Page 18 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

It was the start of the second day of scheduled activities at the retreat, and my villa mates were sitting around the kitchen table having breakfast. Emma had warned me to eat light, so I sadly passed on the pancakes. Instead, I ate half a grapefruit and oatmeal.

“We don’t get to do pug yoga today?” I hoped the disappointment didn’t show in my voice.

“Afraid not,” Emma answered.

“I had so much fun,” Helena said with a smile.

She was attractive when she smiled. It was her unpleasant expression that made me think otherwise.

Last night around the fire, Helena had confided in us about her recent fibromyalgia diagnosis.

That explained a lot since I knew pain changed people.

Auntie Bess’s pain-filled face flashed across my mind, but I pushed it aside.

“How is your fibro doing?” Emma asked.

I stiffened. It was so casual, as if she were asking Helena what she ate for dinner. Helena didn’t seem bothered by the question, though, and launched into her answer. How did Emma grow so comfortable with someone so fast?

While Helena and Emma continued their conversation, Dana leaned over toward me. “Are you going to tai chi this morning? I’d love to see your moves.”

That might have been the worst pickup line I’d ever heard.

No doubt Dana was hot, but her flirtation was lacking.

Like me, she seemed driven, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise there was nothing subtle about her intentions.

Efficient, I supposed, but Emma was still saying no.

I smiled to myself. As if Emma could turn off my libido once it heated up.

Besides, I was already checking my emails when I shouldn’t, so what would it hurt if I had a clandestine rendezvous when she wasn’t watching?

As we were cleaning up breakfast, Emma lost her grip on the coffeepot and spilled it down her front. Everyone rushed to help clean up, except Dana, who’d already left. We shooed them off, not wanting to make everyone late.

Besides, I had ulterior motives. Without the others around, I could make my appeal to Emma again.

Perhaps I should assert myself and insist I make my own choices from now on.

Hadn’t we been playing this stupid game long enough?

I glanced at Emma while sopping up the last of the coffee from the floor.

Would she really leave if I didn’t play by the rules?

Yes. I let out a loud sigh. Sweet little Emma had a stubborn streak a mile long.

Emma glanced over at me. “Stop huffing. You’ll have fun if you let yourself.”

“We’ll see.”

“You never would have chosen pug yoga, but you had fun.”

“Maybe.” I didn’t plan on admitting anything readily.

“I’d be happy to tell you more if I wasn’t protecting myself from an argument.”

“Oh, come on, I’m not that bad.”

“You always try to wear me down with your relentless reasoning, and I don’t have the strength for it here.”

Her words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. Did I exhaust my sister?

She must have noticed my reaction because she put her hand on my arm. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just sometimes you can be intense. Remember that time you wouldn’t leave me alone about eating with chopsticks at that Chinese restaurant, and I ended up walking away hungry?”

Most of her food had ended up on the floor or table until she’d given up and stopped eating.

“I’d hardly call that a pattern.”

“How about when you convinced me I had to buy that Subaru?”

“You hated it.”

“Or when you—”

I held up my hand. “Stop. I get it. For you, I’ll try.” And I meant it. Emma deserved better from me.

She grinned and patted me on the arm. “I know you will, but...no buts, you’ll do it.” She ended the sentence with a sharp nod, as if she were putting an exclamation point there. “Come on.” She grabbed my hand. “I’ll change out of these clothes, so we can get moving.”

After morning programs, Vera directed us to return to our villas for the last offering before lunch.

“Did you sign us up for this?” I asked Emma as we walked back from our last class.

Only Dana from our villa had been at the tai chi class, so she walked with us. She was on one side of me, while Emma flanked my opposite side. It had been difficult concentrating on the exercises since Dana took every opportunity to bend so I could see down her shirt. I liked what I saw.

“No. This is mandatory,” Emma said.

Dana snorted. “Fuck mandatory. If they expect me to do some touchy-feely bullshit, I’m out.”

“Amen.”

Emma shot me a dirty look but said nothing.

Dana put her hand on my hip. She’d only need to slide it a few inches to rest it on my butt. “You and I could do something else.” She licked her lips. “Take a walk in the woods, maybe?”

“Blake plans on participating in all the offerings. She intends to take full advantage of the experience.”

Dana laughed, and her hand snaked closer to my buttocks. “How long will you continue playing this game?”

I gave Emma a pleading look. Dana was hot, and her hand on my hip was a reminder it’d been too long since someone touched me this way.

Emma’s eyes filled with disappointment, and she said, “I suppose that’s up to Blake.”

I moved toward Dana, so her hand brushed my ass. “Emma’s right. I want to give the experience a try.” I pressed my body against Dana’s hand as I exaggerated the movement of my hips as I walked.

“All right, you win. I’ll play it your way.” Dana smirked and licked her lips. My body blocked Emma’s view, so she was none the wiser.

“Good!” Emma’s innocence radiated and almost made me feel guilty.

I had to devise a plan to get Dana alone. I wanted more of what she’d given me a glimpse of earlier. Almost on cue, she reached up and scratched her chest, pushing her V-neck shirt lower, giving me a better view of her cleavage.

Had it been on purpose or was it an innocent itch? I got my answer as soon as I looked into her smoldering eyes.

Damn. It was getting hot out here. I tugged at my collar to let Dana know I’d received her message. Would I have to sneak around Emma for a taste of Dana? No, I’d convince her to let me make my own choices in this department.

Time for scheming ran out since we’d arrived back at the villa. With Tranquility Terrace located near the firepit, our housemates were seated around the unlit fire.

“Hey-o,” Annie said, waving us to where they sat. “Our instructor should be here soon.”

“Does anyone know which instructor we have?” Emma asked.

“Not a clue,” Helena answered. She sat awkwardly in her chair, rubbing her leg. I’d noticed she did that a lot. Was it a nervous habit or did it help her pain?

“I hope it’s not the drill sergeant,” Katlynn said, adjusting her purple bandanna that matched her tie-dyed dress.

Nobody had to ask who she meant since there was only one instructor who treated the retreat like boot camp. I couldn’t even remember her name, and I wasn’t positive if the others did, either. We’d just taken to calling her the drill sergeant.

“That woman scares me,” Annie said.

“You?” Katlynn laughed. “I had her for yoga class this morning, and I thought she was going to rip my hamstrings. She kept telling me to deepen into the pose.” Katlynn threw her arm into the air, and the bangles on her wrist jangled as she did.

“Fuck, if I went any deeper, I’d have shoved my head into the ground like an ostrich. ”

I laughed at the visual.

“I don’t know. I kinda like the no-nonsense approach to this shit,” Dana said, flopping into an empty chair.

Before I could sit next to Dana, Emma slid into it, forcing me to take a seat across the firepit from both.

Annie shot a look at Emma and then glanced at me. “I’d prefer a gentler approach. Fingers crossed we get Robyn.”

“She was great yesterday,” Helena said. “I’ve never felt so supported doing yoga.”

Dana crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll be happy just to get my certificate.”

“Certificate?” I asked.

“Yeah, that says I’ve completed the program.” Dana gave no further explanation.

She was a lawyer. Certainly, she wasn’t here for community service. Right. Because the courts ordered a women’s retreat as restitution.

I glanced at Dana. Who cared why she was here? I just wanted to get a handful of what she’d been offering me.

We didn’t have to wait long before Robyn strode toward us. She sported an easy smile and waved as she came nearer. The pair of shorts she wore showed off her toned legs. With the first few buttons of her blue jean shirt open, it revealed her tan chest, sprinkled with freckles.

I glanced at Dana, who also seemed to take in Robyn’s outfit.

“Hi, gang.” Robyn took the empty chair next to me. “We have an hour before lunch, so let’s get started. Who’s taken part in a sharing circle before?”

Everyone raised their hands except for me and Dana.

“Good. Good,” Robyn said. “Let me give you a few ground rules. I’ll ask a question, and everyone will have the opportunity to answer. I ask that you actively listen to the person speaking without interruption.”

“We listen and we don’t judge,” Dana said in a monotone voice, mimicking the social media trend.

“Exactly.” If Robyn noticed the sarcasm in Dana’s voice, she didn’t act like it. “That’s the perfect analogy. We want everyone to be comfortable sharing.”

“That’s kinda scary,” Helena said.

Robyn gave her an understanding smile. “It definitely is. That’s why we need to create an environment where everyone feels free to be themselves—authentic.” Robyn glanced around the circle. “It takes time, though, so only share what you’re comfortable with. Questions?”

“What are we supposed to share?” Katlynn asked.

“That’s next on my agenda. Every day—”

“You mean we have to do this again?” Dana said.

Robyn smiled. “Yes. You’ll find the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become.”

I doubted I’d ever be comfortable sharing my deepest thoughts with a bunch of strangers, or even with my sister for that matter, but I’d take Robyn’s word for it.