“I have an even better idea,” she says so enthusiastically I think she’s going to suggest she, Bea, and I climb into our own spacecraft and orbit the moon. “I saw this class at the center, and I didn’t say anything to you or Bea because I thought it might be too extreme.”
“Oh, no. More extreme than sex yoga?”
Mom nods and looks like she may burst with excitement. “It’s called HypnoFantasy.”
“That sounds frightening,” I say.
“It’s a class where each student undergoes a short period of hypnosis in order to unlock her deepest sexual fantasies.”
“No,” I say immediately.
But Mom thinks I’m saying it in enthusiastic disbelief.
“Yes,” Mom says. “I didn’t believe you could find a class like that in Liberty Falls, either. Although this town has always been a bit quirky. Which may be a good thing for you and Jenson,” she adds with a knowing look.
“Mom, please.”
“I’m just saying. This class sounds fascinating, don’t you think? I confess to having lots of fantasies lurking inside me, as must you, Olivia. And we could do it together.”
My mother has hit a whole new level of liberation.I take a deep breath. “Mom, I really don’t think I can handle something so…” I search for a word. “Intense right now. I fully support you and Bea attending, though. It sounds like it could be very therapeutic.”
“That’s exactly what I thought!” Mom says. “See, it’s like one mind, honey.”
* * *
I walk home from work slowly. I’ve just rounded the corner into my driveway when I notice somebody on my front step. I can’t make out who it is because the big bush in front of my walkway blocks the view quite well. As I get closer, Sheldon’s profile comes into focus. He’s fidgeting with his hands and pacing back and forth in front of my front door.
“Hey,” I call out.
Sheldon waves and waits for me to reach him. I invite him inside, and he follows me. Bernie’s barking like crazy, so I take him out and then get his dinner ready for him while Sheldon takes a seat on my couch. Once Bernie starts to eat, I sit down on the other end of the couch from Sheldon and wait for him to speak.
“I just want you to know that when the assholes come shouting, because you know they will, Olivia, I am here for you. And for Jenson.”
I let out a long breath. “I appreciate that more than you can ever know.”
“So you guys can be together now. You are together now.” Sheldon watches my eyes. “What do you think of that?”
“I’ve been in love with him since I was a kid, and nothing has changed that. No matter how hard I’ve tried, no matter how many other men I’ve hoped to love, nothing’s worked.”
His eyes go wide. “At Cybil’s, when Jenson said you two had loved each other forever…”
I nod. “Dead serious. And it’s the same for him.”
“So your marriages…” Sheldon starts to say but then stops himself.
“Yes,” I say. “We tried to be normal like everybody else. The problem is, we’re not like everybody else, and we never were. We’re freaks, I guess.”
Sheldon’s blue eyes narrow. “So you’ve been in love with him forever. I mean, it must have been…”
“Torture,” I say, using the word Jenson and I use to describe it. “Yeah, it’s been pretty much torture.”
Sheldon runs his hand through his hair and tugs at the short strands. “Olive. Shit. I can’t believe you kept this from me. Not because I’m a narcissistic asshole and I wanted to be in on a secret but because I can’t imagine having to hide from you something that means that much to me.” More hair tugging. “I feel like such an ass. All those times I teased you for your bad luck with men, and the things I said…”
I raise an eyebrow at him playfully. “Are you actually apologizing to me, Sheldon Graham?”
He nods seriously. “I am. And I can’t believe I never saw the crazy-ass chemistry between the two of you. Because once I started thinking about it, I realized it’s always been obvious. Jenson’s always looked at you like you’re a goddess. And he treats you that way, too. Which makes me so damn happy to see my little sister finally be with a man she deserves.”
I touch his leg. “Thank you for that.”
