High Energy (20 page)

Anne chair in front of the fireplace, reading a favorite book while Hambone

nestles at your feet."

Her fists clenched. "I do not belong in that picture! It sounds like something

out of Little Women. Besides which, I don't think the story is going to take

that long."

"It might. And why should you suffer a drafty house because of it?"

She blinked. He was doing it again—confusing her with his obtuse way of making a

point. "What does that have to do with—why should—it doesn't…"

He regarded her from under half-lowered lashes. "It has; you should; and it

does." Her mouth gaped. "Now say thank you and let's go into this fascinating

but incomprehensible art gallery."

Before she could think of a response, he had ushered her into the shop.

By the time they stopped for lunch, they were pretty much shopped out. Tyber had

purchased two large jugs of maple syrup for Blooey and a piece of Vermont

cheddar for Hambone. When the store owner found out they had driven a motorcycle

to town, he graciously offered to drop off the jugs at their inn on his way home

from work.

The Hungry Kitten revealed itself to be a very elegant restaurant. Zanita had

misgivings about entering the linen-draped dining room in her jeans and boots,

but Tyber just clutched her hand in his, half dragging her to their Limoges and

crystal-set table.

"Isn't this rather fancy for lunch?" She looked around at the other diners, who

seemed to be dressed for the occasion and speaking in very hush-hush murmurs.

"Better enjoy it while we can; I don't think we'll make dinner this evening at

the inn. I suspect LaLeche expects us to stay the entire day and well into the

evening. And from what I remember of the offerings of food laid out on that

rickety table last night—"

"I get your point." Zanita eagerly opened her menu. "Jeez Louise! Look at these

prices!" She gaped at the menu in awe.

"Zanita," Tyber said dryly.

"I was going to treat you to lunch." She raised her violet eyes to his. They

were suspiciously moist. "But I—I can't afford this, Tyber."

He put his menu down and covered her hand with his. "It's nice of you to want to

take me out, sweetheart, but it's not necessary. There's absolutely no reason

for us not to completely enjoy this weekend as long as we're here."

"But Tyber—"

His eyes locked implacably with hers. "Don't worry about it." He picked up his

menu again. "Now let's see what looks good here—How about the lobster pie?"

While Zanita viewed her menu, Tyber thoughtfully gazed down at her bent head.

She had absolutely no idea how wealthy he was, he mused. Imagine becoming

overwrought about what he considered a simple, although elegant, lunch.

As a reporter bent on getting an interview with him, she had to know he held

literally hundreds of patents. Not to mention the income from his teaching

seminars and the books he had written. Somehow Zanita had blocked this all off

from her consciousness, choosing instead to see him for the most part as just an

interesting, albeit eccentric physicist.

And he knew why.

As long as she could view him in that manner, he wasn't so threatening to her.

He understood how she would see him as threatening in terms of a relationship.

On one hand, he wanted her to feel threatened by him. It meant she recognized

that he was shaking up her nice, safe world. On the other hand, what good was

having anything in life if you didn't allow yourself the pleasure of it?

Tyber wasn't about to let her fear of commitment color their time together. In

the broadest sense, it had nothing to do with money; it had everything to do

with his philosophy of life.

He was an unconventional man who believed in enjoying all aspects of life to the

fullest. Whether it was traveling first class on the Orient Express, the joy in

creating a masterpiece, or the sheer beauty of discovery. It was about

excellence. It was about being alive.

And he wanted Zanita to share those life experiences with him.

Now and in the future.

Because of her background, he realized she hadn't had the opportunity to

experience the kind of life he lived, but he was in the process of changing

that. Tyber knew Zanita possessed not only the capacity for it, but also the

zest.

To make his point, he ordered an extraordinary chilled wine to accompany their

main course.

"Lobster pie sounds good," Zanita said to the waiter in a small voice, not

looking up from her menu. Twenty-eight-fifty for lobster pie a la carte. She

swallowed a sip of water from a crystal goblet. For lunch. Tyber needed to get a

handle on reality, she thought.

The Doc lived a secluded life, enclosed behind the walls of his mansion, his

mind wrapped up in arcane subjects; she really didn't think he had a clue. The

poor, sweet, misguided man.

Well, now that she was with him, she'd make every effort to open his eyes to

people reality as opposed to physicist reality, whatever that was. Over a

hundred dollars for lunch! No wonder this entropy thing kept growing! It was

being fueled by the very physicists who discovered it.

The waiter brought some croissants and their wine, pouring a small amount out

for Tyber, who tasted it and nodded. After he finished pouring their wine, the

waiter left them to their conversation. Zanita picked up her glass and relaxed

back in her chair.

"Do you think we'll survive all those hours of intense healing today?" Zanita

smiled at Tyber, at ease once again now that they were back onto a subject she

was comfortable with.

"We can only hope. Remind me to bring an extra blanket in the truck tonight—it's

going to be cold in that shack in the woods, and probably damp as well. I heard

the weather report earlier and they're forecasting a cold rain tonight, with

frost in some low-lying areas. I don't want you getting sick again."

Just the thought of the cold made Zanita shiver. Until she remembered how well

he had kept her warm last night at the cabin. "Will you promise to keep me warm

like you did last night?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. "As long as you promise not to pinch my thigh

again under the blankets. You almost got me in a relevant area."

"Don't be silly; I pinched you just above your knee."

He raised his eyebrow arrogantly.

"You wish," she scoffed.

He grinned back at her.

"Do we have a plan for this evening?" she asked. "Do you know what we're looking

for?" The waiter brought their meal.

Tyber tasted his lobster pie, pausing to answer her. "Yes, we do. I think he'll

take us through some more of those exercises of his during the day, getting us

all to open up some more—although I suspect that our happy fellow campers at the

cabin have already done just that."

Zanita's eyes opened wide; she leaned forward in her seat. "Do you really think

so? Like who?" She unconsciously sipped her wine. "You know, this wine is really

good," she murmured distractedly, her mind more on the lurid details of partner

exchanging than the bouquet of the drink.

A dimple popped into his cheek. He regarded her for a moment as if she were the

answer to an equation he had just written. "You'll see when we get there. I have

a feeling that tonight will be the night he does something—what I don't know

yet—to cinch the hefty donations he's trying to get for this weekend."

"Donations?" Zanita slapped her forehead. She hadn't thought about donations.

"Do you think we can get out of that by snowing him—you know, sound like we

offer him the chance of more money in the future, etc.?"

"I doubt it. Never kid a kidder and all that. That's not a problem; don't worry

about it. I have to admit I'm curious to see just what he comes up with. After

all, neither the FBI nor local authorities have been able to get anything on

this guy that will stick."

"You think it will be tonight, huh? Not tomorrow?"

"No. Definitely tonight. In the darkness of night, when people have a tendency

to suspend some of their hard and fast beliefs."

When they arrived at the cabin, everyone was eager to start the day's session.

Zanita was fascinated by the sudden closeness between Kim and John. Apparently,

not having succeeded with her and Tyber, they had consoled each other during the

night. She turned to catch Tyber's eye, trying very hard not to stick her tongue

out at him when he gave her a look that indicated he was not in the least

surprised.

LaLeche began the session, adopting the mien of a man who has a great deal of

serious knowledge to impart. Once again, Tyber was right. He led them quickly

through exercise after exercise, breaking down the barriers between them as he

coaxed them to reveal their innermost thoughts and fears. It was not an easy

thing to participate in the session while still maintaining a separateness.

Zanita tried to temper her responses, hoping she wasn't revealing too much of

herself, while at the same time making it appear as if she were totally engaged

in the experience. It seemed Tyber was more successful at it than she was; it

was difficult for her to tell when he was being honest and when he was baffling

the group with B.S. At one point, during a brief break, he leaned over to

whisper a warning in her ear.

"Be careful what you reveal to him of yourself; he will use it against you at a

later time. You don't want to give him any power over you."

"I know, I already thought of that; I'll try to be more careful. Did you really

read The Importance Of Being Earnest when you were three years old?" She

whispered back.

Tyber contemplated her from beneath lowered lids, choosing not to respond. It

was one of the traits that both infuriated and fascinated her about him; he knew

exactly how to yank her chain. She unconsciously hunched her shoulders in

annoyance, missing the flash of roguish amusement which lit his eyes.

"Now, I want everyone to sit in a circle again." LaLeche sat down Indian style

in the middle of the ring they were forming. A cold drizzle was already falling

in the dreary late afternoon.

LaLeche instructed Eric and Ralph to cover the two small windows with some

blankets to block out what was left of waning daylight. Well, Zanita marveled,

Tyber had foreseen that tactic as well; it seemed LaLeche wanted to get them

into inhibition-freeing darkness as quickly as possible.

When everyone was settled, LaLeche inserted a cassette into the tape player.

Chirping birds and gurgling water issued forth amidst the tuneless meditation

music. Zanita instantly relaxed to the point of drowsiness. She felt Tyber's

elbow jab her in the side.

"No snoozing on the job," he mouthed in her ear.

"Everyone join hands; we're going to have a meditation circle. I want you all to

take a deep breath just like I taught you this morning. Breathe into your

stomach, to your center of power. Hold… feel your breath… release. Again. Now

close your eyes and relax each muscle of your body starting with the top of your

head and working down to your toes. Take all the time you need. Relax…"

LaLeche's deep, carefully modulated tone was having the desired effect,

especially on Zanita, who jokingly sagged against Tyber. He nudged her upright

with his shoulder, taking the opportunity to plant a quick kiss on her neck.

"I want you to envision yourself in a place of perfect calm and serenity. Can

you see it? You're in a garden…. It is a beautiful, sunny place, free from care

and woe…. Listen to the singing birds, the sweet sound of water flowing over

rocks, wind chimes tinkling in the soft breeze... You lie down on a cushion of

springy grass, letting the serenity of this special place, this sanctuary, steal

over you… letting it take you to your inner place of joy and peace…."

He let the music carry them for a few minutes.

"As you drift in contentment in this world of harmony, you see before you a

mirror. The edges of this mirror are hand-etched with intricate flowering vines,

and as you look into it, you realize this is a very special mirror, for you see

not yourself in it, but the reflections of your desires…. What you want to do…

what you are ready to do now…"

Zanita was letting her mind drift along with the vision when she felt a long,

tapered finger languidly stroke down between her index and middle finger.

Tyber was letting her know exactly what desires he saw in his personal mirror.

When he massaged his finger suggestively back and forth against the tender skin

between her fingers, each pass a silken caress, she began to see a very

interesting reflection in her own mirror. The two of them, naked, intertwined,

making slow, passionate love in the flowing meadow.

Her breath caught in her throat.

In acknowledgment of her reaction to his touch, the tip of Tyber's finger etched

tiny circles in the sensitive center of her palm. His action formed a private

link between them in the darkness that went beyond proximity.

"… as you confront your desires, you realize that you can now cast aside your

groundless fear and embrace your secret self. Let yourself be free! Explore the

hidden realms which make up all that is you. Don't be afraid to share yourself