“Another one of those new things that isn’t usually tried. There are scores of women-focused support systems out there. I do not begrudge them in the slightest. In fact, I felt a certain envy, as they work wonders for the women who attend,” he said with such smoothness and honesty that I believed him easily. “But that envy...well, why not use it to create something similar for men? I was not without resources and connections, so I was able to create a place like this to see if what worked for women might also work for men.”
“I’ve seen this place; it seems like a lot of money to pour into it. The kind that if it came from your own bank account would make you stand out,” I said, and pivoted slightly. I didn’t needhim to realize I came from an influential family with wealth and power. “And in my line of work, you get acquainted with the names of those with money.”
“Money can buy a great many things, but as I said, I had connections as well,” he said with a shrug. “My point is that this place came from a doubt formed from my criticisms of the help available, almost envy of the process, and a stubbornness that I have been reminded repeatedly comes from genetics and upbringing.”
“And you chose Reggie to help you pioneer Arete.”
“I did. I note you have lost some of your doubtful tone when mentioning him.”
His awareness took me by surprise, but I chided myself. I was, after all, dealing with the head of the resort, which was tailored to help people with mental and lifestyle troubles. It would have been easy to believe the man at the top wouldn’t be intuitive or as aware as those working directly with people. I had to remember that many of my assumptions about Arete had missed the mark so far.
And Reggie? I admit I had gotten him wrong. He had proven to be a capable leader, and from what I learnt, he had been a phenomenal Guide. That he ended up a good programmer and a dedicated, if somewhat erratic, administrator was impressive.
I knew how to give credit where it was due.
“He is...not as I originally believed.”
“He is what happens when you take a thinker and a feeler, cram them into the same body, and shake it up with some ADHD...though don’t say that to him.”
“Does he disagree with you that strongly?”
“No, I meant specifically because he despises the term ADHD or the older acceptable ADD, despite being diagnosed. Don’t get him going on the subject, or you’ll wonder when the end is coming.”
“Duly noted,” I said, remembering a similar warning from Luka. “And you said something about mystical powers for this place?”
Mr. Shepherd sighed, and for the first time he looked almost embarrassed. “It all came from when we started the groundwork for the facility. I cannot remember for the life of me whether it was the architect, someone on his team, or one of the builders, but someone made the statement that this was good land. Healing land, I believe was the word used. Which was overheard and passed on.”
“Overheard by Reggie,” I said, and smirked when Mr. Shepherd shot me a pained look. “Apparently, he isn’t as skeptical as you and I.”
“He doesn’t give himself time to be skeptical. For him, if something works, sometimes that’s enough...other times he’ll dig and dig until he figures out why,” Mr. Shepherd said with a sigh. “But you need people like that in the world, I think. The ones willing to move on to something bigger, or at least willing to keep pushing for something better.”
I would never be sure whether coincidence or fate shifted the universe. Because that was the exact moment Luka appeared, looking around until he spotted me. His expression turned to surprise, as if he hadn’t known I was here, then to shock when he saw Mr. Shepherd, and he looked almost panicked. It was only when he saw me give him a wry twitch of my brow that he ducked his head with a sheepish look.
Mr. Shepherd turned, clearly seeing that a silent conversation was happening, and made a soft noise, gesturing for Luka to come over. Luka flashed a nervous smile, but he came over with that same sheepish look on his face. He didn’t seem to know where to stand, looking between the chair next to Mr. Shepherd and the spot on the couch next to me.
Sighing heavily, I took Luka’s wrist and pulled him down onto the couch. He briefly flailed but caught himself by gripping my thigh. His eyes narrowed, which I didn’t relieve by smirking at him. His expression only changed when my eyes flicked to where his hand was still on my thigh, as he sat a little too close. His face flushed, and he snatched his hand away as though it burned. I was left with the lingering warmth and sensation of his hand on me as he smiled at Mr. Shepherd.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Shepherd,” Luka said brightly, as though he hadn’t just accidentally copped a feel and acted guilty as sin. “I hope you’re doing well.”
“As well as ever,” Mr. Shepherd said as he watched Luka. “I hear you’ve been busy. How has that been going for you?”
“Yes,” I said with a smirk. “How has it been being my Guide? Do tell.”
Luka gave an aggrieved sigh. “It has been an...enlightening experience, I can say that much with complete confidence.”
Mr. Shepherd laughed. “Fair enough. I think that’s the consensus among new Guides. It can feel like a massive responsibility for one person, but those who get through without losing their hair often say it wasn’t as hard as they’d thought. A bit like being asked to solve a riddle; in retrospect, the solution seems obvious.”
“Funny, I used to love riddles,” Luka muttered, fidgeting as if now he’d moved his hand, he didn’t know what to do with it. It was probably egotistical on my part, but it amused me all the same.
Ever since I’d dropped my offer to him a couple of days ago, he had been...different. Not the same as he’d been after we’d fooled around. That had been, from how he’d reacted when I confronted him, like someone doing everything to avoid something out of shame and guilt. Two emotions which, as I had pointed out, were unnecessary. As I’d already said, we wereadults, and I wasn’t vulnerable as his guest, so he hadn’t violated an ethical principle by deciding to have a bit of discreet fun with me.
This felt more like him pretending to be back to normal while mulling over my offer. Not that I would hold that against him. I had a head start thinking about whether I wanted it and if it was worth the risk before I confronted him. I didn’t need to do any more thinking. We were adults, we were competent, and it was obvious we were interested in each other. That alone was enough in my book to continue as we were without worrying, especially because we both had reasons to keep it quiet, unlike others in the resort.
“Well, in my experience, the answer is sitting in front of us and quite obvious,” Mr. Shepherd told him with a smile. “The best thing is to try not to get to the answer too quickly. The answers will come at some point if we’re willing to find them.”
“Just chill, man,” I said in an exaggerated, calm voice. “Go with the flow.”
“I was raised by a hippie family, so you’re not far off the mark,” Mr. Shepherd chuckled. “Their laissez-faire attitude toward life wasn’t the best for raising children, but they had valuable lessons. And they were right that it’s important to let life take its course.”
