L. Marie Adeline- S.E.C.R.E.T

“So what if you did? Where’s the crime in that?”
“I guess I never saw myself as that kind of woman.”
“I see that kind of woman as daring, brave.”
“Really? You see me like that?”
“I do,” he said, gently spooning me in a way that was so tender, it was odd to think
we barely knew one another. He pulled a heavy duvet over our bodies and nested it
around us.
When I woke six hours later, he was gone. And oddly, I was ne with that. I was so
happy to have had those moments with him, and to let them pass without feeling loss.
As sweet as he was, I actually wanted to enjoy my last days in Whistler alone. Still, it
was nice to read a note he left on the bathroom vanity: Cassie, you are lovely. And I am
late for work! But you know where to find me. À bientôt, Theo.
Matilda was admiring my pictures as I yammered on in the coach house about how
exciting it had been to hit the slopes again. I told her about the mini-moguls on
Blackcomb Mountain, where I spent my last day. Danica came over to us with coees
and cooed over a photo Marcel had taken of Theo and me enjoying our fondue.
“He is keee-yoot,” she said, before ducking away and leaving Matilda and me alone.
When I had told her about Theo, she was delighted. She asked me how we met, what
he said, what I said. Then I told her about … what we did.
“Did you enjoy it?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’d do it again, maybe. With the right partner. Someone I could trust.”
“Cassie, I have something for you,” she said, opening a drawer in the desk and pulling
out a small wooden box.
She opened the box. The Step Eight charm looked dazzling against its black velvet
background.
“But, I thought Theo was just some random guy, not a participant.”
“It doesn’t matter if he was part of our society or not.”
“I don’t understand.”
“This Step is Bravery, which is dierent from courage because bravery requires you
take risks without overthinking things. Bravery says, ‘Go for it.’ So, whether or not Theo
is part of S.E.C.R.E.T. is irrelevant. You’ve earned this charm.”
I plucked the charm from the box, turned it over in my hand and then clicked it into
place on my bracelet. I gave my wrist a shake and admired the twinkling charms. So
was Theo a random stranger drawn to me naturally? Or was he involved in S.E.C.R.E.T?
I couldn’t figure it out. But perhaps Matilda was right: it didn’t matter.
“I’ll allow myself to believe I attracted Theo,” I said, “Though I still have my doubts.”
“Good, Cassie. No more being a wallflower. You, my dear, have blossomed.”