He looked slightly uncomfortable at the implied meaning behind her words, but he smiled and nodded again.
“What did you two do this morning? I didn’t see you in any of the sessions. What are you doing after this one? We’re going to the Sweet Talk Tasting because I hear they’re having a dessert bar, in addition to the open bar.” This time Des was the one Kelli nudged. “Nothing like free drinks, right?”
“You plan on drinking at three in the afternoon?” Des asked her.
Kelli waved a hand, shaking her head so the ponytail she wore bopped back and forth. “Girl, please. It’s five o’clock somewhere, and I did say free.”
Clipboard Guy came from the back and called the next names on his list. Maurice hoped they were next because Des wasn’t going to last very long sitting with Kelli. He’d had a hard time trying to figure out why Des had given the woman her number in the first place. Kelli was the exact opposite of the type of person Des would normally tolerate.
“We’re probably not going to attend that session,” Des told Kelli. “We were thinking about maybe doing a little more sightseeing and then going out to dinner.”
That was partially their plan. What they’d actually talked about was dinner in the room and renting some movies to watch if there was nothing on TV.
“Oh wow, you two are just like a real couple already. Aren’t they, Travis? Don’t they look like they’ve been in love for years and years?” Kelli was looking from Des to him and back again.
“Years and years,” Travis echoed, now with a big grin on his face.
“Dear Lovers 1687 and 1288.” Clipboard Guy was back.
Maurice jumped up, and Des followed right behind him. “That’s us!”
“Follow me.” They did as the organizer said without looking back at Kelli and Travis and chuckled when they finally walked into the private room.
“That’s your friend,” he said to Des when she stood next to one of the massage tables shaking her head.
“Oh no, as soon as I leave here tomorrow, I’m blocking her number. We’re definitely not going to be friends. Nessa is the most cheerful person I know, and she’s not even as bad as Kelli. That’s probably why I can deal with her, at least during work hours.”
He nodded at the mention of her assistant and wondered if that was the only friend Desta had. While it had never occurred to him before, he realized now that he’d never seen Des with anyone outside the office.
“You can both climb up onto the table,” Clipboard Guy said. “The object of this exercise is to encourage open communication between couples. You’ll be receiving a Swedish massage and can talk freely about anything you wish, just so long as you’re sharing, becoming closer.”
Maurice climbed onto the table after making sure Des got up all right on her own. Not that she wasn’t capable, but after yesterday on the slopes he had a new protective instinct where she was concerned.
“You’re encouraged to let the relaxing of your muscles coax you into opening up with your fellow Lover. Releasing all anxieties or inhibitions to freely be together. You may remove your robes.” Clipboard Guy finished softly and moved closer to the table where Des was, immediately pulling a sheet up over her body so that she could remove the robe and still retain privacy.
Maurice was already lying facedown with his robe off, and he’d pulled his own sheet up to his waist by the time the man turned to him.
“Well, all right, then. The masseuses will be in momentarily. And don’t fret, they’ve also signed NDAs with Dear Lover. Nothing you say in here during the session will ever be repeated.”
“Does this feel like forced communication to you?” she asked as soon as they were alone in the room.
He turned his head so they were staring at each other. “Definitely.”
They both laughed. The beds were about three feet apart, and the only light in the room came from two lanterns on a table in the corner. The golden haze was weirdly comforting, and the faint sound of a waterfall added to the ambience.
She reached back and grabbed her hair, pulling it away from her face. “What do you want to talk about? Because we might get in trouble if we don’t cooperate.”
He knew exactly what he wanted to talk about; it had come to him the second she asked the question. His response had to wait because their masseuses entered. It always took him a few minutes to become totally relaxed in a massage, so he didn’t speak until the woman’s oiled hands were moving expertly over his shoulders and toward the center of his back where most of his tension seemed to rest.
“Why don’t you go home for vacations?” he asked when he thought she’d had enough time to relax as well.
There was no immediate response. In fact, she took so long he wasn’t sure she was going to answer him at all.
“I don’t want my family to see me.” Her voice was quiet, and he slowly opened his eyes to glance over at her.
She had her eyes closed while the second woman worked her shoulders.
“You don’t want them to see how successful you’ve become?” He was almost positive that wasn’t what she meant, primarily because it didn’t make any sense, and Des was one of the most sensible women he knew.
“No. I don’t want them to see how badly I messed up.” She opened her eyes then. “I didn’t listen to my mom’s and my grandma’s advice.”
“They told you not to come to New York because you might get lost in the big city,” he joked.
“Chicago’s a big city, too,” she replied with a half smile. “They told me not to move to Denver with Gordon, my boyfriend from college.”
Those last three words had his gut clenching, more from his own personal memories than any sort of unwanted jealousy.
