Page 21 of Pushing Daisy
At that thought, Daisy emerges from the bathroom. “Well, let’s get this over with.”
“I feel so relaxed already,” Sloan deadpans, following behind Daisy as she leaves the room, apparently not caring if Sloan is behind her.
“Welcome to The Dandelion Spa,” another receptionist greets as they arrive at the spa area. She looks to be a vampire, and as they approach, Sloan clearly sees a set of fangs peek through the receptionist’s smile.
“Thank you, Sola,” Daisy replies, smiling as she reads the staff’s name tag again. This is the second time Sloan has seen her make sure to catch the staff’s name. Sloan can’t think of a time when she has ever noticed a staff member’s name or paid much attention to them at all. Her parents taught her early on that hired staff are only a means of getting what you want and not to become friendly with them. But seeing the smile on Sola’s face when Daisy uses her name does something to Sloan. She tucks that thought into the back of her mind. For now, she needs to focus on getting through this massage.
“So, we have you down for a couple’s massage,” Sola says.
“Yes. Is it possible to have us go into separate rooms?” Daisy asks.
Sola looks confused.
Sloan steps forward. “My lady is a little shy sometimes. We’ll be fine.”
Sola smiles and nods. “I assure you, our staff are very professional. If you’ll follow me, I can take you back to your room.”
“Thank you,” Sloan and Daisy respond in unison.
Following Sola down the hall, Sloan turns to ask Daisy a question, but she glares back at her, her eyes threatening hexes. Heaven forbid Daisy try to be somewhat civil and engage in normal conversation.
“Here you are. Your massage therapist, Franklin, will be here shortly. In the meantime, there are robes inside for you to change into.”
“Wait? Only one massage therapist?”
“Yes, this is a couple’s massage lesson. He will guide you through how to give each other massages.”
“What!” Daisy exclaims. “No. No. NO! No, no, no, no!” Turning to Sloan, she nearly barks, “You said this was a couple’s massage.” Daisy points vehemently at her. “As in, we both get a massage. From. A. Professional.”
“I thought you knew what you were signed up for. My apologies,” Sola responds, backing away to give Daisy space, but Daisy only has eyes for Sloan. Of course, those eyes currently say she wants to murder Sloan.
“Did I forget to tell you that, cupcake?” Sloan replies cheekily. “I must have left out that detail when reading the itinerary.” Daisy may not be her usual type, but getting this kind of reaction out of her is satisfying, sparking a bit of heat inside her chest. This is going to be fun.
Daisy huffs angrily, turning on her heel, and stalks back to the spa entrance. “Where are you going?” Sloan calls after her.
Daisy turns dramatically, eyes narrowing as her arms cross across her ample chest—which Sloan absolutely does not glance at for longer than is socially acceptable, “I am not doing this kind of couple’s massage. It’s not happening,” Daisy says, stomping her foot.
Hmm. She’s kind of cute when she’s angry.
Sloan approaches her. Slowly. Cautiously. Her hands rise in front of her, a gesture hopefully signaling she comes in peace. “Daisy,” she starts, only to have Daisy practically growl at her. Sloan steps forward, now dangerously in reach of the witch, who is bubbling with fury like a cauldron ignored. Sloan softens her tone. “Daisy,” she tries again, “I know this is not what you had in mind. But if we are creating an opportunity for community members to connect, we need to see all that The Dandelion offers. I think this could be a great feature to list.” Daisy’s arms fall from across her chest, and her shoulders fall to a more reasonable level. Seeing she has an opening, Sloan continues, “Think about how exciting this could be for them to take part in. Touch is a huge way to bond and something many people are starved for, especially if they’ve felt excluded for so long. I think we do this, and then we have a great way to entice people to come and find new ways to connect with others. We can also suggest it as a trust exercise. It’s hard to be vulnerable, and an experience like this could not only provide contact and bonding but create a base for trusting others in the community. What do you say?”
Daisy stares at her, chewing on her bottom lip. Sloan can see the shift in her eyes, suggesting that she wants to agree that it could be good but doesn’t necessarily want to agree with her.
Sola steps toward them. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I do want to apologize again for the miscommunication. I also need to let Franklin know if he is needed. Will you be partaking in the massage session?”
Daisy looks to Sola and then back at Sloan before releasing a soft huff of resignation. “Yes, we will do the massage,” she says reluctantly.
“Wonderful!” Sola claps excitedly. She turns and nearly bounces toward the door for their massage room. “I will send Franklin along shortly. I’m positive you will have a relaxing experience, and we look forward to your feedback after your session.” Sola opens the door to their massage room and promptly disappears to the reception desk, leaving them alone in the hall.
“After you, my lady,” Sloan says, stepping off to the side and waving a hand forward for Daisy to go ahead of her. Daisy rolls her eyes but goes ahead anyway.
“The sooner we get in there, the sooner it’s over,” Daisy grumbles. Sloan follows closely behind, shutting the door behind her.
“Here,” Daisy says, thrusting a robe into Sloan’s chest, catching her off guard. Daisy’s hand brushes against her breasts as she pulls it away, sending a shock down to Sloan’s toes. Weird.
“Thanks.”
“You can get changed in this corner. I’ll go to the other one.”
