“Is that where she is now?”
“I’m not sure. Weren’t you separated from your group when you arrived?”
“What do you mean?”
Maya’s questions keep receiving the same confused look from Stacy. It’s starting to make her feel like an idiot. Self-conscious, she wishes Robbie or Ralph had prepared her better.
“It’s a tradition of the retreat to interact with new friends and meet people you wouldn’t otherwise know. As soon as families arrive, they’re separated and aren’t told where anyone is staying. It’s especially freeing for couples while they’re here, not having to worry about the other’s happiness. I have no idea what my husband’s up to, and I couldn’t be happier. We might run into each other at some point over the week, but we’re registered in separate classes, sessions, activities, and break-out groups. Are you still with the follower who invited you?”
Maya fights the urge to make a comment about ignorance being bliss. Stacy seems like a textbook example of this, but Maya doesn’t want to piss off the most informative source she’s encountered since arriving. Sure, she willingly ditched Robbie this morning, but she can’t imagine participating in an entire week of this retreat completely alone.
“Yeah, we have a room together. Is that unusual?”
“I’ve never heard of that before. Mind if I ask which guide invited you?”
“Oh, he’s not a guide. I’m not sure if he has a title, but it’s my boyfriend Robbie who asked me to come along for part of the week.”
“Only part of the week?” Stacy asks. She stops walking and turns to look at Maya. “Wait, is your boyfriend Robbie Locke?”
“Yes,” Maya says hesitantly.
Apparently, Maya’s said something that’s more interesting than the triathlon. Despite being close to the edge of the crowd handing out water, Stacy doesn’t continue walking and she grabs both of Maya’s hands. The already over-enthusiastic Stacy looks like she’s going to explode with excitement.
“Oh my goodness. You have to help connect me and my sister, Erica, with him. It could do wonders for our journey if he knows who we are.”
“Sure, I don’t see why not. But how will we connect with your sister if you don’t know where she is?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Robbie will know where everyone is staying and which classes they’re in. If you mention Erica and me to him, he’ll find us within minutes.”
The idea of Robbie being all-knowing at the retreat is creepy to Maya. “Are you sure that’s a good thing?”
“Of course! It will help ensure her promotion to guide next year and could put me on a path to becoming a guru. But don’t mention that to him, I don’t want Robbie thinking I’m greedy. As Theo always says, ambition is great, but it can go too far when it spreads into greed.”
Maya tries to suppress a smile as she thinks about Teddy’s recent behavior. He certainly isn’t one to practice what he preaches. From what she can tell, he has more in common with Gordon Gecko than the Dalai Lama.
Worrying about Stacy idolizing this false prophet and potential con artist, Maya tries to hedge her optimism and talk her out of it. “Becoming a guru isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’ve heard it can be a really expensive path.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Stacy interrupts before Maya can continue. “I have a great low-interest credit card with a really high limit. It covers all of the debt from these POTCH courses.”
“Do you have a lot of debt?” Maya can feel a lump growing in her stomach. She’s nervous on Stacy’s behalf and doesn’t like how willing she seems to harm her real life for POTCH. God knows what her credit score might be.
“No worse than anyone else here.”
Hardly the answer Maya’s looking for. Her body wants to give Stacy a big hug and wrap her up in a blanket, while her brain wants to lecture the naivety out of Stacy. And all the other POTCH followers, for that matter.
“I don’t want to sound like a mother, but just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.”
“You know what they say, it takes money to make money. If I can reach guru level, POTCH will become a great career for me. I can finally quit the damn day job and feel truly fulfilled. Even as a guide, I’m hoping to start earning some of my money back.”
“Well, I’ll definitely talk to Robbie for you. Hopefully we can help you out.”
“Thank you so much.”
Stacy leans in and squeezes Maya in a tight hug. Patting her on the back, Maya isn’t sure this is the kind of hug she had in mind. After releasing each other, they look around to realize most of the swimmers have already passed them while they were talking. There isn’t much of a point to continue fighting their way to the front of the crowd. Stacy’s the first to recognize this, letting go of Maya’s hand and stepping back toward the cabin.
“I have to head back in and help finish cooking up breakfast for everyone, but after that, I’m participating in the chess tournament. Do you want to reconnect there after you talk to Robbie?”
“Oh, um, sure.”
Maya’s a little surprised by the speed and forcefulness of the request. Stacy didn’t seem like the type. Sure, she’s bubbly and confident, but this request is aggressive. It feels like she’s giving little room for Maya to back out. Something in Stacy changes when she discusses her promotion and sister, and it throws Maya off.
“Do you want to give me your phone number to make sure we’re able to connect?” Maya asks.
Not really caring about the chess tournament, she’s asking so she can follow up with Stacy after they leave the resort. It will be helpful in the event her paper actually publishes something and wants to do a little fact-checking. But the suspicious look on Stacy’s face instantly makes her regret asking.
“We’re not allowed to use our phones this week,” Stacy says like she’s trying to remind Maya of the most obvious fact in the world.
“Oh right, duh,” Maya says to try and play along. “It’s just instinct for me to think of my cellphone.”
She’s praying Stacy doesn’t notice the phone protruding from the back pocket of the tight jeans she’s wearing. Thankfully, Stacy starts walking back toward the cabin instead of pressing Maya more.
After a few steps, she stops and turns back to Maya with a patronizing smile. “This week is going to be good for you. Try to open yourself up and observe, your spirit will thank you.”
Maya doesn’t follow her back inside. Useless in the kitchen, it’s better for everyone if she doesn’t help make breakfast. It’s probably for the greater good if she only shows up to eat. Instead, she watches as a few stragglers emerge from the lake and try to regain ground on the biking trail. She doesn’t understand the appeal. Why would anyone wake up early to subject themselves to swimming, biking, and worst of all, running?
Finding a slightly larger than usual pebble, she kicks it along the field while searching for another alone POTCH follower who looks chatty. After a few unrewarding minutes, she worries that Stacy’s a unique member of the Church. People aren’t necessarily avoiding her, but they’re all deep in conversations and hurry past her. Or worse, some individuals look downright hostile. The dirty looks are enough to dissuade her from kicking the pebble in their direction.
Perhaps Teddy’s spreading the message about her. Maybe she needs to copy Ralph and focus on the hotel’s staff for her article’s quotes?
“You snuck out of bed without waking me up.”
Before she can turn around to respond, Maya feels Robbie’s strong arms wrap around her and lift her into the air. For the first time since their arrival, she feels safe. Safe hoisted into the air but securely in his tight and loving grip.
As soon as he returns her feet to the ground, she turns and gives Robbie a good morning kiss.
“Teddy’s going to be pissed that I skipped the triathlon this year.”
“Tell him you found a more fun way to burn calories,” Maya winks.
“That might m
ake him crucify me.”
“There you go. POTCH would have their very own martyr.”
Joining in Maya’s giggling, Robbie shakes his head and pretends to grow concerned. At least, she hopes he’s pretending.
“Actually, don’t mention that to Teddy. He might love the idea.”
Wanting to push Teddy out of their conversation, she gives Robbie another kiss. Deeper and longer than the one she greeted him with. It seems to work as Robbie invites her to join him for breakfast once their lips separate.
Just like everything else involving Robbie, breakfast beats Maya’s expectations. After her conversation with Stacy, she expected to find a few tables set up serving a stack of pancakes and some orange juice to a hungry line of guides. Instead, she feels like she stepped into a country club’s Sunday brunch when they re-enter the log cabin.
She’s not sure how exactly Stacy’s helping, as the professional caterers are back circling the room with their trays of food. Even Maya’s involvement couldn’t screw up this meal.
Robbie leads them to an omelet station where their platform was the previous evening. As they approach, the entire line seems to disappear, allowing Robbie to walk straight up to the cook and place his order. While she’s waiting beside him, one of the caterers from the previous evening comes around and offers a tray of freshly squeezed juices.
“Can you bring us a couple of espressos?” Robbie asks as Maya pulls a glass of grapefruit juice from the tray.
The waiter nods his head and obliges them only seconds later with a couple of espresso cups. Since Maya’s hands are full with the juice and her omelet plate, the waiter stands behind them and holds his tray out like a mobile table for their espressos.
Maya can’t believe his patience as he follows them to the crepe station. As he helps her grab the whipped cream, she can’t help but wonder how much the waiters are being paid. Whatever it is, she’s never been able to behave this well at a job. She hopes Robbie’s digging deep into his pockets for their tips.
“Is there anything this place doesn’t serve?” Maya asks as she marvels at the mountain of carbs in front of her.
“Meat,” Robbie grumbles as he spoons berries onto his freshly made waffles. “It would be the perfect breakfast if they’d only add a roast beef carving table and some bacon.”
“Well, I think this all looks damn good.”
“Yeah, you don’t know the price per plate I’m covering.”
His willingness to mention the costs surprises Maya, so she decides to push her luck. Maybe his breakfast sausage craving is putting him in a mood to complain and confide in her.
She resists the inclination to mention the importance of tipping and asks a more specific question about the week’s impact on his wallet. “How much did my ticket cost you for two days?”
“They don’t sell two-day tickets. I paid for an entire week, if you want to stick around any longer.”
Still standing, Maya fills her cheeks with freshly cut fruit and washes it down with a long gulp of grapefruit juice. Robbie correctly interprets her silence as politely declining his offer.
“Honestly, it’s hard to put a price on your trip,” Robbie mumbles.
Surprised her reaction didn’t end the conversation, Maya cocks her eyebrow to show Robbie her confusion. She knows she’s walking a tightrope, wanting him to open up more but not think of her as being pushy or asking too many questions. She waits to take another bite of her food, wanting to show Robbie that he has her attention once he finishes shoveling the omelet down his throat.
Realizing she’s focusing on him, Robbie plants a kiss on her cheek, leaving behind bits of egg. “Forget I said anything, sweetie.”
Clenching her jaw and trying to ignore the food on her face, Maya isn’t willing to move on this easily. “Is Teddy imposing extra fines on you because I’m here?”
“No one is fining me,” Robbie insists, his mumbling stopping as his voice grows forceful.
Maya’s relieved to see her question work as intended. Robbie clearly feels defensive and starts blabbering about what Teddy levies fines for. Finally wishing she’d been more open to Ralph’s wire idea, she tries to remember everything Robbie lists off.
“So the only cost for me coming this weekend was a standard ticket?”
After her conversation with Stacy earlier, Maya finds this hard to believe. Robbie’s guilty expression reinforces her suspicions.
“Well, I did make a donation to smooth over your presence, but that was completely of my own volition.”
“Why does that make it hard to put a price on my trip? Isn’t it just the cost of a ticket plus your donation?”
“Your ticket doesn’t really exist, sweetie. Despite my lack of title, I’m able to pull some strings around here. Us sharing a private room isn’t a luxury that’s exactly available to anyone else. Not to mention, the VIP treatment we received last night, the helicopter commute, and the optional itinerary you’re following. The Church finds ways to expense me for every little thing.”
“I have an itinerary?”
“For you, I guess it’s more of a choose-your-own-adventure.”
“What am I expected to be doing after breakfast?” Maya asks as she thinks about reconnecting with Stacy at the chess tournament.
“I think your schedule has you participating in the drum circle while I play in the chess tournament. After that, we meet back up for lunch and this year’s promotion ceremony. Unless you want to extend your stay, I think your ride will be leaving after that.”
Maya wrinkles her nose at the prospect of sitting through a cult’s drum circle. She might have been up for it in college, but a decision like that isn’t reached at a sober event with a clear head.
“You’re right, I prefer to choose my own adventure. I made a new friend earlier and she mentioned the chess tournament to me. I’ll join you and introduce you guys.”
“Fine, but I’m not sure if they’ll be any available chess boards for you. They normally try to pair everyone up for a game ahead of time.”
“That’s fine, I can watch. Chess is a lot quieter than a drum circle.”
Robbie doesn’t respond to her decision as he finishes his plate of breakfast. Once again wishing she’d been better informed before this trip, she decides to press him about the details of her itinerary.
“What’s the promotion ceremony?” Maya asks nonchalantly as Robbie finishes his espresso.
“POTCH only promotes members to guides once a year and it’ll happen this afternoon. Plus, I think we have two guides graduating to become gurus. This will be a very special day for them.”
Maya nods along as Robbie explains the details of the ceremony to her. She decides she’ll need to call Ralph beforehand and hear his description of the event, something he should have already done. She’s sure Robbie’s probably leaving some nefarious details out and Ralph will tell her what to look out for.
Plus, she wants to debrief with him as soon as possible. The longer they wait, the more minor details she’ll forget.
“What time is my ride out of here tonight?”
“Jalen’s also gonna be ditching us early this year, so I’m arranging for a helicopter to take you both back to the city. Since it’s a faster commute, I figure you guys can wait to leave until a bit later?”
“Sure.” Maya shrugs. “As long as I’m back in my editor’s office tomorrow morning, it doesn’t matter.”
Chapter Twenty One
Arriving in the auditorium a few minutes later than she should, Maya panics to find so many of the seats already full. As music starts playing to signal the promotion ceremony commencing, she runs down the aisle in search of Jalen. Robbie had offered to save her a seat beside him in the front row, but she didn’t think that was a good idea with Teddy’s watchful eye standing so close on stage. A decision she now regrets as she scans the rows of seats.
Right as Teddy takes the stage, Jalen spots Maya running down the center aisle. He tries to wave to her, but subt
ly, so Theo won’t notice. Jalen doesn’t want any more scorn from him when he’s so close to leaving the retreat.
Unfortunately, the waiving is too subtle for Maya to see. Without realizing it, she jogs past each row of seats until she’s standing right in front of the stage. She turns around to survey the theater for Jalen, hoping this gives her the best view in the house. But all she’s able to see is a bright light shining in her eyes.
“I guess our volunteers are a little confused this year,” Teddy announces into a microphone up on the stage. “The light should be on me, guys.”
Maya realizes it’s a spotlight that’s blinding her and tries to slink away from the stage before anything more embarrassing can happen. She’s willing to crouch on the stairs if it means moving the focus away from her. But the spotlight makes it hard for her to see where she’s walking, and before she knows what’s happening, she’s tripping over electrical cords and landing face-first on the stairs leading to the stage.
Overwhelmed with shame, Maya stays lying down on the stairs. The laughter emitting from the audience isn’t exactly kind or understanding. With her cheeks burning bright red, she doesn’t want the crowd to watch her walk away. Who knows what else could go wrong at this point.
“Well, since she’s so eager to give us a show,” Teddy says through muffled laughter. “Let’s give a round of applause to today’s first on-stage volunteer. She can help me hand out the promotion badges. Hopefully, this performance keeps her from showing up for this weekend’s talent show.”
Maya’s heart sinks as she processes Teddy’s words and realizes he’s talking about her. Finding her feet, she tries to look around the theater for Robbie in hopes of him saving her from whatever this is, but the spotlight is still trained on her and she can’t make out any faces in the audience.
“Hurry up now,” Teddy snaps. “We shouldn’t leave our hard-working followers waiting.”
Robbie's Scheme Page 16
