Chapter Twenty-one
Sadie
I parked in front of a bright yellow house and gave myself a pep talk as my hands squeezed the steering wheel.
“I can do this. I can walk into that house and give my client a wonderful experience. I believe in this work and know what I’m doing.”
I hoped all of that was true. I’d prepared for this first Kalm Kingdom appointment to the best of my ability.
I’d tailored the sound bath to focus on the root chakra because the client had indicated upon booking this session that she was having trouble enjoying the present moment.
She’d said she’d been worrying too much about past mistakes and future calamities.
She wanted help with living more in the now.
I’d built a grounding meditation to help her drop into awareness of the present and to allow her to set the past and future aside.
Vanessa had given me some lavender oil and I’d made a few candles with it which should produce a calming effect in my client.
I’d planned to go heavy on the root chakra singing bowl to help her vibe with that frequency more.
I’d end with my tribal drum to help her concentrate on her heartbeat, her aliveness, her existing in the present.
Hopefully, after this session, my client would feel more able to appreciate where she was currently.
“I can do this,” I repeated before getting out of the car and gathering my singing bowl cases, my drum, and a tote bag. It was a great deal to carry at once, but I was eager to get set up and start the session.
As I walked to my client’s front door, Beckett’s voice echoed in my head.
“Your clients are going to wonder how they survived without you after they have a session.” He’d said several encouraging statements like that one over the past few days as we’d spent more time together.
We’d had dinner at a fancy, romantic restaurant called Starry Hill Bistro.
We’d hung out with his siblings, and I’d helped care for some of the animals at Hartley’s Nest. We’d gone for runs at Granite Cliff National Park where we’d first met.
We’d enjoyed horseback riding through the woods where the fall colors dazzled and I’d impressed Beckett with my riding skills.
Which, of course, he’d wanted to know how I’d acquired.
“I had lessons as a child,” I’d said, hoping to keep it at that and move on.
But Beckett had questioned me further. “Does your family own horses?”
“Yes.”
“And you rode often?” he asked.
“As much as I could.”
He’d paused, waiting for me to give him more information, but that would have been dipping into dangerous territory. I didn’t want to reveal too much. Things had been going so well in Greenridge and with Beckett. I hadn’t wanted to ruin everything by unloading my roots.
Plus, Beckett had told me that he’d been looking for a partner for a little while now.
He’d been using something called a dating app, which he’d explained was an online database of people also looking for partners.
Connections were made on the computer with in-person dates then scheduled.
He hadn’t had much luck on this dating app, however, due to one reason primarily.
“Liars,” he’d said. “The majority of the women on these apps are liars. They put false things in their profiles to get your attention, but then when you meet in person, they are nothing like what they said they were. I want someone real and true. Someone who isn’t afraid to be herself and someone I can trust.”
I’d nodded along because, of course, that was a reasonable request for a partner. Why would anyone want to be with a liar?
Only. . . I’d been lying to Beckett—and everyone else—since I’d left Verdalach. I’d taken on a fake identity, went by a fake name, pretended not to be a princess, denied my engagement to Cian, buried my old self so deep that I’d nearly forgotten the life I used to live.
The more time I spent with Beckett, the easier it became to believe I’d always been Sadie Rodgers. I’d convinced myself that he didn’t need to know anything about my past for us to have a future together.
But was that fair? He’d shared so much of himself with me.
Little stories about growing up as the youngest child in a big family.
Memories of his father. He’d let me into his world by sharing his interests with me.
I’d even tried my hand at video gaming with him, delighting us both when I was actually pretty good at it.
His questions, however, signaled he wanted to know more about me, but it was better, safer, if we only looked ahead.
I reached my client’s front door and rang the doorbell.
A moment later, the door swung open and a woman wearing black leggings and a long-sleeved purple T-shirt answered the door.
She was probably in her early forties with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and a tiredness shadowing her blue eyes.
“Sadie Rodgers from Kalm Kingdom,” I said. “Are you Marilynn?” Not that I needed her to answer that question. I could see her aura was in need of recalibrating.
“I am,” she said. “Come in.” She led me into her living room. “We can either do the session in here or out in the three-season room.” She pointed beyond the living room to a sliding, barn-style door.
“Let’s go with the three-season room,” I said. “That way we can be surrounded by more nature.”
Nodding once, Marilynn walked over to the door and slid it to the right. Beyond that was a room with three walls of windows that offered a wonderful view of the woods and mountains behind the house.
“Oh, this is great,” I said. “I just need to unpack my singing bowls and set up.”
“All right. I have an email to send to a colleague anyway,” Marilynn said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She scurried off and I took a moment to light a sage bundle and cleansed the three-season room of its frenzied atmosphere before lighting the lavender candle.
Then I arranged my singing bowls in a semi-circle and placed my drum beside them.
Sitting behind the bowls, I took a few deep breaths, sifting them out slowly, and centered myself for the session ahead.
I would be no good to my client’s wellness if I let my thoughts about fleeing Verdalach and hiding my past from Beckett be a cloud above me.
Marilynn returned, looking more frazzled than when she’d left to send that email. “You ever have a day when you’re sick of humans?”
I let out a small laugh. “On occasion, yes.”
“I work from home, but I’ve had a morning full of virtual meetings,” Marilynn said.
“In every single meeting, some idiot has acted like an idiot, you know? Saying things that reveal they know nothing. Coming up with dumb ideas that won’t work.
Making things harder than they need to be.
” She shook her head. “I hope you’ve come with some fairy dust or something because it’s going to take genuine magic to bring me some tranquility today. ”
“You’re in luck,” I said. “I have a bottle of fairy dust in my bag here.” I patted the tote bag. “But let’s try some other methods first. We’ll use the fairy dust as a last-ditch effort if needed.”
“Sounds good.” Marilynn pointed to a couch lining one wall of the room. “Shall I recline over there or should I sit with you on the floor? What are the rules here?”
“There are no rules,” I said. “Recline or sit wherever you’re going to feel most likely to relax.”
“Do you have wine in your tote bag too?” she asked. “Because a couple glasses is usually what it takes to get me to relax and even then my shoulders are still up here.” She lifted her shoulders so high they touched her earlobes.
“I promise no alcohol is needed to relax,” I said. “We’re going to get you the serenity you crave with sound waves.” I gestured to the singing bowls. “I’ll suggest lying on the couch and closing your eyes if that feels good to you.”
“Sure.” Marilynn lowered to the couch. “My sister booked this appointment for me. She attended your free event at Hartley’s Nest.”
That explained the sound-baths-are-silly vibe I was getting off her. She had her doubts about the effectiveness of mindful techniques, but I was going to change her mind, right here, right now.
“That was nice of your sister to treat you to something to improve your wellness,” I said.
“I think she mostly did it because she’s sick of me bitching about the past and moaning about the future.
” Marilynn wiggled a little on the couch, no doubt trying to find the most comfortable position.
“Gracie tends to always see the glass as half full. She’s sunshine and rainbows, while I’m storm clouds and rain with a side of hellfire. ”
“Rain can be soothing too,” I said, “and I’d think a good downpour would extinguish the hellfire.”
A laugh bubbled out of Marilynn. A true, deep, belly laugh and she turned her head to look at me. “You’ve got a good point.” She looked back up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. “Okay, chime me to a better place with those bowls, Sadie.”
I played the bowls for a few moments, letting the resonating tones wash over Marilynn.
I then led her in the meditation, taking her into an imaginary garden of wildflowers with vibrant colors and sweet aromas and the pleasant dribble of a stream.
I could visibly see my client’s body relax as I took her deep, deeper, deeper into this serene scene.
I continued on the singing bowls, filling the room with healing frequencies and making sure to incorporate that low root chakra bowl as much as possible. Gradually, I slowed my playing, ending with a few light taps until the vibrating melody faded away.
Next, I picked up my tribal drum and stood over Marilynn. Her face looked more peaceful than when I’d first come into her house. All the stress lines were smoothed, her jaw slack, her breathing rhythmic. I hit the drum and moved it along Marilynn’s body, letting the vibrations caress her.
As with the singing bowls, I let the drumming quietly peter out until we were just two people existing in the silence.
“Take a moment to focus on your inhaling and exhaling only. Nothing else is a concern. Just your breath. In. Out,” I said. “In . . . out . .”
Marilynn took several deep breaths timed with my cues.
“Remember that now is all that matters,” I said. “The past cannot be changed or undone. The future is not known. All we have is the present moment.”
I played the drum for a few more moments then guided Marilynn to slowly open her eyes.
She blinked, her gaze focused on the ceiling at first before coming to rest on me where I stood beside the couch, holding my drum. Slowly, a smile crept across her face.
“Holy shit, Sadie! That was amazing. I feel amazing. You’re amazing.
” She swung her legs over the side of the couch and sat up.
“All we have is the present moment. I need to make a sign of that sentence and hang it where I’ll see it all the time.
” She stretched out her neck by bending her head to the left then the right.
“In this present moment, I have so much gratitude for your talents. I have to admit when my sister said she booked this session for me, I didn’t believe it would make a difference, but it totally did.
” She stood. “Do you have time maybe next week for another session?”
“Let me check my schedule.” I retrieved my phone from my tote bag and navigated to my website, instantly thinking of the man who created it for me.
“Wow. What was that smile for?” Marilynn asked. “It reached from ear to ear.”
I covered my mouth with my hand, but Marilynn shook her head.
“Never cover a smile like that, Sadie. You let that shit shine.”
“There’s another sentence for a sign,” I joked, making us both laugh. “I was smiling over the person who made this website for me. He did a great job.”
“Your smile wasn’t only about business though, was it?”
My cheeks heated. “No.”
Marilynn clapped. “Wonderful. I hope he’s making all your present moments delightful.” Which sounded like encouragement to live in the here and now with Beckett and to not worry about revealing my past.
“He sure is,” I said. “And, thanks to his technological genius, he’s making your present moment delightful as well because I do have some available session times next week.”
We booked Marilynn another meditation, sound bath, and aromatherapy session. I then packed up my singing bowls and made my way to the front door.
“Do you have business cards?” Marilynn asked as she opened the door for me. “Remember those idiots I mentioned earlier? Some of them are local idiots and they could definitely benefit from your skills, which would also benefit me if they were able to get to the level of chill I feel right now.”
I dug in my tote bag for the business cards and left Marilynn with several.
Driving home back to Hank’s cabin felt like a victory lap. If all my sessions went like this first one today, I’d be helping so many people. I’d be feeling so fulfilled. I’d be living my purpose. Finally.
I’d also be making enough money to afford my own place and a car.
Although, I’d grown to love Hank’s cabin and rather liked driving his daughter’s old vehicle.
Perhaps Hank would let me start paying him to rent the cabin and car.
I didn’t want to take advantage of his charity for much longer.
He’d given me a comfortable place to land when I’d first arrived in Greenridge, but now that this new life was taking off, I wanted to do things right.
I also wished my sister could see me now.
She’d always listened to the silly dreams I’d had of breaking free of Verdalach traditions.
She’d thought I was scandalous for thinking half of the things I’d shared with her and had constantly cautioned me about having such notions.
I truly believed, however, that Maeve had wanted me to be happy.
And now I was.
And I wanted to call Beckett and gush over my first successful session.
As if the universe had heard me, my phone buzzed in my pocket right after I’d entered the cabin and set down my singing bowls. I pulled it out to find a text from Beckett.
Beckett: I want to hear all about your first session. Can I bring dinner to your cabin tonight?
That was an easy question to answer.
Me: Yes. I’d love that.
Beckett: 6:00?
Me: Perfect.
Beckett: XOXO
I pressed the phone to my chest over my heart. This day was turning out to be fantastic. A great session with my first client. A new booking for next week. The hope of more clients once Marilynn handed out those business cards.
A snuggling-at-home date with Beckett.
Too bad it was only noontime now, but I could use these present moments to organize a few surprises for Beckett. When he came over tonight, he’d know how grateful I was for his help and his company.