The sentence came out sounding odd and stilted. Sean smiled like I was cute and something reluctantly warmed within me. He rested his elbow on the back of my chair, his arm touching against my shoulder. I could tell he was looking at me but I concentrated on my food, unable to meet his gaze.
I was relieved when two of Rick’s lady friends came to join us, introducing themselves as Cindy and Lisa.
“It’s so nice to see another male face around,” said Lisa with what I thought might be a hint of flirtation. “You don’t get many men coming to places like this.”
“I like to think I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity to know when I need to take some time out, get back to basics and all that,” said Sean.
“It really is important,” Lisa nodded enthusiastically. “We’re all so bogged down by obligations and technology these days that we forget to breathe and just . . . be.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Sean agreed.
God, he was such a schmooze.
Now Cindy joined in. “One of my favorite Deepak Chopra quotes says, ‘In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.’ I feel like I can truly be still in a place like this.”
“Do you know, I’ve never heard that one before,” said Sean before turning his head to me. “Do you try to keep stillness inside of you, too, Lucy?”
He was trying to embarrass me, but I wouldn’t let him succeed. Instead I came up with a subtle put-down. “I’m more of a Gandhi girl myself. I particularly liked it when he said, ‘You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.’” I smiled at him while bringing a carrot stick to my mouth and taking a bite.
Sean’s eyes gleamed like I’d just baited him to a challenge he was happy to accept. Perhaps I’d bitten off more than I could chew – literally and figuratively.
“Ah, we can all benefit from getting a little dirty every once in a while,” he quipped and Lisa chortled. Yes, chortled. I cast my eyes to Rick and his face said it all, hey, you dug your own hole with that one.
Sean moved so it wasn’t just his elbow resting on the back of my chair now, but the entire length of his arm. His heat sent a bolt of electricity shooting right through me and I shifted in place, unsure how I felt about his closeness. His cologne was nice, that was a positive, but he was starting to make me feel penned in, that was a negative. He hadn’t said anything mean yet, that was another positive. Man, were Sean Cassidy’s positives actually outweighing his negatives?
“So, what’s a fella got to do to get some meat around here?” he asked, not looking too excited about the salad in front of him.
“This is a vegetarian retreat,” I answered. “Didn’t you read that in the brochure?”
He scratched lightly at the stubble growing on his jaw and frowned. “No, it was more an impulse decision to come here.”
“My husband loves his meat, too,” said Cindy. “I can take or leave it, but I do like to detox every couple of months. It’s highly beneficial for the digestive system.”
“You see,” I smiled widely at Sean. “A few meat-free days will do you the world of good.”
He didn’t look like he believed me.
“If we had more time, we could’ve hit up one of the nearby restaurants, but tomorrow is the last full day,” Rick offered. “I’ve been craving a steak.”
“That sounds like a great idea. We should go tomorrow,” Sean enthused. “Will you come with us, Lucy?”
“I can’t. I’m washing my hair.”
“We haven’t decided what time we’re going yet,” said Rick, the Judas.
“And your hair doesn’t need to be washed,” Sean added, leaning in to take a whiff.
I shot him a startled look. “Did you just smell my hair?”
He stared at me. “Yes.”
“Well . . . don’t.”
“I’d love to come, if you do go,” Lisa put in, inviting herself. “We could go for a drive and see some of the sights beforehand.”
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea,” said Cindy.
“So, are you in?” Sean asked, refusing to drop the subject.
“Like I said, these locks won’t wash themselves.”
Both Cindy and Lisa were occupied in discussing the idea of venturing outside the grounds of the retreat with Rick, while Sean kept his attention focused on me.
“What will it take to get you to relax and enjoy my company?” he asked. “Do you want me to buy you something?”
“What? No.”
“A car, maybe?”
I blinked at him, stunned. I was stunned because he was completely serious.
“Well, that escalated quickly,” I mumbled under my breath, still shocked.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“You’re not buying me a car.”
“Why not?”
“Because, why would you?”
“Because I want to.”
“It’s weird, Sean.”
“No, it’s not.”
I scoffed. “God, you’re completely out of touch.”