Free Thou Art With Me by Debbie Viguié Page B

shoulder harder, and she could feel his muscles tensing. She couldn’t see him but she imagined his eyes were already flitting around the room, seeking out any threats.
    “You heard me, right,” Arnold said gravely. “You are all in terrible danger of having stale, unfulfilling, monotonous relationships. The divorce statistics in this country are appalling and many of those who decide to stick with their marriage still find themselves feeling trapped, unloved, and unappreciated. The good news is, you’ve taken the first step toward escaping this danger. You’re here which means you’re ready and willing to work on gaining a deeper appreciation of your significant other and making the relationship a fulfilling one for you both. The staff here is dedicated to helping you.”
    He paused and then he smiled. “Tomorrow we’re going to be plunging right into it and it will be fun, but it will be hard work as well. Tonight, though, we celebrate. Everyone, grab a glass of champagne and prepare to join me in a toast.”
    People nearest the table began grabbing and passing glasses until everyone had one.
    “Ladies and gentlemen,” Arnold said, his glass raised high. “I celebrate your relationships and look forward to helping you build ones that will last a lifetime. Cheers!”
    “Cheers,” Cindy muttered as she clinked glasses with Jeremiah. She hesitated for a moment and then took a small sip of the champagne. Even though her mind had gone there, she seriously doubted that someone would have poisoned the champagne.
    It wasn’t like Malcolm’s entire retreat group had gone missing, just him. It had probably been something very personal to him and not something sinister involving the entire retreat center.
    She noticed that Jeremiah barely sipped his as well. She turned her attention back to Arnold.
    “Okay, now that the serious portion of the evening is over, welcome to the retreat!” Arnold said.
    A few people cheered, most clapped.
    “We are going to have a seriously great time getting intense and personal. This is a safe place. Emotions might run high, but that’s okay. Sometimes you might hate me, you might even hate your spouse, but I guarantee that when you leave here it will be with a newfound appreciation for them.”
    Around the room heads were bobbing up and down.
    “For some of you this may be your first time doing something like this, that’s okay, we’ll hold your hand through the entire process. Others might have been to a couples’ retreat somewhere else before. I’d encourage you to just empty your mind of any preconceived notions you might have. I can assure you that we are unlike anything you’ve experienced before. We delve deeper and play harder here than anywhere else.”
    More head bobbing around the room. She noticed that while most people were smiling there were a few that looked a bit skeptical.
    All of the staff had grins plastered on their faces. They were all huge and seemingly so identical that it was a little creepy. Clearly their instructions for the evening consisted of “smile like your life, or at least your job, depends on it.”
    “Alright everyone, go ahead, mingle, get to know the other couples and the staff. You’re going to be working closely with all these people for the next week. In about half an hour we’ll head over to the dining room for dinner.”
    Around them couples started introducing themselves to one another while Jeremiah and Cindy made a beeline for some of the staffers ringing the room. The first one they reached was a young woman with long brown hair that fell to her waist. She was very petite overall.
    “Hi, I’m Cindy and this is Jeremiah,” Cindy said, extending her hand to the woman.
    “I’m Summer. I’m the yoga instructor. You must be our dating couple, is that right?”
    “Yes,” Cindy said.
    “I have to say it is highly unusual to see a dating couple here. We’ve had a couple of engaged couples that were just trying to get in