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Authors: Debbie Viguié
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if they were looking for any video evidence of what might have happened to Malcolm.
For a place that was about to be host to a weeklong retreat there didn’t seem to be that many staff about. It was possible they were in meetings or weren’t scheduled to go on shift until closer to the meet-and-greet. He didn’t see any guests walking around either. It was possible he and Cindy were the first to arrive. If there were other guests they must be staying in their rooms.
“It’s pretty here, but kind of weird feeling,” Cindy finally remarked.
“That’s because it’s starting to feel like we’re the only two people here,” he said.
“That’s true. All we’ve seen is the woman at the front desk and Arnold. I guess I’m not used to being out of the house and not surrounded by people.”
“One of the hazards of living in a large metropolitan area,” he mused. “Still, this place does feel like it’s hibernating.”
“That’s it, that’s exactly what it feels like. It’s not like it’s completely devoid of life, it’s more like what is here just isn’t showing itself.”
She shivered suddenly. He let go of her hand and instead put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. After a moment she put her arm around his waist and leaned her head against him as they walked.
“You changed your shampoo,” he noted. “It smells like strawberries.”
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“I do.”
He liked it a little too much. He realized all his attention was beginning to shift to her. They had almost walked the entire grounds, though, and he had seen what he needed to. He let his mind drift for just a moment, thinking about her.
He knew she wasn’t happy with the current state of things between them. He knew the secrecy was bothering her, but he was trying to protect them both. He wasn’t sure she realized that going public with their relationship would most likely bring a firestorm down on both of them. Sometimes he hated being the one that had to worry about that. There were days he wished he could throw caution to the wind entirely. That wasn’t in his nature, though. In his line of work you always had to have a plan and a backup plan, and a backup to your backup if you wanted to survive.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself that the need for those plans was related to his former line of work, not his current one. He was a rabbi. He still had to think things through because other people relied on him, looked up to him, but his decisions were no longer a matter of life and death.
“What are you thinking?” Cindy asked.
He kissed the top of her head. “I really like the shampoo.”
Having encountered no other staff members to question, they finally headed back to their bungalow. As they passed bungalow number five he heard raised voices, a man and a woman arguing about something although he wasn’t quite sure what.
After they had passed by Cindy said, “I guess some couples are going to need more help than others. At least we know we won’t be the only ones here.”
“Yes, that would have been awkward.”
Once they were back in their bungalow Jeremiah did a second sweep for any listening devices. Then he settled down at the table with the map of the resort and began studying it.
Cindy went to work unpacking, putting her things away in the closet and the dresser. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her hang up a red dress that didn’t look familiar. He realized that, like her current outfit, it must be new. From what he had glimpsed of the dress it didn’t look like Cindy’s style. She usually dressed pretty conservatively. He couldn’t help but wonder if Geanie and she had gone shopping together. Even as he continued to study the map he found himself imagining how Cindy would look in the dress. With a sigh he forced himself to refocus. They had only a couple hours left before the retreat began and he wanted to be as prepared as he could be.
Mark felt like he was
For a place that was about to be host to a weeklong retreat there didn’t seem to be that many staff about. It was possible they were in meetings or weren’t scheduled to go on shift until closer to the meet-and-greet. He didn’t see any guests walking around either. It was possible he and Cindy were the first to arrive. If there were other guests they must be staying in their rooms.
“It’s pretty here, but kind of weird feeling,” Cindy finally remarked.
“That’s because it’s starting to feel like we’re the only two people here,” he said.
“That’s true. All we’ve seen is the woman at the front desk and Arnold. I guess I’m not used to being out of the house and not surrounded by people.”
“One of the hazards of living in a large metropolitan area,” he mused. “Still, this place does feel like it’s hibernating.”
“That’s it, that’s exactly what it feels like. It’s not like it’s completely devoid of life, it’s more like what is here just isn’t showing itself.”
She shivered suddenly. He let go of her hand and instead put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. After a moment she put her arm around his waist and leaned her head against him as they walked.
“You changed your shampoo,” he noted. “It smells like strawberries.”
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“I do.”
He liked it a little too much. He realized all his attention was beginning to shift to her. They had almost walked the entire grounds, though, and he had seen what he needed to. He let his mind drift for just a moment, thinking about her.
He knew she wasn’t happy with the current state of things between them. He knew the secrecy was bothering her, but he was trying to protect them both. He wasn’t sure she realized that going public with their relationship would most likely bring a firestorm down on both of them. Sometimes he hated being the one that had to worry about that. There were days he wished he could throw caution to the wind entirely. That wasn’t in his nature, though. In his line of work you always had to have a plan and a backup plan, and a backup to your backup if you wanted to survive.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself that the need for those plans was related to his former line of work, not his current one. He was a rabbi. He still had to think things through because other people relied on him, looked up to him, but his decisions were no longer a matter of life and death.
“What are you thinking?” Cindy asked.
He kissed the top of her head. “I really like the shampoo.”
Having encountered no other staff members to question, they finally headed back to their bungalow. As they passed bungalow number five he heard raised voices, a man and a woman arguing about something although he wasn’t quite sure what.
After they had passed by Cindy said, “I guess some couples are going to need more help than others. At least we know we won’t be the only ones here.”
“Yes, that would have been awkward.”
Once they were back in their bungalow Jeremiah did a second sweep for any listening devices. Then he settled down at the table with the map of the resort and began studying it.
Cindy went to work unpacking, putting her things away in the closet and the dresser. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her hang up a red dress that didn’t look familiar. He realized that, like her current outfit, it must be new. From what he had glimpsed of the dress it didn’t look like Cindy’s style. She usually dressed pretty conservatively. He couldn’t help but wonder if Geanie and she had gone shopping together. Even as he continued to study the map he found himself imagining how Cindy would look in the dress. With a sigh he forced himself to refocus. They had only a couple hours left before the retreat began and he wanted to be as prepared as he could be.
Mark felt like he was
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