Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

Chapter 11

Halloween ended far too soon, leaving dying lawns covered in nothing but fallen leaves and stray candy wrappers. Gone were the decorations, at least for the time being. Once everyone had recovered from their post-candy-binge crash, then Christmas would come in all of its holly jolly glory. For now, Harriet gladly retreated to The Magic Touch with Frank for a much-needed escape from the endless brown.

"Welcome to The Magic Touch," said the receptionist. "How can I soothe your soul today?"

Harriet cringed inwardly. If there was one thing she missed the least about being a massage therapist, it was the fake cheerfulness. That and the muscle-bound man who'd come in every week for the full-body experience, leaving her feeling filthier than his sweat-soaked gym shorts by the time he left. And yet her mother had always wondered why she'd almost never dated anyone she'd met on the job.

"We have a reservation," Frank said. "One standard lavender rub, one hot stone massage, and two of the special."

"The special?" Harriet looked at him in surprise. "What's that all about?"

"You'll see," Frank said in a singsong voice. "I know you've been having a rough time lately, so I thought it would be nice for you to get a little extra pampering today."

Harriet eyed him warily, but there wasn't a hint of guilt on his face. "Thank you, honey. Halloween was nice and all, but I could definitely use a little us time."

The receptionist led them to one of the private couple's massage rooms in the back. Everything from the turquoise walls to the vase of orchids blooming beside their beds was designed to ease their stress away. Harriet settled onto her luxuriously soft mattress with a sigh. "I could almost fall asleep here and call it a day."

Frank chuckled. "Me too, babe. You look like such a dream I wouldn't even know if I ever woke up."

Yet she felt like a nightmare. Her eyes burned from crying the night before or from not sleeping a wink. She wasn't sure which, and her back ached with too much muscle tension for her to care about much else. She'd kill to bake right now, even if it was something as simple as readymade dough.

"Good morning, lovelies," said a dark-haired woman with a slight Spanish accent as she and her coworker, a twig of a girl who looked like she'd only recently graduated college, rolled a cart full of supplies into the room. "My name is Maya, and this is Veronica. We'll be your guides today as we take you and your sore, aching muscles on a two-hour journey full of relaxation and healing."

Dear God, Harriet thought as Frank hastily turned a laugh into a cough. Had she ever sounded this horribly schmaltzy?

The sound of birds serenading a babbling brook filled the room as Veronica finished fumbling with the radio. The older woman flashed her coworker a thumbs up before sauntering over to Harriet. "You would like the hot stone massage, yes?"

"Yes, please. And do you have any almond oil? That always helps me relax."

The stones' warmth seeped through the towel covering Harriet's back, loosening her tense muscles as the massage therapist worked her magic. Yet, even as those firm hands worked the tightness out of her muscles, Harriet found her own hands longing to knead her emotions into a loaf of cranberry almond bread as fragrant as the oil being rubbed along her spine.

Frank let out a soft moan as Veronica massaged him with lavender oil. "This is the life, isn't it babe?" His hand found hers, caressing it in the space between the beds.