Fat & Fine

by Mary E Thompson

  “Wow, dude! That’s a cool truck. He’s your favorite isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, Daddy, he is. This is so awesome. Can we come here every day so I can play with it?”

  Eric laughed. “Well, I don’t know about that, but it looks like Miss Samantha is going to let you play with it for a little while. Do you want to show Gracie and Tommy?”

  “Yeah!” Bobby took off across the studio to show his new prize to his sister and brother. Bobby and Gracie traded toys, each inspecting the other’s, then traded back. I shot the whole time, enjoying their excited faces.

  “You have a beautiful family,” I told Eric, who was standing next to me, watching them.

  “I’m a lucky man,” he said honestly. “It’s hard to believe we were Bobby’s age when we got together.”

  “Really?” I asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah,” he laughed. “We went to preschool together. We were best friends when we were four and ended up in the same elementary school. We’ve had our ups and downs, but no matter what we always leaned on each other as best friends. I’ve never imagined my life with anyone but her.”

  “That’s amazing,” I confessed, wishing I had someone I could consider my best friend, or someone I might share my life with. For so long it was Addi that I was lost without her at times. It was clear that Addi and I had drifted apart when I brought Brady home to meet my family before he met my friends.

  “I’ve never been so scared as I was the day I asked her to marry me. I was sure she was going to say she hadn’t explored enough, or dated enough, or traveled enough.”

  “Why did you ask her if you weren’t sure what she was going to say?”

  Eric shrugged. Amy caught his eye and looked at him with so much love I thought my heart was going to explode. I snapped a shot of the look that passed between them, still focused on the conversation with Eric.

  “We weren’t dating when I asked her. She’d just gotten out of a bad relationship. Well, maybe bad is making it sound worse than it was. It wasn’t a great relationship because it wasn’t right, but he wasn’t horrible to her, they just didn’t fit together. She came over to cry on my shoulder and we were watching slapstick comedy and sharing a carton of ice cream. I always kept her favorite, cookie dough, in my freezer for when she came over. She said she didn’t think she’d ever find the right guy and I told her she was crazy. She brushed it off, but I pressed, insisting that she would be happy one day. I couldn’t take her arguing so I finally told her I’d been in love with her forever and was just waiting for her to be done dating other guys so I could ask her to marry me. She was shocked, and she didn’t believe me. So I got down on one knee and pulled out her grandmother’s ring, the one her mom had given me when I asked her parents if they would be okay if we got married one day.”

  Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t imagine anyone being that sweet. Amy was a lucky woman.

  “I said yes once I knew he was serious,” Amy said, stepping up to her husband with their three kids. “Until he pulled out that ring I honestly believed he was just trying to make me feel better. The truth was I was dating other guys to try to forget about him. Who meets their soulmate at age four, right?”

  “The lucky ones,” I assured her.

  Amy tipped her chin up to Eric, who happily accepted her kiss. Tommy was nestled between them, Gracie and Bobby looking up at their parents. It was a perfect little moment that I was lucky enough to witness and save for them.

  Eric and Amy told me about their wedding and finding out when she was pregnant with each of the kids as I continued taking pictures. As the afternoon wore on I knew I’d made the right choice to eliminate weddings from my business. Working with that family swelled my heart until it was too big for my chest. And that sort of work would make me so much happier than living in a house that no longer felt like home.

  Sixteen

  The next night Brady was meeting my friends for girls’ night. He knew what my friends meant to me, and bringing him to meet them was a significant step for me.

  “My friends are the family I chose,” I told him when he asked why I was nervous. “I love my family, but they make me crazy a lot of the time, especially my mom, as you saw. With my friends though, they accept me for who I am. Oh, did I tell you Addi and Joey are members? That’s how I learned about Dave’s Gym.”

  He nodded and rubbed my thigh. “You told me, honey. You don’t have to be nervous. I will do my best not to embarrass you.”

  I snorted. “It’s not you I’m worried about. Chances are my friends are going to do their best to embarrass me and you’ll never want to speak to me again after tonight. I’ll make one of them take me home if you decide you’re done.”

  I meant it as a joke, well mostly, but Brady looked genuinely concerned. He pulled into a parking space and unbuckled his seat belt. Instead of getting out he turned to face me. “Sam, I know you. Nothing your friends could say would change how I feel about you. But if they’re really your best friends why would you worry about them? They don’t sound that wonderful if you’re worried they’re going to scare me off.”

  I waved away his concerns. “I was just kidding. They like to joke and will likely tell you stories about me, but it’s all just for fun. If you’re scared off by them then I’ll know you aren’t the right guy for me.”

  “Did your ex meet them?”

  I shook my head vehemently. “Not a chance. He wasn’t ever anything more than for fun. I’ve never introduced my friends to anyone.” Brady cringed as I shrugged an apology. “Sorry, I know you don’t like hearing about him.”

  “You don’t like talking about him any more than I like hearing about him.”

  He was right. I wasn’t ready to tell Brady why Cade and I split or why I’d joined Dave’s Gym. If I had my way he’d never know the truth about either of those things. Thankfully none of my friends knew the whole truth either so that was one secret that wouldn’t come out.

  “Let’s go,” Brady said gruffly before he climbed out of the Jeep. I followed him and paused behind the vehicle to calm myself. I could see everyone inside, boyfriends and husbands included, watching us. I finally knew what a fish in a fish tank felt like, being watched from a distance but unable to interact.

  Except we were about to interact. Brady was about to meet my friends. Gulp.

  He slipped his hand into mine and half dragged me across the parking lot. Aidan caught the corner of my eye and I thought about how I flirted with him the first time we’d met. I thought he was just a friend of Claire’s until he practically fucked her against the counter while feeding her a cupcake. It was one of the most erotic things I’d ever witnessed, and a little disturbing.

  Claire, above any of the others, had a reason to torture me with Brady. Hopefully she was her usual kind self though. She’d promised me she didn’t hold a grudge for my behavior with Aidan and even admitted that she didn’t blame me for reacting to him the way I did.

  I just hoped no one reacted to Brady that way.

  The familiar scent of sugar and deliciousness filled me once we were inside. Brady’s hand rested lightly on my lower back and guided me toward the counter. Charlie was waiting for us instead of Kendall and flashed us a grin. She slid over my plate with my usual order of two raspberry lemonade cupcakes and a bottle of water before turning to Brady.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Brady. I’m Charlie. What can I get you?”

  Brady flashed his own grin and I watched Charlie’s smile slip. She was drawn to him too. Big shock.

  “What do you recommend?”

  “Well, that depends on what you like,” Charlie flirted with my boyfriend. Damn, it was going to be a long night.

  Brady shrugged as he glanced toward the case. His eyes landed on me again, heated and full of desire that made my pulse kick up. “I know one thing I like,” he whispered in my ear. He turned back to Charlie and said, “I’m not too big on chocolate, but I like something other than plain old vanilla.”

  �
�Well, I’ve got a few fruit based cupcakes or some that are a little more decadent. My favorite is the salted caramel, but I’ve also got cherry coke, margarita, coffee or mocha, cinnamon roll, or s’mores. Sam’s favorite is raspberry lemonade.”

  Brady gave her an appreciative glance then asked for one cherry coke and one salted caramel cupcake. Charlie waved off his money when he tried to pay and I pulled Brady away telling him we all slip money into the tip jar before we go anyway.

  Two seats were available for us between Addi and Aidan. Brady held the chair next to Addi out for me then sat next to Aidan. “Guys, this is Brady. Brady, my friends.” I went around the table introducing everyone knowing he’d never remember all their names.

  Brady leaned past me and reached for Addi’s hand once I’d completed introductions and said, “Addi, it seems I have you to thank. Sam said you’re the one who told her about Dave’s Gym. I hope you and Joey,” Brady indicated Joey with a nod, “enjoy it there.”

  Addi nodded, looking a bit gobsmacked. “Yeah, we do. It’s a great place. Not that I’m a poster child for any gym,” Addi joked shyly. She’d always been fit and healthy but carried more weight than she’d like. Even going to the gym regularly and being active all the time, Addi was big like the rest of us.

  “You’re the perfect spokesperson for my gym. I want real people there, not super-sized muscle men and women who look like they’ve skipped too many meals. People should strive to be healthy, not to be skinny.”

  Twelve pairs of eyes gawked at the super-sized muscled man sitting beside me. Brady was exactly the man he described not wanting there, but it was obvious none of us were the women who skipped meals.

  “So you’d turn away people who were too built?” Xander asked, clearly confused.

  Brady shook his head. “No, of course not. I won’t turn anyone away, but I don’t want Dave’s Gym to be a place where anyone feels uncomfortable. If I witness, or one of my staff witnesses, someone being cruel to another member, they’re gone, no questions asked.” Brady rested his arm on the back of my chair and his hand cupped my neck, caressing gently.

  “Phew,” Xander breathed, “as long as I know you wouldn’t kick me out.”

  We all laughed. Xander was nearly as built as Brady, except he’d earned his muscles from his work as an electrical engineer and rebuilding old homes in his spare time. Brady’s muscles were gym manufactured, but I had no doubt he knew how to use them.

  “As long as you treat everyone with respect, I’d be happy to have you there. It doesn’t really look like you need a gym though. What do you do?”

  “I work in construction. Remodeling older homes. I’m an electrical engineer.”

  Brady nodded appreciatively. “Once upon a time I thought about being an engineer. Need a college degree for that sort of thing though. Owning a gym works for me.”

  “You’re obviously very successful,” Claire said. “From what Sam and Addi have said your gym does well.”

  “It’s a good business. Dave had a great start when he turned it over to me. I just kept going with his vision.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” I argued. “You said it’s three times the size it was when you took over. That sounds like you know what you’re doing and are good at it.”

  Brady laughed. “I surround myself with the best people. My employees are phenomenal. I wouldn’t have a place to work if it weren’t for them.”

  “You’re a smart man,” Charlie said. “Any owner who can recognize the value of good employees is a great employer.”

  “Spoken like a true business woman,” Brady complimented her. Charlie blushed.

  “You’re lucky too though,” Riley said. “Owning a business can be expensive. It’s awesome that Dave gave you the gym. He left it in good hands, clearly, but it helps a lot when you aren’t starting from scratch.”

  “I agree completely,” Charlie added. “Starting this place went a whole lot better than I expected, but I was prepared with a year’s worth of income saved up just in case I couldn’t make it work.”

  Riley groaned. “I think my bosses are going to retire within the next few years. I’m dying to take over the business, but I know when they retire they’re going to sell it. I’ve been saving like crazy, but I just don’t have enough right now.”

  “Have you looked into loans? I got one when I moved Dave’s Gym to the new location. I couldn’t maintain things any longer at our old place, but I didn’t have the free cash to move. I got a good loan. I could give you a name if you want.”

  Riley nodded enthusiastically. “That would be great.”

  “Are you really that nice?” Mandy asked suddenly. She’d been silent so far, which was unlike her, but her question surprised me.

  “Mandy!”

  “It’s okay, babe,” Brady assured me. “What do you mean?” he asked Mandy.

  “You come in here, out of nowhere, and you’re dating Sam, talking about being a good business owner, and offering to help Riley get a loan. It all just seems a little too much.”

  “Mandy,” Claire hissed.

  Brady nodded his appreciation to Claire then focused on Mandy. “Well, I’ve been in Winterville for 15 years. For a long time I kept to myself, still pretty much do. I’m dating Sam, and I’m not sure what the issue is there. I am a good business owner and you can ask any of my employees how they feel about working for me. As for Riley’s loan, I didn’t say I’d help her, just that I could give her a name. I’m not in a position to be the bank for someone else.”

  “Why did you bring him?” Mandy asked me.

  “Why are you being like this? What did he ever do to you?”

  “It’s been two weeks since you and Cade broke up. The guy who dumped you because you were too fat. And now you’re in here with a man who looks as close to perfect as a guy can look. You’ve never brought a guy here. None of us ever brought a guy here if we weren’t serious. I find it hard to believe you could be serious in less than two weeks.”

  Brady tensed beside me. His fingers tightened on my neck and I knew he picked out the words from Mandy’s statement that I didn’t want him to notice. “What is she talking about?” he growled at me.

  “Nothing.”

  “He’s why you came in, isn’t he? He said you were too… Is he why you use that word?” Brady turned to face me, his hand slipping from my neck and running down my arm until he held my hand in his.

  Everyone at the table sat in silence as Brady and I spoke.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Which is it?”

  “Yes, he’s why I came in. I wanted to make him eat his words. I said that word long before he was around, but it’s the truth. I’m f-“

  “Don’t. You. Dare. That word will not come out of that beautiful mouth again. Now that I understand where that comes from I will make sure I show you, even more, exactly what I think of you. As for the other part… Why do they think you were still dating that asshole two weeks ago?”

  Everyone gasped.

  “That’s when they found out we broke up. I didn’t go into details about when or how or anything else, just let them believe what they wanted to believe.”

  “When did you and Cade break up?” Mandy asked.

  “Four weeks ago,” Addi whispered. “When you first asked me about the gym. I knew there was something off with you that night, but I passed it off as my imagination. Dammit, Sam, why didn’t you tell me?”

  I closed my eyes and willed the pain away. I didn’t want to think about that day. Ever. “It’s no big deal. It’s over. He’s not in my life anymore.”

  “And he’s not going to be ever again. That fucker doesn’t deserve you,” Brady said adamantly, pulling me toward him. My head fell to his shoulder and he pressed a kiss into my hair.

  “Okay, he can stay,” Mandy admitted, smiling. “I like him. Are you bringing him to the wedding?”

  Shit. I’d forgotten Mandy and Xander’s wedding was that Saturday. “Um, I hadn’t thought about it.”


  “Well, I’m inviting him. Brady, we’d be honored if you would come to our wedding. Riley and Carrie, you guys too. I don’t know if I already told you that.”

  Riley and Carrie exchanged a glance then nodded happily. Brady nodded too, tugging me tighter to him. My soft body melted into his hard one and I knew Brady was a much better choice for me than Cade had ever been. Even more so since he stood his ground against Mandy and won her over for it. Maybe I’d finally made a good choice.

  Seventeen

  ”Do you want to come inside and see my place?” I asked quietly when Brady pulled up in front of my house. I’d met him on the front porch earlier so he never went inside, but I didn’t care about him seeing my house. I just wasn’t ready for the night to end.

  “Sure.”

  Brady followed me out of the car. My anxiety over the evening trailed behind me, leaving me feeling better with each step. I wasn’t sure why I expected so little of my friends, but they shocked me. Not only did they make Brady feel welcome, but they didn’t embarrass me. Yeah, Mandy pushed him and questioned him, but that was mostly because she was being protective and didn’t know the whole story. Overall it was a great night, especially since Brady didn’t notice the looks of admiration from my friends behind his back.

  I let him into the house and flipped on the lights, wondering what he thought of my home. I’d put a lot of work into making it mine since Addi moved out a few months before. The house was small, but I loved my cozy home. Giving it up was going to be a little bit of a challenge, but I knew it was just a house and I could make any place my home.

  My couch was the most comfortable one I’d ever sat on and my TV was a little on the small side, but it was enough for me. They would help make my new place feel like home, too. And somehow I knew Brady wouldn’t judge me based on my house, this one or the next.

  “Nice place. How long have you been here?”

  I tossed my purse onto the table near the door. “Forever. Addi and I had an apartment when we finished college but wanted a yard so we moved here about four years ago.”