I do, too. The possibility that we’d have to spend a night in the barn, even with a dozen comforters and heat lamps, doesn’t thrill me, and I have no doubt it would be awkward.
Lina nods as she listens to TJ. “Okay, TJ. That’s great. So you’ll tow it here at what time?” She smiles at his response. “You’re the best. Thanks so much.” She ends the call and does a little celebratory dance. “A friend’s hooking him up with the new battery, and he’ll have it early in the morning. We should be able to get out of here no later than nine-thirty.”
That’s lots and lots of hours in a barn. With Lina. Alone. “So what’s the good news?”
She sticks her tongue out at me. “Goodness, you’re a ray of sunshine today. I know this isn’t an ideal situation, but I’m trying to make the best of it. At least we were close to the farm when the car broke down. We could have been in no-man’s-land and that wouldn’t have been fun.”
Her casual observation sets off a chain of unwelcome thoughts. Imagine if I hadn’t joined her? She would have been out here alone. I picture her stuck on the side of the road waiting for someone to give her a jump. Jesus. I know she prides herself on being self-sufficient, but she’s taking risks with her safety when she travels. I don’t like it. Worse, I’m mad at myself for how much I don’t like it. “That banana cab needs to be put out of its misery. First, it’s the battery. Next, it’ll be the alternator. Or the engine. If you’re going to drive long distances, you should get your car checked out first. We wouldn’t be in this mess if you’d done that.”
Phone still in hand, she throws her arms over her chest and gives me a no-nonsense stare. “I get it checked out regularly, but I can’t predict car problems.”
“Then you need to get a better mechanic.”
“What is your problem?” she shouts, her eyes narrowed to slits of doom.
The volume of her voice surprises us both, and it only adds fuel to the inferno burning in my chest. I respond in kind, not caring if anyone hears us. “You. You are my problem. And I wish to God that wasn’t the case.”
“Everything okay, friends?” a tall, Black man standing in front of the inn asks. He’s wearing chinos, a white collared shirt, and a V-neck sweater complete with a tie. Any minute now, he’s going to ask us to please be his neighbor—or have a chat with a miniature trolley.
“We’re fine, sir,” Lina says, swatting at the hair blowing in her face. “Just a little disagreement about a minor inconvenience.”
“I wouldn’t call it minor,” I say, “but I suppose you’re free to interpret the situation as you see fit.”
Chuckling, the man descends the steps and strides toward us. “Oh boy. You two need to hang out at the inn this weekend.”
“We wish,” Lina says. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a room.”
He comes closer, cupping his hand over his mouth as though he’s working out a solution in his head. “We always reserve an extra room, in case one of our couples needs a time-out. I wouldn’t fork it over for just anyone—everyone’s more comfortable when we’re the only guests at the inn—but for a couple that obviously needs to join our sessions, I’d certainly consider it.” He puts out his hand. “I’m James, by the way.”
Lina takes it. “It’s nice to meet you, James, but he and I aren’t—”
“Too sure about joining your retreat,” I say, throwing my arm over Lina’s shoulder. “What exactly would that entail?” I can sense Lina’s questioning gaze on me, but I’m hoping she’ll catch on quickly, because this . . . this is a gift.
“The retreat’s already in full swing, but we could bring you up to speed,” James says. “We do a few exercises. One exercise is called I Wish and aims to get the couple talking about what’s holding back their relationship. We do physical exercises, too. It’s fun and challenging. Sometimes it gets heavy, but my wife and I have been doing this for more than a decade, and nothing surprises us anymore.”
“How much does it cost?” I ask.
“Four hundred for the entire weekend. Two hundred for today only. Plus the cost of the room usually, but since it’s already paid for as part of our agreement with the inn, we could waive that amount. I’d need copies of your driver’s licenses and you’d have to sign a nondisclosure agreement promising not to share what you learn about the other couples.”
Two hundred dollars not to sleep in a barn overnight? Is there any decision to be made here? “Can you excuse us for a minute? I’d like to speak to my . . . her about the idea?”
James salutes us. “Good thinking, young man. It’s always wise to make decisions as a couple when they affect you both.”
“Right, right,” I say, pulling a dazed Lina away so James won’t be able to overhear us.
We find a spot under the canopy of a weeping cherry tree, where Lina spins to face me, whispering her confusion through gritted teeth: “What are you up to, Max?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting us a room. With a bed.”
“But we’d need to pretend to be a couple.”
“For just one night.” I cock my head at her. “How hard could it be?”
“Very hard, I imagine,” Lina says, a deep line etched between her brows. “We’d be lying to these folks. They’d be sharing stuff about their personal lives, and we would be eavesdropping. It’s wrong.”
She has a point, but we’re smart people. We can figure out a way not to be around when other people are sharing. “What if we make excuses to miss most of the events? Or when other couples are doing whatever they’re supposed to do? If it gets to be too much, we can always skip out and spend the night in the barn. But for the possibility of being in a room, I say we go for it.”
Lina chews on her finger as she considers the proposition. “What are we going to do about having only one bed?”
“Easy,” I say. “I’ll sleep on the floor. Or we can split our time between the bed and the floor. Or put pillows between us. Whatever. And we can share the cost, too.”
She bounces on the balls of her feet as she considers what to do. I’ve never seen her this indecisive. And I’m not above using any weapons at my disposal. “Let me ask you this, because I can’t remember if this came up earlier when you were talking to Hannah: Where are the bathrooms in the barn? Oh, and did you happen to bring bug spray?”
Her head snaps back and her eyes go wide. “Shit.”
“Exactly,” I say with a nod.
In answer, she throws her arms around my neck and gives me a wink. “I’m going to be the best damn girlfriend you’ve never had.”
The hair on the back of my arms stands on end as a shiver runs through me. Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. But hey, at least we won’t be sleeping in a barn tonight.
* * *
“It’s . . . cozy,” Lina says, spinning around and surveying the room. “That has to be a California King. Plenty of room for us to share.”
“You think?”
She puckers her lips and nods. “It’ll be fine. Much better than a barn floor, that’s for sure.”