Kristianne held up the thick towel and blanket that were covering me, shielding my naked body from her view so I could roll onto my back. My head felt heavy and my brain was all fuzzy and relaxed. Even with the specter of my phone looming in the room, I had somehow managed to let a bit of my tension go.
“How was it?” Tiffany asked from the next bed.
“Amazing,” I replied. “Thanks, Kristianne. Thanks, you guys, for bringing me.”
“Anytime,” Rose said, rolling over as well.
“Okay. We’ll leave you girls now,” Rose’s masseuse, Joanna, said, standing with the other two near the door. They all wore cream-colored polo tops and khaki pants, like some kind of neutral relaxation brigade. “You’re free to enjoy lunch in the garden room, and remember to drink lots of water. It will help you flush out all the toxins.”
“We will,” Tiffany said, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed. “We’re good little toxin flushers.”
Rose snorted a laugh and the three masseuses exchanged an amused glance before walking out and leaving us to ourselves. I followed Tiffany’s example and just lay there for a moment, eyes closed, breathing in the soothing eucalyptus-scented candles and listening to the softly pinging guitar music. This was the one of the greatest gifts anyone could have given me. Why couldn’t Josh see how amazing my friends were? It wasn’t like he was running around trying to de-stress my chi and loosen my pressure points. Or whatever it was they did around here for a hundred bucks an hour.
“Okay. I’m starving,” Tiffany said, sitting up straight. “Let’s eat!”
Rose and I grabbed our soft terry cloth robes. Tiffany went to the cooler of cucumber water in the corner and filled three glasses, and Rose went to work securing her hair in a bun. While their backs were turned, I grabbed my phone from under the towel, turned it on to vibrate, and slid it into one of the pockets.
“For you, my dear,” Tiffany said, handing me a glass of water.
I downed it in a few gulps and refilled it.
“Wow. Thirsty?” Rose said.
I smiled. “I also have more toxins than your average sixteen-year-old,” I joked.
Together we walked out the side door of our “serenity room” and followed the signs pointing the way to the Garden Room. The large, airy space was dotted with small café tables, and three walls were made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the bare trees behind the spa. A babbling brook cut its way through the snow, and overhead, white clouds raced their way across a clear, blue sky.
“So, Reed,” Rose said as we chose a table and glanced over the menu. It was all salads and fruits and teas. “What really happened with that whole snake thing? Did someone put you up to it?”
“Kind of,” I replied.
I had been expecting this question for the past two days, of course, and on the ride over I’d finally put the finishing touches on my cover story. I took a sip of my water, while Tiffany and Rose waited expectantly.
“I lost a bet with Gage,” I said, rolling my eyes and faking an embarrassed smile. The whol
e snake episode was just childish enough to be a brainstorm of his. “I said he couldn’t knot the stem of a cherry with his tongue. He did it five times in a row.”
“Omigod, Reed! You should know better than to ever make a bet with Gage!” Rose chided me.
“Especially when it involves his tongue,” Tiffany added, sticking hers out slightly.
“Lesson learned,” I replied. “I will never go there again.”
“What can I get for you ladies?” the waitress asked in the same hushed tone everyone seemed to use around here.
“Mango chicken salad, please,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
I took a deep breath, secure in the knowledge that neither Tiffany nor Rose would ever catch me in my latest lie. Neither of them was particularly friendly with Gage, and the whole bet story was forgettable enough that by tomorrow neither of them would care anymore. Everything was going to be fine. I was even starting to enjoy myself.
And then my cell phone vibrated.
“What was that?” Rose asked, looking around.
“My phone,” I whispered.
I fumbled it out of my pocket and held it under the table.
“Reed! You’re not supposed to have that in here,” Tiffany hissed, glancing over her shoulder at one of the waitresses.