“Maybe, but that could be shortened to you’re wrong, and I’m right; it would make things simpler.”
“Considering you have never tried to make my life easier, why should I show the same courtesy?”
“Seriously, though, are you doing well?”
Leave it to a lawyer to start strong, distract you, and then loop back to the original point with a determination that takes you off guard. I frowned. “You yourself have commented on my state of mind; is that observation not enough?”
“A little confirmation never hurt anyone. Believe it or not, my dear Rowan, when you care about people, you sometimes want to hear them say they’re doing well, not just figure it out. People crave simplicity, especially when it comes to the ones they love.”
I sighed, knowing she wasn’t trying to make me feel guilty but hating the feeling all the same. “Yes, I’m doing well. I’m enjoying myself while also doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
I tensed as a new but familiar voice piped up behind me. “I certainly hope you’ve been doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”
I swiveled around to find the head of the resort, Mr. Shepherd, standing behind me, looking amused. “Uh, hello, Mr. Shepherd. I hope I wasn’t being too loud.”
“No,” he said with a tilt of his head and a small, polite smile. “Not at all, I only caught the last bit of your conversation. I was hoping we could talk. It can always wait, of course.”
“Mr. Shepherd?” Hannah said in my ear, her tone tinged with worry. “As in Marc Shepherd? The guy who founded and runs the place? Hell and damnation, I hope it’s a courtesy call.”
I knew the feeling. It wasn’t the first time our family had used subterfuge to conduct an investigation or audit, but it was the first time I had ever had to play a role. So long as I didn’t give away the game, it should be easy; all I needed to do was act like myself.
“Hannah, I’ll have to let you go,” I told her, checking my tone and finding it didn’t sound nervous or tense. “I believe I might be in trouble.”
“That had better be one of your badly timed jokes,” she grumbled. “Never mind. Unless you’re being a smart ass, your jokes are always badly timed, so it probably is. Let me know. Bye.”
“Bye,” I said, tucking my phone away. “Sorry about that.”
“No, no, I was the one who interrupted,” he said with a smile as he gestured to the chair opposite me. “Do you mind?”
“This is your place,” I said, but gestured toward the seat all the same.
“What would be the point of a place where my guests are encouraged to feel at home, and have privacy, safety, and autonomy, if I take that away every time I want to talk to them?” he asked as he sat down, crossing one leg over the other. “And you’re not in trouble. Not that we typically do ‘trouble’ around here, unless of course you’ve done something that merits it.”
I suspected he and several others would be unhappy about my duplicity, but it could work in the resort’s favor, resulting in a great deal of funding.
So I just shrugged. “Nothing I can think of, but the list of rules that could result in trouble was as short as they were grounded in common sense.”
“You may have noticed, but in a place devoted to digging into yourself and freeing what’s there to heal, there is a danger of intense emotions. Sometimes those can be displayed in volatile ways.”
“You’re referring to emotional outbursts and violence.”
“I am, yes.”
“Is that common enough to be a concern?”
“A concern? Yes. Common? Not really. Mind you, that is less to do with the environment we foster, or the power people attribute to the location, and more about making sure every member of the staff is trained to recognize the signs and how to de-escalate a situation before it spirals out of control. And if it does...well, you might not have read the contract you signed, but it covers all legalities surrounding the need for direct methods of calming someone down.”
“Drugs?” I wondered.
“It’s been known to be necessary,” Mr. Shepherd said with a shrug. “Obviously, a last resort, but it is better to chemically restrain someone long enough for them to calm down, then figure out what to do.”
I frowned. “That sounds as though you don’t remove the person from the resort.”
His brow raised a little. “Do you think we should?”
“If someone is a clear danger to others, it would protect the environment that everyone I’ve talked to seems to fawn over,” I said with a frown, looking around. “Admittedly, it is hard to argue with the peace and security this place offers.”
He chuckled. “Well, there is that, but we encourage people to be their authentic selves as much as possible. I saw from yourfile that you are a corporate auditor, making sure employees and management are handling things properly, correct?”
