She squeezed my arm and tapped my chest. "You, Ollie. You are the man who can help her."
"When did I become the house therapist?" I shook my head. "Mara is crazy. She's cute, yeah, but totally out there. What do you expect me to do about it?"
Ruth waggled her eyebrows. "I'm sure you can think of something."
Yep, no doubt about it. A senior citizen was encouraging me to have sex with Mara in the hopes that would "straighten her out." I wasn't self-conscious about my skills in bed, but honestly, I kind of doubted I could fuck sense into Mara.
But I'd have fun trying.
No, I would not. Sex as therapy? Jeez, the girl was so uptight she'd probably shriek and hit me over the head with a baseball bat if I tried to seduce her.
Well, she had kissed me.
Oh no, I could not be seriously considering Ruth's insane suggestion.
Even though I was absolutelynotconsidering that, I heard myself saying, "I'll see what I can do."
"Try singing for her. Women love men who have hidden talents."
"Uh, maybe. We'll see."
Ruth led me out of the guest house, then peeled off to go find her husband, Sylvester. I spotted him playing checkers with another senior guest, Gil Foster. The two silver foxes had become good buddies right off the bat when Gil had arrived a few days ago.
Other guests were playing volleyball on the court that had been set up for miniten earlier.
A trio of twenty-something girls had brought out butterfly nets and were jumping around trying to catch the little critters. Even the bouncing of their breasts couldn't rev my libido.
I scanned the area, looking for Mara.
She hugged the corner of the little house, not far from the kitchen windows, her expression pinched. I couldn't tell for sure if she had her eyes closed, but I thought maybe she did. I hadn't expected her to come outside at all, so this was a huge step forward for her. I walked toward her, seeing more of her face the closer I got. She held her palms to her cheeks, then slid them up to cover her eyes, only to peek out between her fingers.
"Enjoying yourself?" I asked, coming up beside her.
Mara jumped like she hadn't noticed me approaching. "Ollie, I---Well, I thought immersion therapy might be the best thing for me."
"Sounds like a plan. How's it going so far?"
"Think I need to go back inside for a while."
"No rush. Take your time adjusting to the naked people."
She smiled, her lips sealed, then retreated into the house.
I went back to doing my job, but several times I glanced out the office window to see Mara outside the little house, cautiously watching the guests who were hanging out on the lawn. And yeah, I got out the binoculars so I could get a closer look---at her facial expression, not her body. Okay, maybe I enjoyed taking a peek at that too. She seemed less anxious about the whole naturist thing, since she didn't squeeze her eyes shut anymore, though she still didn't go out onto the lawn to socialize. Baby steps, I guessed.
At lunchtime, I got a great idea. Well, it sounded like a great one to me. Mara shouldn't hide in the little house all day. Fresh air and exercise, plus a few fun activities that didn't involve nudity, would make her feel better. I was sure of it. So I made us lunch in the big kitchen in the guest house and trotted over to the little house, setting my picnic basket and guitar case on the ground beside me. I knocked on the door to avoid scaring Mara again.
When she opened the door, she smiled. "Hi, Ollie."
This girl had the most beautiful smile in the history of smiling. I had no idea how long ago people first started making that expression, but it didn't matter. To me, her smile was the best.
"Hey, Mara," I said. "Made us a picnic lunch. Want to come out to the lake with me? All the other guests are in the big house, in the exercise room or the entertainment room, so we'll have the lake to ourselves."
"I've never walked in the woods before."
"You came here to commune with nature, right? And do some birdwatching?" When she nodded, I said, "I want to show you my favorite spot for seeing birds and other wildlife. It's also a nice place for a picnic."
She peered out the door at the lawn, where only a few guests still hung out. They were chilling on chaises and talking, not doing anything crazy.