does.”
“Used to do,” Gwynne corrected.
“I can’t believe you quit,” Dara said. “You were amazing.”
“But you like Megan too?” the woman who was not her client asked hesitantly.
Dara flashed an I’m-in-love-with-the-world-and-I’m-going-to-sell-you-on-massage-therapy smile. “Megan’s awesome.” She looked at Gwynne and her smile disappeared. “Not as awesome as Gwynne, of course. Her ability to manipulate energy fields is…I don’t think anyone can do what she does.”
I couldn’t save my mother’s life. Gwynne’s stomach turned to granite, heavy and useless. Why she’d thought quitting her job would magically make everyone stop talking to her about auras and angels and all that happy horse poop, she didn’t know.
“You’re not helping.” She needed to pull Dara aside later and ask her not to say stuff like that in front of the customers. “Megan is seeing my clients, and Megan is wonderful.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not wonderful,” Dara retorted.
“Megan has a more compassionate presence. When she gives a massage, love radiates from her whole being. Me, on the other hand…I’m just a jerk with a skill.”
“You need psychological help.” Dara snapped open one of the random magazines that were lying around for the guests and vigorously flipped through it.
Megan emerged from the treatment room where she’d been finishing up with a client and looked straight at Gwynne, who was still on the sofa cradling the visitor’s foot. “Gwynne. I thought you quit.”
“I did.” She sent a final burst of energy into the leg to integrate the healing.
The woman tried to sit up, but sitting up made her hold her hands to her head and fall back to the sofa. She’d be fine in a few minutes. Or ten. Or twenty. People always got dizzy when she channeled energy into them. She didn’t have Megan’s gift for gentle, beautiful healings.
Megan waggled her fingers like she was pretending to cast a spell. “That’s what you call quitting? I could sense that healing from behind my door.”
Gwynne stomped back to her desk. “Dara’s your next appointment.”
“Dara!” Megan said, mercifully letting it go. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
Dara slapped her magazine shut. “Could you please tell Gwynne she’s not the big, bad jerk she seems to think she is? That people really do think it’s worth it to be slammed around by her terrible, damnable energy? Because it works?”
“Dara…” Gwynne had known Dara a long time, and familiarity had not bred contempt. More like idolization. Besides massage, Dara was branching out into Reiki, a popular form of off-the-body energy healing, and she was always trying to improve her energy skills—especially now that her hands were in chronic pain and she needed a new career direction. She had made it clear that she would love nothing better than for Gwynne to teach her a few tricks, but Gwynne refused, even though she got tired of turning her down. Because honestly, saying no was doing her a favor.
“Is Gwynne beating herself up again?” Megan said, not sounding very concerned. She opened the file cabinet behind Gwynne’s desk and pulled out Dara’s file.
Gwynne shot her an irritated glance that Megan didn’t deign to turn in her direction to notice.
“It’ll pass,” Megan told Dara. “Once she gets back on her feet she’ll be back to having more than enough self-esteem.”
“Back me up here,” Dara said.
“Gwynne, you’re not a jerk,” Megan said dutifully. “Your channeling may not be subtle, but you’re not a jerk.”
“Although you are a jerk for not going out with me,” Dara said. “If you ever change your mind about that, let me know.”
Oh, yeah, let’s not forget Dara also wanted a doomed sexual relationship with her. She’d feel worse about that if Dara wasn’t already drowning her sorrows in the dating pool with someone else.
Megan slid the file cabinet shut. “You’re not a jerk, Gwynne. You
“Used to do,” Gwynne corrected.
“I can’t believe you quit,” Dara said. “You were amazing.”
“But you like Megan too?” the woman who was not her client asked hesitantly.
Dara flashed an I’m-in-love-with-the-world-and-I’m-going-to-sell-you-on-massage-therapy smile. “Megan’s awesome.” She looked at Gwynne and her smile disappeared. “Not as awesome as Gwynne, of course. Her ability to manipulate energy fields is…I don’t think anyone can do what she does.”
I couldn’t save my mother’s life. Gwynne’s stomach turned to granite, heavy and useless. Why she’d thought quitting her job would magically make everyone stop talking to her about auras and angels and all that happy horse poop, she didn’t know.
“You’re not helping.” She needed to pull Dara aside later and ask her not to say stuff like that in front of the customers. “Megan is seeing my clients, and Megan is wonderful.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not wonderful,” Dara retorted.
“Megan has a more compassionate presence. When she gives a massage, love radiates from her whole being. Me, on the other hand…I’m just a jerk with a skill.”
“You need psychological help.” Dara snapped open one of the random magazines that were lying around for the guests and vigorously flipped through it.
Megan emerged from the treatment room where she’d been finishing up with a client and looked straight at Gwynne, who was still on the sofa cradling the visitor’s foot. “Gwynne. I thought you quit.”
“I did.” She sent a final burst of energy into the leg to integrate the healing.
The woman tried to sit up, but sitting up made her hold her hands to her head and fall back to the sofa. She’d be fine in a few minutes. Or ten. Or twenty. People always got dizzy when she channeled energy into them. She didn’t have Megan’s gift for gentle, beautiful healings.
Megan waggled her fingers like she was pretending to cast a spell. “That’s what you call quitting? I could sense that healing from behind my door.”
Gwynne stomped back to her desk. “Dara’s your next appointment.”
“Dara!” Megan said, mercifully letting it go. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
Dara slapped her magazine shut. “Could you please tell Gwynne she’s not the big, bad jerk she seems to think she is? That people really do think it’s worth it to be slammed around by her terrible, damnable energy? Because it works?”
“Dara…” Gwynne had known Dara a long time, and familiarity had not bred contempt. More like idolization. Besides massage, Dara was branching out into Reiki, a popular form of off-the-body energy healing, and she was always trying to improve her energy skills—especially now that her hands were in chronic pain and she needed a new career direction. She had made it clear that she would love nothing better than for Gwynne to teach her a few tricks, but Gwynne refused, even though she got tired of turning her down. Because honestly, saying no was doing her a favor.
“Is Gwynne beating herself up again?” Megan said, not sounding very concerned. She opened the file cabinet behind Gwynne’s desk and pulled out Dara’s file.
Gwynne shot her an irritated glance that Megan didn’t deign to turn in her direction to notice.
“It’ll pass,” Megan told Dara. “Once she gets back on her feet she’ll be back to having more than enough self-esteem.”
“Back me up here,” Dara said.
“Gwynne, you’re not a jerk,” Megan said dutifully. “Your channeling may not be subtle, but you’re not a jerk.”
“Although you are a jerk for not going out with me,” Dara said. “If you ever change your mind about that, let me know.”
Oh, yeah, let’s not forget Dara also wanted a doomed sexual relationship with her. She’d feel worse about that if Dara wasn’t already drowning her sorrows in the dating pool with someone else.
Megan slid the file cabinet shut. “You’re not a jerk, Gwynne. You
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