him into my good books, which it clearly isn't. I don't know how I'm going to get through this entire retreat with him around. I'm sort of hoping that he gives up tomorrow and just goes home. He clearly doesn't want to be here. This was definitely his agent's big idea. I'm not sure what she was hoping he would gain from it. But I don't think a week is going to change him at all. He's far too set in his ways."

  "He sounds like you."

  "What? He's nothing like me. In fact, he's the opposite of me."

  "Not really. You're also stuck in your ways. You might be stuck in very different ways, but fundamentally, you're both the same."

  "Yeah, but he's wrong."

  Wendy laughed. "You see. I bet you he'd say the same thing. Now, don't worry about him. This is your retreat. Don't let him get to you. Like you said, the other people are great, and they actually want to be there. Just ignore him. He'll either figure out what the whole thing is about, or he'll get bored and leave. Just keep doing what you planned to do."

  "Thanks, Wendy. That's exactly what I needed to hear. You're right. I mustn't let him get to me. That's probably just what he wants, anyway. He likes pushing my buttons, and I'm letting it happen. I'm just going to pretend like he's not even there."

  "Good. Although? don't forget your promise!"

  "Promise? What promise?"

  Wendy sighed. "I want a photo of him!"

  Tamara couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, I'll send one."