Slow No Wake

THREE

Close Reach

I was eager to get back to work the next morning. When I entered the main building, Lily gave me a huge smile. “Glad to see we didn’t scare you off yesterday.”

“I don’t scare off very easily,” I said and smiled. As nerve-racking as it was to start a new job, the place and the people I had met so far made me feel comfortable. And I had to admit, I was excited to see Daniel again. Maybe it was good that he was not the type I usually went for. I had a new job, in a new city, in a new part of the country. Maybe I needed a new type of guy as well.

“That’s definitely a requirement to work here,” she said. “Have you met the twins yet?”

I shook my head.

Lily chuckled. “Maybe today. You’ll love them.” Her strange emphasis on the word ‘love’ made me wonder if she was being facetious. “Enjoy your day!”

“You, too,” I said as I headed down the hall way toward my office.

When Tom stopped by to check in on me at the end of the previous day, he mentioned that he wouldn’t start assigning me clients right away. He wanted me to get a chance to get familiar with the place, the processes and procedures and the rest of the staff.

I was one of four Master’s level therapists in the outpatient services. I knew there were others in the inpatient services as well as the day programs. Most of the other clinical staff members had undergraduate degrees. I was hoping to get a chance to at least meet the three other therapists, with whom I would be working most closely. It didn’t take long for that wish to come true.

Two women poked their heads into my office. “Busy?” asked one of them as they both entered.

The women looked to be in their early thirties. They had nearly identical facial features but that’s where any similarity between them ended. One of them was dressed in all black with black boots and had spiky dyed black hair. The other had extremely long light brown hair and was dressed in a flowing hippie-style skirt and blouse, and was wearing Birkenstocks. I assumed they were the twins that Lily had referred to.

The one in all black held out a hand, “Hey, I’m Trinity,” she said.

I shook her hand. “I’m Lexie.”

Then the other twin extended her hand, “And I’m Serenity.”

I shook Serenity’s hand. It was weird how much their unique outward appearances matched their names.

“We’re really glad you’re here,” Serenity said. “Tom had a lot of trouble filling the position.”

“It probably has something to do with the meager pay and long hours,” Trinity quipped. Her twin gave her the stink eye.

“Don’t let my sister give you the wrong impression,” Serenity said. “We love working here.”

“It puts food on the table,” Trinity added.

“We’ve been here eight years,” Serenity said. “I think that says something.”

“Maybe it says Tom is the only person willing to hire twins to work together,” Trinity added.

The way the twins bantered back and forth with each other made me wonder if anyone else ever got a word in when talking with them.

“Have you met Brad yet?” Serenity asked.

Right after that, Trinity asked, “Have you gotten a tour yet?”

They both stared at me. I assumed that was my cue to finally speak. “No and no,” I answered.

“Great then,” Serenity said.

“Let’s go,” Trinity added.

The first stop on our tour was Brad’s office, which was a few doors down the hall from mine. His door was closed but that didn’t deter Trinity one bit. She barged right in.

“Hey, Brad,” she said as the three of us entered his work space.

He looked up at us through dark framed glasses. I got the distinct feeling he didn’t like to be disturbed, especially by the twins.

When he stood up to greet me, I noticed that he was only a few inches taller than me, which is not very tall for a man, because I’m only five feet five inches. His thin frame was accentuated by his tight-fitting tailored clothing. He looked to be in his early thirties and definitely had an air of perfectionism. One quick glance around his obsessively orderly office confirmed my hypothesis.

Brad looked me up and down and I suddenly felt as if I was being evaluated. “You must be the new therapist Tom spoke so highly of.” Brad’s words were complimentary but his tone was skeptical. I could tell Brad was someone I would need to prove my worth to.

He made no other motion to introduce himself and didn’t hold out his hand.

“We’re giving Lexie a tour,” Serenity said.

“I hope you enjoy seeing the facilities,” Brad said cordially as Trinity and Serenity grabbed my elbows and led me out of Brad’s office.

After his door was shut and we made our way down the corridor, the twins starting laughing.

“What do you think of Brad?” Trinity asked.

I gulped. I didn’t want to say anything derogatory about my new coworker, but he seemed to fit some of the criteria for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

“Maybe someday, someone will pull that stick out of his ass,” Trinity said.

Serenity leaned in and said quietly, “Did you notice he didn’t shake your hand?”

I nodded.

“He’s a germaphobe,” she continued. “He never touches anyone, not even his clients.”

It wasn’t a secret that some people became therapists because they wanted to deal with their own issues. Perhaps Brad fit into that category. The twins probably could, too. It made me wonder what issues I was dealing with by becoming a counselor.

The twins showed me the building for the day treatment programs and then we headed over to the residential facilities. The place was huge and a bit overwhelming. It was easily four times the size of the mental health facility I had worked at back home.

There were residential programs for both youths and adults and they were housed in separate areas for obvious reason. I met so many staff members, it was difficult to keep track of all of them. Most of them seemed very warm and friendly, confirming that I had at least made one good choice in moving to Florida.

“We also have an onsite school for the kids in the residential program,” Trinity said. “They’re out at the Challenge Ropes Course today, if you want to take a quick peek. It’s kind of cool. The classrooms are all brand new.”

I nodded and we went inside. Trinity was right. There were only five classrooms but they were all state-of-the-art with SMART boards and cool projection systems.

A young woman was sitting in one of the rooms, reading a gigantic book. We entered the room and when we got closer, I noticed it was a Shakespeare anthology.

“This is Miss Matthews,” Serenity said. “We call the teachers by their formal names because that’s what the kids are expected to do. It’s just easier that way.”

Miss Matthews stood and gave me a big smile. She put her book down and extended a hand. “Pleased to meet you,” she said.

Miss Matthews looked to be about my age. Even though she was wearing glasses, they didn’t mask her natural beauty. She was petite with lovely, raven black hair and stunning blue eyes.

I shook her hand but before I could get a word out, Trinity said, “This is Lexie, the new outpatient therapist. Tom said she’ll be doing mostly youth and family, so you’ll see more of her in the future, I’m sure.”

“Some of the students stay enrolled in the school, even when they move to outpatient services, so we like to keep their therapists informed of their progress, or lack thereof, more times than not,” Miss Matthews said.

I nodded. “It’s great to meet you.”

“Good to have you here,” she said as she sat back down.

Next, the twins had me peek into the science room. It was dark but I could see that they had a lot of brand new lab equipment as well as a bank of the latest computers. “We got a grant to build this lab for the students,” Serenity said. “All of those computers are for the virtual biology labs. The students can dissect anything and no actual animals have to die.”

“And there’s no smell,” Trinity added. I still remembered how disgusting the formaldehyde covered pigs smelled when I had biology lab in high school. I decided to store it in my bank of images I could use to defend myself against Eddie’s charms.

“Mr. LaRoche is the science teacher,” Serenity said.

“He’s also one of the Ropes Challenge Course facilitators, which is where he is today,” Trinity added.

“Are you talking about those big obstacle courses used for team building and personal development training?” I asked.

The twins both nodded. Then Serenity added, “But, back to Mr. LaRoche…”

“Stay away from him,” Trinity warned.

“Why?” I asked.

The twins looked at each other then they each took an elbow and dragged me out of the school building.

When we were in a more secluded area away from the main buildings, Serenity said, “Mr. LaRoche is kind of a jerk.”

“He’s an a*shole,” Trinity interjected.

Serenity frowned at her sister and continued. “The kids call him Mr. Roach because they can’t stand him. They say he’s really hard on them…”

“Which isn’t a bad thing,” Trinity added.

Serenity continued, “He seems to lack some compassion. But that’s not the reason you should stay away from him.”

“It’s because he’s a dog,” Trinity said.

Serenity leaned closer to me and said quietly, “He’s dated half the women who work here, and I used the term dated loosely, if you know what I mean.”

“She means he’s a screw-and-bolt kind of guy,” Trinity clarified. “He actually had the nerve to ask us if we would both date him because he’d never been with twins before.”

“He’s a walking STD,” Serenity said. “Just steer clear of him.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I said. I was definitely going to stay as far away from Mr. LaRoche as possible. I didn’t need that kind of tidal wave going through my no wake zone.

By the time we got through the inpatient building and back to our offices, it was nearly time for lunch.

“We live right down the street,” Serenity said. “So we always go home for lunch.”

“Our grandmother left us her house when she died,” Trinity explained.

“You can join us, if you’d like,” Serenity suggested.

“Thanks for the offer,” I said. “But I was planning on going to the cafeteria.” I didn’t want to add that I was hoping to see Daniel again and I needed a break from the twin-bantering.

“When we get back, we’ll be happy to show you all you need to know about the electronic file system,” Serenity said.

“That sound great,” I said. “And thank you both so much for everything.”

“No problem,” the twins said simultaneously as they turned and hurried down the hallway.

I breathed a small sigh of relief. They would certainly take some getting used to.

When I looked at my watched, I noticed it was a few minutes before noon. I hoped I could go to lunch with Daniel again and I hoped I hadn’t missed him.

He wasn’t the type I normally went for either in looks or personality. He was more reserved and less self-assured than I was used to. He was almost the complete opposite of my ex-fiancé, which was certainly appealing, but there was more to it than that. I felt an inexplicable connection to him even though we barely knew each other. I was sure that I wanted to get to know him better.

When he popped into my office a few minutes later, my heart leaped. I was beginning to think he had gone to lunch without me.

“I was just finishing up with an intake,” he said. “You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?”

“No, I haven’t eaten,” I said. I didn’t want to admit that I was waiting for him.

“Great,” he said then seemed unsure of himself again. “I mean, it’s great if you want to have lunch with me again.”

I smiled and grabbed my purse. “Of course.”

His glowing smile lit up the room. “Let go.”

Daniel suggested we both get boxed lunches so we could take them outside and sit by the pond. I loved the idea.

We grabbed a bench close to a small waterfall and watched two ducks playing in the water. It had been a while since I actually got to listen to the blissful sound of water falling. “This is lovely,” I told him.

“I feel very fortunate to work here. It wasn’t easy trying to find a job when I graduated. Not a lot of organizations were hiring graduates with a degree in anthropology. Plus, the economy had gone from bad to totally sucky. Jobs were scare. My college roommate got a position here and he saw they had openings for Bachelor’s level clinicians. Luckily, I did a minor in psychology, so they gave me a chance and hired me. It helped that I told them I was planning on earning a Master’s degree. I applied for a graduate program as soon as I got the job here.”

“And I was fortunate that my boss in Illinois is good friends with Tom,” I said. “He hired me by phone. I’m not sure how brave I would have been to move here without a job lined up.”

Daniel looked into my eyes and I could feel my heart flutter a bit. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to. It wasn’t the panty-wetting kind of lust I felt with guys like Eddie (or my ex-fiancé); it was a softer but much deeper feeling, like we were connecting mentally and emotionally, not just physically.

“So, what do you like to do for fun?” Daniel asked.

It had been so long since I remembered having fun. I was always so driven, with school and then with trying to establish my career. It was one of the excuses Jeff used when I found out he had cheated on me. I could still hear his cruel words burned in my memory banks. “You don’t know how to have fun like your sister does.”

“I’m sorry,” Daniel said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.

I tried to smile but the act felt hollow. I heaved a sigh. If I saw myself having any kind of relationship with Daniel, I would have to tell him the truth about what brought me to Florida. “It’s not you, Daniel,” I said. “When I lived in Illinois, I was engaged for several years to Jeff, who was doing his residency to be a surgeon. I thought things were great between us even though we were both busy trying to establish our careers. I had just finished graduate school and I was working long hours as a new therapist. Jeff told me that I wasn’t any fun. So he found his fun with another woman. Unfortunately, the other woman he found so exciting was my sister.”

I could see Daniel’s jaw literally drop. “Oh, my God,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Not only did I lose my fiancé, I lost my relationship with my only sibling.”

“That’s the kind of thing you think only happens in movies,” he said.

“Or reality television,” I added.

Daniel had so much warmth in his eyes when he looked at me. “I realize a guy has to have brains to be a surgeon but he’s obviously stupid to do something like that to you.”

“Thanks,” I said. “We’d better get back to work.”

As we stood up, Daniel touched my elbow. Even though he was barely making contact with me, I could still feel the heat from his hand on my arm and it warned the rest of my body.

“Wait,” he said softly. “The reason I asked about what you like to do for fun is because I wanted to know if you’d like to do something with me this weekend.”

It had only been a few months since I broke off my engagement and I wasn’t sure I was ready to date but I also didn’t have the heart to say no to Daniel, especially when I looked into his eyes and saw so much hope laced with apprehension.

“I’d love to,” I said.

He exhaled. “Great. Maybe we can meet for dinner on Saturday. I know a wonderful Mexican place on the beach. We can watch the sun set. How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“If you give me your cell number, I can text you the address. It’s easy to find.”

I reached into my purse and grabbed my cell. “What’s your number?” I asked.

He gave me his number and I typed it into my phone. I typed a short text and hit the send button. “Now you have my number.”

I could hear his cell phone in his pocket bling. He removed it and looked at the text. He grinned then looked up at me. “I can’t wait for Saturday either,” he said.

***

By the time I got home, I was even more exhausted than the day before. The twins spent the afternoon in my office ‘training me’ in the computer filing system, which should have taken about ten minutes, but took three hours because of all of the banter between the two and the non-stop gossip they just had to tell me about everyone who worked there.

My thoughts returned to Daniel and how much I was growing to like him. He seemed so sincere and kind, a guy you’d call a real sweetheart. I felt warm and cozy just thinking about him. My mind didn’t immediately go to sex when I thought about him, which was a change. The guys I had dated in the past seemed to all have that effect on me. And none of those relationships had turned out so well. Obviously, or I’d still be with them. Daniel made me think about cuddling on the couch watching a movie, or walking hand-in-hand on the beach, instead of just jumping into bed with him.

I got into my sweat pants and a tee shirt and relaxed on the couch with the book I had been dying to read, Fight Club. I adored the movie and couldn’t wait to read the source material. I’m a bit obsessed with violent books and films. I think I find violent entertainment so appealing because of my psychology background. As a therapist, I see a lot of violent people and hear a lot of stories of violence. Perhaps in some ways, I was trying to figure out what’s behind it all. Or maybe I just enjoy watching, or reading about, a good fight.

I could feel myself starting to fall asleep in my book when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my watch. It was nearly nine o’clock.

The knocking continued until I opened the door and Eddie waltzed in.

“Hey, neighbor,” he said. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“It’s nine at night,” I moaned. “What are you doing here?”

He flopped on the couch. “Just wanted to see what you were up to.”

“I’m getting ready to go to bed,” I said and immediately regretted it.

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Is that an invitation? I didn’t think you were that easy.”

I put my hands on my hips. “That was not an invitation.”

“Too bad. As much as I dig that sexy little tee shirt you’ve got on, I’d love to see it off.”

I could feel my face turning red and the heat spreading throughout my body. How could a man simultaneously disgust and excite me?

“If you sit down and talk to me for five minutes, I promise I’ll leave.”

“Fine,” I said as I sat down on the other side of the couch. I stared at Eddie and waited for him to speak.

“So, do you know much about kite surfing?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Do you want to see how it’s done?”

“Not particularly,” I said.

I caught a glimmer of something in Eddie’s eyes. A challenge, perhaps?

“How about a walk on the beach then?”

“It’s awfully dark out,” I quipped.

He grinned. “I meant this weekend. Maybe Saturday at dusk. We can watch the sunset. It’s romantic.” He emphasized the word romantic as if he was making fun of it.

“I already have plans for Saturday,” I said matter-of-factly.

Eddie’s cool demeanor slipped for an instant but was back just as quickly. “You work fast,” he said. “You’ve haven’t even lived here a week yet. I thought it would take at least few weeks for all the sharks to come out of the water.”

“I certainly wouldn’t call my date a shark,” I said.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “All guys are sharks. Some are just better at hiding it.”

“Whatever. You don’t even know the guy.”

“But I am a guy and I know how guys are.”

I glared at Eddie. “No, you know how you are. Not all guys are like you.”

Eddie shrugged. “Believe what you want. At least I’m honest about what I want.”

“And what is that exactly?” I challenged.

Eddie slid over to me so our bodies were almost touching. He looked at me with such desire I could barely breathe. “You and I both know what I want, and I think you want it, too.”

I nearly leapt from the couch to stop myself from doing something really stupid. All it would have taken was for me to move one inch toward Eddie and we would have been making out on my couch and probably in my bed shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, when I jumped from the couch, my knees were weak and I nearly fell over. When I righted myself, I turned to Eddie and glared at him. “You have no idea what I want.”

Eddie got up from the couch and stood right next to me. He got close enough to whisper in my ear. Feeling his breath on my neck sent a wave of shivers down my body that were so intense, I nearly collapsed. The sexual tension between the two of us filled the small room.

“You think you know me, Alexandria,” he said softly in my ear. “But you don’t. One of the things you don’t know about me is that I love playing games. I thrive on it. It’s an aphrodisiac. And this game you’re playing with me is the ultimate turn on.”

And with that, he strolled out the door.

Shit. I didn’t know what to do. Part of me wanted to roll right into bed with Eddie. It would be so easy. The sex would probably be mind-blowing. And the aftermath would most likely be messy. Especially when I had to live next door to the guy for at least a year, which was the duration of my lease.

Then there was Daniel. He was definitely the type of guy who wanted a relationship. But was I ready for that? Was I ready to fall in love again?

I moved to Florida to get away from the complexities and drama of a romantic relationship gone terribly wrong. Yet, here I was in Florida not even a week, and I found myself in the midst of not one but two possible romantic entanglements. What was wrong with me?