Page 2 of Todd
The curtain whispered open, and this time a man stepped into view. Pale-blue tunic and pants. But this one wore a snow-white jacket over the ensemble, embroidered with the same elegant Serenity Dunes logo on the pocket. His dark hair was pulled back into a low bun, and his expression was serene in the way only people who taught yoga for a living could manage.
Matteo. Or was it Marcus? She remembered him from orientation but couldn’t recall his name. He was in charge of yoga and something called sound baths, which she still hadn’t figured out whether it involved actual water or just high-volume humming. Staring at him, she wondered how the hell he managed to keep his jacket so white near the mud baths.
“Excuse me, Sadie. I’m Marcus,” he said with the same meditative cadence he’d used when welcoming them all during check-in. “Your time here is almost up. An assistant will be in shortly to guide you to the showers.”
“So I can’t play in the mud anymore?” she asked, lips twitching upward just slightly at the absurdity of the situation, or maybe the mud had finally gone to her head.
His serene expression didn’t change. “If you enjoy it, we can certainly schedule more mud treatments during your stay.”
The thought of voluntarily subjecting herself to this again made her backpedal quickly. “Oh, no... I mean, I’d hate to monopolize the... um... the benefits of this experience when other guests might be waiting.” She forced what she hoped was a gracious smile, praying this would be her first and final encounter with therapeutic dirt.
He dipped his head in silent acknowledgment and stepped away, the curtain falling shut again behind him.
His soft footfalls disappeared down the corridor, followed by faint laughter from another cubicle. Someone was obviously having the time of their life being dipped in sediment.
“Tasha, the cheerleader, Marcus, the serene, and Matteo, the intense,” Sadie muttered, now remembering the other man with the dark look from their orientation. But the thought of intense brought someone else to mind instantly. Someone who managed to walk into a room and change the air pressure.And my blood pressure.Someone whose presence lingered longer than it should. Todd Blake.
And just like that, the breath she’d been focusing on left her chest again, this time hard and heavy. She needed this change from staring at a computer screen all day, every day, and constantly being the one people came to for answers. But mostly, it was about needing time away from him.
For the next two weeks, she wouldn’t see him. Hear his voice. Watch the way his eyes tracked her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. She wouldn’t have to think about that night. That night, which she considered life-altering, while he was determined to just be coworkers. She was so tired of pretending.
She let her head fall back against the pillow again, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence and the scent of sage and lavender fill the space.
The curtain whispered open once more, and a woman stepped inside with quiet grace. Her voice, like her demeanor,was gentle. “Sadie, I’ll escort you to the shower facilities whenever you’re ready. After that, you can enjoy the mineral water baths.”
Nodding, Sadie chuckled. “Oh, I’m ready.” She planted her hands on the sides of the tub and heaved herself upright. The mud slid down her body in globs, heavy and clinging, leaving her feeling strangely lighter as the weight of the substance fell away. The attendant moved closer with practiced efficiency, her gloved hands gentle but thorough as she helped remove the excess mud from Sadie’s skin. Even though she was wearing a conservative one-piece bathing suit, the intimacy of having someone else tend to her body felt foreign and slightly overwhelming. She could have gone in naked, but she had no intention of letting that sludge get into crevices better left clean.
With a small, polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, Sadie stepped out of the cubicle and padded across the warm hallway floor.I’m still dripping mud!
Immediately, someone from housekeeping appeared silently and mopped the floor. In less than a moment, the floor was just as pristine as before.
Her attendant opened a door and motioned her into a private shower that looked like a work of art, with beautiful stone tiles in earth tones and a rainwater showerhead that gleamed under soft lights. The attendant tested the water temperature with the dedication of someone preparing a baby’s bath, then stepped back to give Sadie privacy.
Sadie stood still for a moment, staring up at the cascade. Then she stepped forward, letting the waterfall stream over her. She watched the dirty water swirl around her feet and disappear down the drain, taking with it the earthy residue and some of the tension she’d been carrying in her shoulders. This was nothing like her hurried morning routine of a quick, functional shower that was just another item to check off her daily list.
God, this feels good.For the first time in months, she simply stood still and felt the water cascade over her body. The heat penetrated her muscles, and she found herself thinking about the last time she’d taken a shower that was about pleasure rather than necessity. The memory that surfaced made her pulse quicken, and she quickly twisted the faucet handle, cutting off both the water and the dangerous direction of her thoughts.
This is exactly why I need this, she reminded herself as she toweled off with the spa’s impossibly soft terry cloth. Time away from Montana. Time away from him.For two weeks, I don’t have to see him or pretend that he doesn’t turn my carefully ordered world upside down just by existing in the same building.
She stepped back into the corridor. Her attendant reappeared, her steps quiet and measured as she guided Sadie toward the mineral baths. The hallway was softly lit, the walls lined with curved adobe niches filled with candles and dried desert herbs. Everything about the place whispered serenity… and luxury.
And still, Sadie couldn’t stop the thought from slipping in.Why doesn’t the idea of not seeing Todd make me happier?It should’ve been a relief. An escape. Instead, it felt like something unfinished was being put on pause.
2
EIGHTEEN MONTHS EARLIER
It was always a calculated choice for Sadie. Window seat or aisle. During her years with the military or CIA special ops team, the decision had been made for her. Military transports didn’t offer the luxury of preferences, just utilitarian bench seats bolted to bare metal walls with no windows to break the monotony.
But when she flew commercial, she’d always considered what she needed most—space or solitude. The window seat let her retreat from the world, gaze down at the patchwork of farmland and forests, and pretend for a moment that she was part of something grounded. But if she traveled on a larger jet flying above the clouds, she couldn’t stand the confinement. Then she chose the aisle: less beauty but more control.
On the first leg from Florida to her connection, she’d chosen the aisle, needing the psychological escape route. But this final plane was smaller, more intimate, and she’d deliberately selected the window seat. She wanted to see the land that might become home, if everything worked in her favor and she was offered the job she sought.
Montana unfolded below in a breathtaking vista. Broad plains stretched wide, eventually giving way to jagged snowcapped mountains, their peaks catching the light likesomething out of a painting. Clusters of trees scattered across the landscape, forests thick in their wildness. She instinctively wanted to inhale deeply, but the recycled cabin air couldn’t offer what she craved.
Freshness. Space. Freedom.
The plane was small, with just two seats on each side of the narrow aisle. Her seatmate was an older woman with kind eyes and silver-streaked hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. She offered a polite smile as they settled in, then immediately extracted a worn paperback from her oversized handbag, signaling her own preference for solitude.
