Free Sleeping with Beauty by Donna Kauffman Page B

she’d expected to find.
    Aurora, dressed in a burgundy-and-gold silk caftan, was seated in the chair with the highest back, leaving Lucy to choose between two other chairs of slightly less stature. A light tea had been set on the table in a pretty silver service that Lucy did her best not to bump into as she chose the seat most directly across from Aurora.
    “I hope you don’t mind the last-minute substitution, dear,” Aurora began, as she leaned forward and poured two cups of tea with the sort of elegant grace Lucy could only dream of having. “We didn’t want to delay the beginning of your program here, so I offered to step in and conduct this initial discussion.”
    Lucy was unable to hide her surprise. “You’re going to conduct the session?”
    Aurora’s smile was self-deprecating and quite charming. “Not that I have a degree, but I think we can cover the basics well enough. I’m sure Phoebe will fill in all the gaps when you see her next.”
    “‘Next’?” Lucy blurted before she could stop herself. Did they think she was in such bad shape that she needed a battery of discussions with a shrink? All because she said she wanted to be bulletproof? Maybe it had been a poor choice of words. Did they think she was going to go back and mow down her evil classmates or something?
    Aurora handed her a cup and saucer, her serene smile easily in place. “Why don’t we just focus on our little talk today, hm?”
    Lucy took the cup and saucer, the china pieces clattering harder against each other the more she struggled to keep them steady. With an apologetic smile, she finally placed the set on the table between them. “It’s such a nice set. No point in ruining it.”
    Aurora graciously made no comment as she settled herself back in her chair. When the silence spun out as the older woman sipped her tea, Lucy realized it was up to her to start things off. It felt like a test. She gave tests all the time. It was what teachers did. That didn’t mean she enjoyed taking them.
    Feeling a little desperate, she nodded at the framed prints on the walls. Each one featured a door. Some open, some shut. Some fancy, some austere. Garden doors, castle doors, random doors. “Interesting photographs,” she said, by way of nothing except to delay this talk as long as possible. “Did you take these yourself?”
    Aurora shifted her gaze, too, and her smile softened as true affection lit her eyes. “My late husband, Way, took those.” She looked to Lucy. “He was in politics, and we traveled often together. These were sort of a hobby of his.” She looked back at the prints. “I like them. It always makes me remember that life is an adventure. Doors will close. Others will open.” She shot Lucy a fast smile. “And you never know what’s behind the next one.”
    “Good philosophy,” Lucy said, feeling her own mouth curve in response. Despite the general intimidation she’d felt since setting foot on the perfectly manicured grounds, she’d been drawn to Aurora from the moment they’d met. Soft and a bit ethereal, with that twinkle thing she had going on, she seemed to embody the fairy-godmother spirit.
    “So,” Aurora began, her teacup and saucer balanced perfectly on top of her caftan-covered knee. “Why don’t we talk a little bit about your reunion.”
    “Aurora,” Lucy began warily, only to be interrupted.
    “I know the visit with Dr. Sullivan wasn’t something you expected,” Aurora broke in, her face wreathed in an understanding smile. “But you need to trust we know what we’re doing. In fact, you’d be surprised to know how helpful these little sessions are for us. By asking you some questions and chatting a bit about a few things, we’ll be able to build the program that will provide you with the greatest benefit.”
    “So this is standard? I didn’t see it mentioned in the literature.”
    “No,” Aurora admitted, “it’s not ‘standard.’ We don’t have ‘standard’ plans here. Every