In one corner is a stone fireplace with flames crackling and popping, throwing off waves of delicious heat and that incredible woodsmoke smell that reminds me of camping and comfort.
Against one wall is a walk-in shower area, all natural stone with two large rainfall showerheads mounted overhead. There are built-in stone benches inside, a whole wall of neatly stacked, fluffy white towels, and the space is so large that ten people could easily fit inside without feeling cramped.
And then there’s the sauna. A walk-in wooden structure with the doors currently standing open, revealing long wooden benches on two levels like stadium seating. The heated stones are already glowing orange, ready to create steam. A wooden bucket with a ladle sits beside them, and there are small steps to climb up to the higher bench level.
Near the hot tub is a smaller circular tub, and when I look closer, I realize the water has ice in it.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, turning in a slow circle to take it all in. “And this is all ours?”
“You bet,” Nina says proudly, clearly pleased with my reaction.
The attendant who led us in appears through another door, carrying a tray with water bottles. She sets them down on a small table near the hot tub and launches into her explanation.
“The hot tub and sauna are already at optimal temperature. The ice bath over there,” she gestures to the circular tub, “is for alternating hot and cold therapy after the sauna, if you’re interested in that experience. Many guests find it invigorating, though it’s certainly not required.”
She points to a button mounted on the wall near the hot tub. “If you need anything at all during your session, just press this buzzer. Food from our menu, drinks, additional towels, massage therapists if you decide you’d like that service added. Whatever you need. Otherwise, you have complete privacy for the next four hours. The suite is soundproofed and entirely yours.”
“Thank you,” Nina says.
The woman nods and heads for the exit. “Enjoy your time.”
She leaves, and the heavy door closes with a soft, final-sounding thunk.
I turn to Nina, and tears prick my eyes. Grateful tears, overwhelmed tears. “I’m completely gobsmacked. This is amazing. And you’re doing this for me? You have no idea how much this means, especially with everything that’s going on. I don’t deserve a friend like you.”
“You desperately need this kind of relaxation. I just want you to know that I booked this and did it specifically for you with the best intentions. Okay?”
I look at her, thinking that’s a slightly odd way to phrase it. But I’m too grateful and emotionally wrung out to question it. “Okay. Thank you. Seriously.”
“Sauna first?” Nina suggests, already moving toward the wooden structure. “Get a good sweat going, then we can hit the hot tub.”
“God, yes. I need to sweat out all my anxiety.”
We hurry into the sauna, the heat hitting us immediately. It’s intense but not unbearable. Nina immediately grabs the wooden ladle and adds more water to the stones. Steam hisses up dramatically, filling the wooden space.
We sit on the lower-level bench, the towels wrapped around us protecting our skin from the hot wood. Within seconds, sweat is starting to bead on my forehead, my upper lip, the back of my neck.
“So, really,” Nina says, settling in and leaning back against the wooden wall with a contented sigh. “How are you actually feeling? And I want the truth, not the brave face you’ve been putting on. That was incredibly painful, what you went through yesterday, and you said you’re certain they’re your scent matches, all four of them. That makes everything so much worse.”
“So much more than worse,” I admit, feeling the words stick in my throat. “It burns, Nina, as if someone’s pressing hot coals against my sternum. It all happened so ridiculously fast, you know? I didn’t realize I was falling for them until I was already drowning, already in over my head. Every moment I spent with them outside of work was my undoing, and I should have come clean before things got physical, before I got in so deep I couldn’t see straight.”
I wipe sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. “But I can’t change the past, can’t undo what I did.”
“Okay, but listen,” Nina says, turning on the bench to face me more fully. “Sometimes things seem bigger and more catastrophic than they actually are when we’re in the thick of them, you know? Our emotions and feelings get all bruised and dramatic, and we blow things out of proportion. But those guys aren’t going to just let their scent match walk out of their lives. They’re not stupid, and they’re not heartless.”
She leans forward earnestly, her eyes intense. “Do you know the actual statistics? I saw this national government study last month when I was researching Omega rights stuff. Less than ten percent of people find their true scent match in their lifetime. Ten percent, Anita. Most people go their whole lives never experiencing that kind of connection, that recognition. So, just saying, maybe you should talk to them soon. Be normal. Try to start fresh, like you’re meeting for the first time in a way.”
I study Nina, who is gorgeous and sweet and clearly trying to help. “Yeah, I really don’t think my pretending that what I did doesn’t exist is going to go down well with them. They’re not going to just forget I lied. Though it would be nice to hit a magical reset button and start over.”
“I’m not saying pretend it didn’t happen,” Nina clarifies, adding more water to the stones. More steam hisses up, making the air almost thick enough to taste. “I’m saying don’t let it define every single interaction going forward. You apologized publicly. You told the complete truth. You’re changing your focus to Reed, which is where it should have been all along. Now you move forward and show them through actions that you’re trustworthy.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Most worthwhile things are.”
We keep chatting, the conversation flowing easier now. Nina tells me about a difficult customer at the bakery who insisted their gluten-free muffin wasn’t gluten-free enough. I tell her about a caller on my show who thought heat suppressants were a government conspiracy. We laugh, and it feels good. Normal. Like maybe the world isn’t completely ending.
The heat in the sauna is getting more intense with each ladle of water Nina adds. My skin is slick with sweat, my face flushed, my hair sticking to my neck. But I relax for the first time in twenty-four hours, the tension slowly melting away.
