Page 22 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

Yesterday’s kayaking had been such a rush that today had been a letdown.

Since we’d stayed around the campfire way too late last night, I’d woken up groggy, which made our physical activity for the morning excruciating.

It definitely wasn’t pug yoga. The drill sergeant instructor had run us through a series of old school calisthenics.

I’d glared at Emma several times during the torture, but she’d just grinned as she did her jumping jacks.

If that wasn’t bad enough, we’d gotten the same instructor for our sharing circle.

While Robyn created a relaxed vibe, the drill sergeant was all business.

She had a goal to reach, and by god, she would achieve it.

I chuckled to myself. Damned retreat. Wasn’t that how I preferred it?

When did I get soft, wanting Robyn’s gentle leadership?

Once I’d realized the error of my ways, I’d dived into the sharing circle, and Dana and I were the stars of the day.

If there was such a thing as stars of a sharing circle.

We’d just finished lunch, and Emma had gone inside to use the restroom before we made our way to our next class. I was standing on the porch of our villa waiting for her.

Dana slid up beside me. “Everyone needs to go to bed early tonight, or we should slip them some roofies.”

I looked at her in horror.

“Joking. Joking. Jesus. Relax.” Dana held up her hands and took a step back. “I’ve been trying to get you alone, but all this togetherness is making it impossible.”

I considered mentioning she and Noelle had disappeared last night.

What would be the point? Was I jealous? No, I’d like a taste of Dana, or Noelle for that matter.

I wasn’t looking for anything permanent, but I’d settle for a hellcat between the sheets.

Something told me either would deliver. Now, if only I could convince Emma that a healthy dose of sexual release would enhance my experience at the retreat.

I played it safe since Emma would be back soon. “Togetherness? I don’t see you around during the day.”

Dana leaned in and put her hand on my arm. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve figured out the easiest schedule or at least one that doesn’t require me to sing kumbaya. Say the word, and I’ll help you.”

I hadn’t seen the schedule, but I didn’t plan on telling Dana. She’d already made me feel stupid for letting Emma choose everything for me. I figured bravado was my best defense. “Ah, I can handle it since it makes Emma happy.”

“You’re a better sister than me. If I were you, I’d tell her to take a flying fuck.”

Hearing her talk about Emma that way raised my hackles. “I wouldn’t advise anyone to speak to my sister that way.”

“Mmm.” Dana smirked. “You’re sexy when you get all protective. I bet you’re a real tiger in bed.”

As I prepared to say, maybe you’ll find out, Emma popped her head out the door. Her joyful expression soured when she noticed who I was talking to.

Dana waggled her fingers in Emma’s direction. “I was just heading off to my next class.” Her eyes were full of lust when she met my gaze. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Before I could answer, she leaped from the porch and jogged off.

“That woman gives me the creeps,” Emma said.

“Why?”

“Bad energy.”

I groaned. “Have you been talking to Robyn?”

Emma narrowed her eyes.

“Robyn and I were talking about energy yesterday.”

“ You ? You were talking about energy?”

“Don’t act so surprised.” I drew in my eyebrows, going for my best frown. “You wanted me to experience all the retreat has to offer. Be open.” I spread out my arms and lifted my face toward the sky, exaggerating my exuberance.

Emma laughed. “You had me going, but then you oversold it.”

“Damn. I guess I need to work on it.” I put my arm over Emma’s shoulder. “Seriously, Em, I’ve had some good moments.”

“Not quite ready to admit it’s been an enjoyable experience?” Emma teased.

“After our barracks workout, I’m not there yet.”

“Yeah, she’s no Robyn. Still, we’ve got two more classes this afternoon.”

“You never told me what they are.”

Emma smirked. “And I don’t plan on it.”

I figured out why Emma kept our afternoon agenda secret since our first class after lunch was trust games. Early in my career, when corporate bonding was the rage, I’d experienced trust falls, which I hated, but this was different. We’d taken turns leading each other around the woods, blindfolded.

Now we were headed to the lodge for our last class of the day.

“We should have taken the truck,” I whined. “My legs are tired after all those jumping jacks.”

Emma bounced on her toes as she walked. “Come on. Walking in this fresh air is one step from heaven.”

I shot her a side eye. “Whatever you say.”

“Besides, I figured it’d be good for you to walk off a little energy.”

“Does that translate to wanting to wear me down so I don’t escape?”

Emma chuckled. “You know me so well.”

When we entered the lobby, Vera greeted us. “Hello, are you here for emotion charades?”

What? I glanced at Emma, who stared at Vera, ignoring me.

“Yep,” Emma said.

“It’s in the great room,” Vera said.

“I thought it was in the pine room,” Emma responded.

“It was, but a local women’s group called this morning to confirm the time.” Vera shook her head. “Apparently, there was a mix-up. The president thought the secretary made reservations and vice versa. I didn’t have the heart to turn them away.”

“How many people are here?” I tried to keep the horror from my voice. Emotion charades didn’t sound like something I wanted to do with an audience. Hell, it didn’t sound like something I wanted to do—period.

Vera consulted her paper. “Um, there’s nine from the retreat and another fifteen between the women’s group and those staying at the lodge. So I guess that makes twenty-four.”

As soon as we walked away from Vera, I glowered at Emma. “Twenty-four people playing feelings charades, really?”

“Emotion. Get it right.”

Emma had a huge smile on her face as we approached the great room. We’d not attended a class here, so I was surprised when we entered. It mirrored our villa’s common area but with ten times the space.

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” Emma said. “Look at those windows.”

“They’re just like ours at the villa,” I answered. Although, I couldn’t help noting that the wood around the windows appeared to be cracked in places. I hoped a stiff wind didn’t come up, or they might fall in on us.

“Except there are a million more windows.”

“Right, a million.” I wouldn’t admit to being impressed. The sun streamed in, casting a warm glow over the entire room.

“There’s Annie,” Emma said, waving. “Come on.”

I followed behind Emma, taking in the women wearing matching purple shirts. “Looks like the women’s group is here.”

“Your power of observation is uncanny,” Emma said over her shoulder.

“Smartass,” I muttered.

“I think we’re outnumbered,” Annie said as we walked up.

“We can take them.” I did a couple of jumping jacks. “This morning’s training prepared us for this.”

“Oh, look.” Emma waved her arm in a large arc. “Our secret weapon is here.”

“Right,” I said as Katlynn walked toward us. “She’s a natural for this.”

“No doubt,” Annie added. “I’ve never seen someone with so many facial expressions.”

Soon after Katlynn’s arrival, Vera rushed into the room with another facilitator.

Emma leaned toward me and said, “Bummer, I was hoping we’d get Robyn.”

We’d not run across her all day, so I whispered back, “Maybe she isn’t here today.” I had to admit, I’d gotten used to having her around.

It took Vera a few attempts to quiet the festive crowd.

After the noise died down, she welcomed everyone and encouraged us to move closer.

Once everyone gathered around her, she said, “Since we weren’t expecting so many participants, we’re going to improvise, but that’s what we do best here at Blissful Breeze. ”

The purple shirt-clad women let out a whoop. Apparently, this wasn’t their first retreat event.

“Normally, we like six to eight in a group,” Vera continued, “but we’ll break you into two groups of twelve.”

Someone near the front groaned. “Come on, Vera, that’s too many.”

Vera nodded. “I know, but...”

I called out, “Let us compete with each other.”

“Who said that?” Vera stood on her tiptoes, looking toward the back row where we stood.

I waved my arm. “I did. Four on a team. We go head-to-head like regular charades.”

Vera frowned. “We encourage cooperation, not competition.”

“Friendly competition is fun,” someone in the front said.

After several more chimed in, Vera relented. Since we had our four teammates, we stood back, entertained by the chaos of choosing teams.

“This is worse than grade school.” Katlynn pointed toward three women who must have been in their sixties. “They’re gonna come to blows at any minute.”

“I’d put money on the blonde. She looks mean,” Annie said.

After the chaos settled, just our luck, Vera led the blonde and her team toward us. The blond woman stood with her arms crossed over her chest, while her teammates gave her a wide berth. Vera introduced us to our competitors. I’d never remember their names, except for the cranky one—Beverly.

In the middle of Vera introducing our team, Beverly pointed at me and Emma. “It’s not fair. Don’t they have twin telepathy or something?”

“Beverly!” Vera pointed at the scowling woman. “They are not twins, and you will play nice.”

Beverly turned up her nose but muttered, “Fine.”

We soon agreed on the rules. Every player received three envelopes containing an emotion, with each getting progressively harder. The team had ninety seconds to guess. If the team failed, the other team could steal the point.

So both teams could see the clue giver, we rearranged the loveseats into a loose V with a low table between them.

“There’re chairs over there,” Annie said, pointing. “We can use those, so everyone has somewhere to sit.”

“Charades need to be played on your feet,” I said. “I’ll stand behind the couch.”

“Me too,” Emma said.