‘I’m sure she had good reason,’ said Carly.
Ben opened his mouth, looked like he was about to protest some more, but was interrupted by Paola’s brisk tone from the kitchen area, where she’d been perched on a high stool. ‘I will try to call Hannah again,’ she said, tapping her phone, holding it to her ear; then a moment later, ‘It is still turned off.’
‘What?’ said Ben. ‘Isn’t that weird? Why would she turn her phone off?’
Paola shrugged. ‘It must be the storm – or maybe she didn’t take her charger. All right, she will be back first thing tomorrow morning, then. In the meantime, you can enjoy the relaxing treatments we have prepared for you, and make the most of Hannah’s beautiful home.’
‘I’m not sure,’ said Mira slowly. ‘I was looking forward to getting the one-on-one time with Hannah. It seems a shame to miss even these few hours with her, to be honest.’
‘But she’ll be here when we wake up tomorrow, won’t she?’ said Scott. ‘And maybe there’ll be something good to come out of being here, just for the first night, without her. You know, for our own... exploration. Our healing? And I mean, look at this place. I still feel like I’m dreaming, being here.’
‘Me too,’ said Naya. ‘I mean, I’m really excited to see Hannah – she’s the main reason I’m here – but this house is amazing, Paola – you’ve done an amazing job for all of us. And Costa Rica is a wonderful country, it’s paradise here.’ Shepaused, took a sip of water – she was the only one not drinking wine, Scott noticed.
‘Exactly,’ said Carly. ‘We can relax, enjoy ourselves, make the best of it without her. We need to think positive, not grumble about what’s gone wrong.’
Mira looked startled for a second; then she sighed. ‘You know what, you’re right. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We’re so lucky to be here – think of all the thousands of people who applied, and she picked us. I promise I’ll stop complaining now and start enjoying myself.’
‘Yes, you will all enjoy yourself. I will make sure everything is perfect,’ said Paola. ‘Now – Luisa will show you around, you will have a relaxing treatment with our personal masseur this evening, and you will all sleep well – then Hannah will be back in the morning.’
She took a moment to look around the group in turn.
‘Everything is going to be wonderful,’ she said.
Scott knew she was right. This retreat – Hannah – all of itwasgoing to be wonderful.
So why, then, did Paola sound like she was trying to convince herself?
BEN
Hannah’s place wasinsane.
Ben had stayed at some expensive resorts in his time; one of the perks of travelling so much for work – but this was something else. The attention to detail, the little touches – like the petals arranged across their beds; the homemade soaps withHstamped in the middle; the exquisite hand-bound journals for recording their wellness journeys – Hannah had thought about everything, and it showed.
Like he’d admitted at dinner, he didn’t agree withallthe things Hannah talked about – like some of the wacky spiritual stuff, and her insistence that modern medicine couldn’t be trusted, that natural, holistic treatments were the answer; Ben was only too aware of the benefits of American pharmaceuticals. But this place, The Hideaway – this was one thing she’d got just right.
They’d finished up their food – Paola bringing them freshly madetres lechesfor dessert, its texture almost unnaturally light and fluffy. It was a Costa Rican speciality, and even now, a half hour later, its sweet creaminess was sitting pleasantly on his tongue. Carly and Scott had headed up to their rooms, but he’dtaken a post-dinnerdigestifoutside and was now sitting on one of the bed-sized recliners near the pool, Mira and Naya settled on the one next to his, and all of them sheltered snugly under the extending roof. Solar-powered lanterns shaped like perfume bottles dotted the terrace around them, giving the space a warm glow. Above their heads hung three ceiling fans, their gold blades whipping a welcome breeze – even in the storm, it was humid; Ben’s skin was damp to the touch.
‘This is the life, isn’t it?’ said Mira. ‘It’s still so warm out here – and it’s kind of soothing, listening to the rain hammering on the roof.’
‘I know. I can’t believe how relaxed I feel already,’ said Naya.
Ben smiled at her, let his gaze linger on her face, her eyelids gently closed, long lashes flickering slightly, lips settled in a sleepy, relaxed pout. Naya was sexy, for sure, but not really his type; with the addition of two kids, even less so.
He made a soft grunt of agreement, then took a long, deep puff on his vape, blew it out of his mouth. Mira was right: this was the life. Already the worries of the past few days seemed like they belonged to another life – another person. Now, they just needed Hannah to get here, and everything would be exactly as it was supposed to be. He’d leave here just as Hannah had promised: transformed.
‘And that food,’ he said. ‘Paola is a genius. I ate like a king at dinner – if we get fed like that every day, you guys are going to have to roll me back to the airport.’
Both women laughed, just as the sliding French doors whooshed open behind them. Ben turned and smiled at Luisa as she walked towards him.
‘Sorry, Ben, you cannot smoke out here,’ she said, with an apologetic bob of her head.
‘Oh, I’m not smoking,’ laughed Ben. ‘It’s just a vape.’
‘Ah, no vaping either – I am very sorry,’ Luisa said. ‘This is Hannah’s rules.’
Hannah’s rules, huh?Well, in that case, he’d better do as he was told. ‘No problem,’ he said, flashing Luisa his broadest smile and tucking away his vape. He didn’t need it now, anyway: at just the mention of Hannah’s name, Ben felt the familiar buzz of excitement that she seemed to stir in him. He might not even need the pill packet he’d tucked carefully into the side pocket of his suitcase.
‘Ben, I can take you for your treatment now?’ said Luisa. ‘We have prepared for you an aromatherapy massage with The Hideaway’s personal masseuse, Isabel.’ Luisa gestured inside the house. ‘She is waiting for you in one of our treatment rooms.’
