Page 104 of The Last Session

I stood to leave, but at the doorway Mikki said my name.

“Yeah?”

Lines appeared between her eyebrows, and it struck me this was the first time I’d seen her look truly worried. “Just be safe, okay?”

Lunchtime came and went, and soon Mikki, Ramit, and Dawne were rolling their suitcases to the entrance. I felt a tightness in my chest—the reality of my decision to stay was starting to sink in. Jonah and I hugged the departing: the official story was that we were flying out the next morning. No one questioned why we hadn’t gotten flights for that evening, as the retreat instructions had specified.

“Let’s stay in touch.” Dawne gave me a tight hug, before Ramit did the same, along with a sunny smile. We’d all traded numbers, and I felt a pang of sadness as they got into the SUV. Despite the disturbing nature of the weekend, I’d really bonded with these people. It was amazinghow quickly that could happen when you went through something intense together.

As the car retreated down the dusty road, Moon wrapped an arm around me.

“I’m so happy you’re both here.” She squeezed. “We’re going to start setting up for our session tonight.”

“Tonight?” I repeated. I’d thought I’d be long gone before having to do another one.

“Yep.” She grinned. “It’s going to be so special. You’ll see.”

“Thea.” Sol tapped my arm. “Want to join me on the veranda?”

“Sure.” I followed him, glancing back to see Moon grasping both of Jonah’s hands. She’d been thrilled when I’d told her we were both planning to stay, but not particularly surprised, as if she’d expected it. Jonah knew the plan; we’d both leave with Catherine at 4:00 a.m.

Sol leaned in towards me. “I asked Steven to make us some kava. Have you had it?”

“No, I don’t think I have.”

“Oh, you’re in for a treat. It’s a root that relaxes the body. We mix it with chai. Delicious.”

When we reached the veranda, he motioned to the chairs and continued his confident lope into the kitchen. The flat-topped pool was still; it was a breezeless day. The scent of honeysuckle tickled my nose. Sol returned with two glasses clinking with ice cubes. The tan-colored drink was flavorful, sweetened with honey but retaining a sharp bitterness underneath.

“So.” He slipped in the chair next to me. “I wanted to check in with you because I know we laid a ton on you this morning. It’s a lot to take on faith, right?”

“I don’t know.” I said the words lightly. “Maybe it is.”

“I think we both know the real reason you’re staying.” He smiled. “Catherine. Your bond runs deep. It proves our point, though, doesn’t it? After all, if she was just a patient, it really wouldn’t make sense for you to be here.”

“How do you mean?” I met his gaze, feeling like I’d suddenly entered into a game of chess. I had to be careful. I couldn’t reveal anything that might tip off our plan to leave.

“Well…” He scratched his chin. “You tell me. Is it normal for social workers to travel thousands of miles to search for former patients?”

“It’s not,” I acknowledged.

“Catherine told me you listened to the podcast.” Sol straightened his sunglasses. “That was what tipped you off?”

How much had Catherine told him? I realized I had no idea. Something else I had to be careful about.

“Yeah. Well, you invoked a Catherine while directing listeners to come home.”

He chuckled. “Fair. Maybe I was trying to call her back. But it was a pseudonym. I was talking about a member named Talia. She’s traveling, but she’ll be back soon. You’ll meet her, if you decide to stay longer-term. Has the cutest little dog, Dionysus.”

Longer-term? Was Sol really trying to recruit me right now? I kept my face neutral.

“You mentioned him.” I smiled. “The one who likes to chase jackrabbits and Steven, right?”

“Right.” Sol laughed. “Poor Dionysus is just jealous. Steven and Talia are together, you know.”

“Oh, nice.” I felt strangely happy to hear that Steven had a partner. He seemed so quiet, so grumpy, so… subservient. Especially to Moon.

“It was a long time coming.” Sol lifted his face to the sun. “Moon didn’t like it at first. She gets jealous too. Wants all Steven’s attention.”