At the end of their lunch, Helen handed Laura an envelope. Walking away from the elevator, she opened it. Inside, there was a card.

Laura, take some time for yourself

I love this journey for you.

XOXO, your admirer

Laura smiled. With the card, there was a handwritten certificate for the Lotus Eaters spa. It was written for a huge amount of money. She wondered if it was good for a lot of services, or if the spa was horrifyingly expensive. Probably the latter.

She had a clear afternoon, so what the hell? She walked straight to the spa. A man stood behind the counter in a gray uniform that looked a little bit like scrubs. Or a Karate Gi. Or maybe pajamas. “Welcome. Do you have a reservation for our spa today?”

Laura paused. She hadn’t spent a ton of time in spas. She had assumed she’d be able to walk in, like the dining room. “No. Do you have anything available?”

He smiled. “Let me check. Just a second.” He waved her over to a computer about two feet further down the sleek white countertop. He typed briefly and his eyes scanned intently. Laura could see the screen scrolling by in the reflection on his glasses. “Well, what type of services were you looking for today?”

“Well, I had a gift card..” She paused, and tried to picture the first thing in her mind at a spa. “I was thinking of a massage.”

He sucked in air through his teeth, and scanned again. “Well, it looks like all of our masseuses are booked for the afternoon.” He scanned again. “But, it looks like one of our estheticians has an opening in about 30 minutes. She had a cancellation, so she could fit you in for a body scrub.”

“Oh.”

“It’s very lovely. Here, I have a pamphlet.”

Laura read quickly. The pamphlet was printed on thick, hand pressed paper with little streaks of recycled fiber in it. There were varieties for body scrubs. Bergamot and sea salt, lavender vanilla, or tea tree and spearmint were all available. The employee seemed to read her mind. “If you were looking for a relaxing spa experience, I would recommend the bergamot and honey. It’s my favorite of our fragrances, and it’s not as invigorating as the tea tree.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Laura said. She handed him her gift card. “Would that be enough?”

“With a sufficient tip, yes.”

Well, that question was answered. But, she was thankful that Helen had given her enough.

A woman came out of a silent sliding door in the same gray wrap uniform. She motioned Laura to follow. “Please, come with me. You can disrobe and then enjoy our relaxation room while you wait.”

Laura followed her to a locker room, where she changed into a flax-colored waffle knit bathrobe and soft slippers. Then they came to a small, low-ceilinged room lined with cedar paneling. It was warm, dimly lit, and lined with built-in benches. There was quiet flute music. Laura sat on a linen cushion. The spa employee offered her botanically infused water or herbal tea.

She returned a minute later with herbal tea. It was in a hand-thrown pottery mug with no handle. It was the perfect temperature. It was dark ruby colored. Laura thanked her. The tea was sweet, tart, and delicately floral. She leaned her head against the cedar. She closed her eyes, but could still see the flickering, warm light. Improbably, the room actually was relaxing.

After a short wait, a woman appeared in the same gray wrap uniform. She was tall and athletic. Her chestnut colored hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She smiled and handed Laura a clipboard. “Hello, I’m Claire. I have forms for you.” She had a British accent.

Laura took the clipboard and pen. She flipped through the forms. They asked about allergies, preferences, and the last form about her medical history. She raised an eyebrow.

“I know. It’s a lot. But we have all kinds of services here. Some are almost medical. On Fridays, we have a champagne and botox session.”

“Really?”

She took the clipboard back. “Oh, yeah. It books up like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Anyway, are you ready Laura? Anything I can get for you before we start?”

“Sure. I’m ok, thanks. That tea is great, though.”

“Oh I know!” She touched Laura on the arm. “It’s my favorite. If you ask at the spa desk, they’ll sell you a box of it.” She winked. They walked into a hallway lined with small rooms. “We’re in this room here. If you get disrobed and lie face down, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Laura took off her robe and slippers. She nestled herself into the warm, soft sheets on the massage table. There was a knock, and Claire slid the door open with a soft swish. She folded back the sheets covering Laura’s shoulder and one side of her torso. She started to spread the scrub between her hands.

She started to scrub. Laura nearly jumped. The sensation was a surprise. It was abrasive, which was no shock. But it was right on the edge between pleasure and pain, which was. Her hands were strong. She pressed into Laura’s back with vigor. She started at the shoulders. Quick, deliberate, strong scrubs. Then she moved lower, scouring Laura’s back. She moved to the other side of the table and adjusted the sheet again. Then she folded the sheet again to expose Laura’s legs.

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The sensation of the deep scrub on Laura’s legs was exquisite. She had settled into the feeling now. It was painful, harsh, and somehow relaxing. After a few minutes, Claire folded the sheet back over her legs and stopped. “I’ll step out for a moment while you flip over.”

Laura awkwardly navigated how to flip herself while covered in scrub. A moment later, there was another knock at the door and a soft swish. Claire returned and started the process on the front of Laura’s body. Laura could really smell the bergamot now. It was like she had fallen headfirst into a pot of perfectly brewed Earl Grey.

The scrub done, Claire led her to the locker room. She started a steaming hot shower. “Just a quick rinse will do. When you’re done, I’ll be outside.”

Laura took off her robe and stepped into the shower. The salt and sugar crystals melted away. The shower stall was flooded with the smell of bergamot. Her skin underneath was soft and smooth. She met Claire in the hallway again, and they walked back to the massage table.

“This is my first time getting a scrub like this,” said Laura.

“Aw, that’s lovely. I’m so glad. How do you like it?”

“It’s kind of a lot, isn’t it?”

Claire laughed. “Oh my God, it is. But seriously, you’ll have newborn baby skin after this. I’m not even joking.”

“I hope so. My skin has been through a lot. It would take some serious abrasives to undo that amount of living.” She shrugged off one shoulder of her robe. “See this?”

Claire leaned forward. The light in the room was flickering and dim. Laura pointed to a long, thin burn scar that streaked down from her collarbone. “I did see that. What happened?”

“I was training with submachine guns at a firing range in Virginia.”

Claire held her hand over her chest. “Oh my god. You’re a badass. I love it.” She put her hand on Laura’s shoulder. “But honestly, you have to be careful with yourself! Look, I’ve done a lot of caring for skin and nails and everything. I can tell you, you only get one set of skin.”

“Hey, I was being careful. The guy five feet to my left wasn’t. Those things eject their brass about fifteen feet.”

Claire’s eyes widened with fascination. “Well, can I ask you about the other scar? If you’re sharing? I’m starting to get the feeling you have a lot of stories.”

Laura smiled conspiratorially. “Plenty of stories.” She untied her robe, and exposed her side, just above her hip. In the flicker, they could see the ragged, long scar. It was dotted on either side by scars from stitches. “This was an arrest gone wrong, in Miami.”

“An arrest? Are you a police officer?”

“I was. In the FBI, for about ten years.”

“No way. How can you be so gorgeous and so scary? Oh my days.”

Laura blushed.

“No, I’m serious. You’re my favorite person today. Hands down.” She paused. “But don’t they make you wear those things? The black vests with the velcro that stop bullets and everything?”

“They stop at your navel.” She held her hand just above the scar. “So you can still run with them on. I got lucky, honestly. Any deeper and I would have had my small intestine hanging out in the breeze.”

Claire’s face went green. “Good lord. That’s enough for me.”

Laura shrugged. “I spent a lot of time hunting, then working in kitchens, then in morgues. After a while, all of the parts just start to look like meat.”

Claire held her hand in front of her mouth. “Look, love. You’re still my favorite. But we need to get some lotion on you and stop talking, before I lose my lunch. That wouldn’t be a relaxing spa experience for either of us.”

Laura laughed. Claire left the room while she nestled herself back under a new set of warm, clean sheets. The door slid open again, and Claire gently rubbed Laura’s shoulders with bergamot scented lotion.

A few minutes later, Laura was dressed again. She walked back to her room feeling relaxed. It was mid afternoon, and the ship was buzzing with activity. She stopped at the coffee stand in the Wayfairer’s lounge. She could hear the whir of a coffee grinder and the bubbling scream of a steam wand from across the lounge. They were some of her favorite sounds. She ordered a cortado. A minute later, it arrived in a low and heavy glass. A strong espresso, and a small dash of steamed milk.

She carried it to a two-top table by the floor to ceiling windows. The upper reaches of Vancouver Island were gliding by in the distance. The rocky coastline was covered in massive evergreen trees, and laced with fog. She sipped her cortado. It was perfect, nutty and bracingly bitter. She felt her heart rate speed up as the espresso spread warmth through her body.

After the walk to her room, she settled back in with her laptop open. Her room slipped away as she focused on untangling the huge security contract in front of her. A big corporation wanted her company to act as ‘black hat’ hackers. Her best cyber security staff, and a few new people with all the money, would do their worst to gain access to the corporation’s customer databases. They could use any methods at their disposal; the gloves were completely off. Physical intrusion, social engineering, impersonating employees, cyber attacks, you name it.

There was a knock on the door. Laura shook her head to force the room to reappear. It was Francis. He looked uncharacteristically sheepish. “Hello, Laura. I have an unusual request.”

“Sure.”

He looked at the floor. “I suppose I shouldn’t be asking. But, I’m actually a huge whale watching fan. There’s supposed to be a large pod of Orcas off your side of the ship, later this evening.”

Laura nodded.

“Would it be OK if I joined you on your balcony to see them? I can bring my binoculars. I wouldn’t normally ask, but they have a baby with them. It’s a rare sighting. The decks upstairs get mobbed with people when there are Orcas, especially by the time I’m off work. You can’t see a thing.”

“Hm. Can you bring anything in trade? Let’s call it a payment for balcony rental. So it’s legit.”

He smiled. “Oh! I had an old French couple that checked out yesterday. They left me some fancy bottle of wine as a tip.”

He pulled out his phone, and swiped through his photos. He held it out to Laura. She pinched to zoom in on the label. “Oh. A 2021 La Ferme du Mont Vendange Blanc.”

His eyebrows wrinkled. “Is that good or bad?”

“It’s a $200 bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. So yes, you’re invited. Can you swipe anything from the kitchen? How is your access to cheese?”

“No one has ever asked me about ‘cheese access’ before. But sure, I can get something good.”

“Ok, good. A nice runny Camembert or a Brie. You’ll get bonus points for some sliced peaches. And bring the wine cold.”

“Ok, deal.”