The first time I undressed before him, I was a nervous wreck. I turned off the lights and dove under the blankets so fast he couldn’t have seen more than a blur of motion. I was convinced that he’d take one look at my doughy body and walk out. To my amazement, he hadn’t found me repelling. “I like a woman with curves,” he’d told me, caressing my body—and the way he made love to me, I’d believed him.
By God, could there really be such a man?
In the two years since, twenty more embarrassing pounds had surreptitiously crept up on me. I’d noticed lately that Rob didn’t sleep over nearly as often. But with his crazy schedule, how could I blame him? That said, he did seem less interested in lovemaking than he used to. Hmm… Nah. That was just a normal part of a long-term relationship. Still, starting tomorrow, I vowed, I’d get serious about losing weight. Yeah, right. Like I’d never made that promise before.
I was still hovering by the kitchen entrance when the door swung open and Toni stepped out. “What are you standing here for? You should be with Rob,” she prodded me. “Don’t worry about the kitchen. I hate to tell you this, kiddo, but I can pull a meal together without you. Besides, as they say, too many witches…”
“Sure. Now that everything is ready, you don’t need me anymore. Fine,” I answered, laughing. “I’m leaving.” I pulled in my stomach and walked across the room toward Rob’s table.
Along the way I stopped to chat with a few of the guests. “Hi, Susan. Hi, Brian. So glad you could come,” I told the Harrises, who were both residents at St. Timothy’s, like Rob.
“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“Rob and I are thrilled to have you.”
Brian chuckled. “I didn’t make the effort for Rob.” If not for the wink, I might have believed he didn’t like Rob. “I came for your cooking. Rob keeps boasting about what an amazing chef you are.”
Susan laughed. “I hope Brian won’t start expecting me to make him gourmet dinners every night.”
I leaned in and whispered loudly enough for Brian to hear. “I have a fantastic recipe for you. It’s called ‘reservations’ and it’s no trouble at all.”
Susan smiled and elbowed her husband playfully. “I like the sound of that one.”
“Hey, not fair,” Brian said. “I was hoping you’d teach her how to cook.”
Susan gave him a petulant look. “What is that supposed to mean? I thought you liked my cooking. Besides, I was hoping Nicole would teach you to cook. You need lessons more than I do.”
I made my escape while the going was good.
At the next table I recognized Harry Johnson, another of Rob’s friends. Just by looking at him, a person could tell the man was brilliant. He was slight to the point of emaciation and wore his thinning hair slicked back, and he was perpetually pushing a pair of large black glasses up his nose. He couldn’t have looked more like a nerd if he tried—funny, really. The one thing about him that always threw me was his voice. Half the time, when he called Rob at my place, I mistook him for a woman.
“Great party, Nicky,” he called out in his strangely high-pitched voice. He gave me a thumbs-up.
I smiled. “Thanks, Harry.”
A gorgeous brunette I didn’t recognize sat next to him. I gave her a smile, but she looked at me with such intense dislike that I was dumbfounded. Was I misreading her expression? I decided not to worry about it now and moved on.
I stopped by Kim’s table, where she was joined by a few of Rob’s single doctor friends and, of course, Gordon Page, whose eyes were riveted by Kim. With his muscular build and strong jaw, he and Kim would make a handsome couple. And the bonus for me was that she might be too busy to drop by all the time. I was filled with a fresh surge of guilt. I really should stop being such a bitch when it came to Kim. The real problem was probably just that I was insecure. From now on, I vowed, I would make an effort to like her.
Once everything in the kitchen was under control, Toni would join this table. “With any luck,” she’d said to me earlier, “I’ll hit it off with that cute doctor sitting across from Kim.”
I looked at him and tried to remember his name. What was it? Gerry? Barry? Wouldn’t it be scrumptious if both girls hit it off with their dinner partners tonight?
Kim was looking at me. “Nicky, these seafood cakes are to die for.”
“There are plenty more where they came from. But wait till you taste the main course.”
“I’d better not have any more of these,” she said. “I want to save room for everything else.”
Hmm, I always had room for everything else.
I helped myself to one of the seafood cakes and popped it in my mouth. Mmm. Delicious. I felt a flicker of regret. Bah, I’d be running around all night and those few calories would be burned off in no time.
I was on my way to the next table when I felt something pop. Oh, no. Don’t tell me… I was afraid to look. Sure enough, a dart had just burst open along the front of my dress. The only saving grace was that it was a dart that gathered fabric rather than one that joined two pieces. Thank goodness, or I would’ve been wearing nothing but my body suit. I made a beeline for the washroom, where I locked myself in one of the stalls and struggled out of the dress. I quickly inspected the damage and determined that maybe, just maybe, if I picked out the stitches from the opposite dart, my dress wouldn’t look lopsided.
I was still in the stall, pulling out bits of thread with my fingernails, when I heard the clickety-click of high heels on the tiled washroom floor, followed almost immediately by determined footsteps as a second person walked in.
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight.”
My head snapped up. That was Janice Bradley’s voice. She sounded furious. This wasn’t like her.
“And why shouldn’t I be here?” the second voice asked.
“Listen, bitch. I know what’s going on between you and Rob, and under the circumstances you should have stayed away. This is Nicole’s evening. What are you trying to do, create a scene?”
I bit my lips to stop myself from gasping out loud. I was paralyzed, hanging on to every word.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m here as Harry’s date,” she replied, now sounding rattled.
“I’m telling you to leave Rob alone.”
“Why is it that when someone’s boyfriend is having an affair, the first person everyone blames is the woman? If there’s anyone you should be giving this speech to, it’s Rob. He’s the one doing the cheating, not me.”
“All I’m telling you is leave the man alone. Every time I see Rob at the hospital, there you are, following him around like a stalker.”
There was a short pause, then, the mystery woman said indifferently, “Hey, you’re entitled to your opinion.”
“You know as well as I do that I can make your life hell at work. I suggest you leave here right now, before I decide to do just that.”
Over the gray metal of the divider, I heard the door open and close, then silence.
My heart thumped as fast as my mind raced. I desperately wanted to believe they were talking about another Rob and Nicole, but I wasn’t stupid. I replayed the conversation in my mind and forgot I was dressless. I fumbled for the latch, pushed open the stall door and stumbled out. To my horror, standing right there and watching me from the mirror was the brunette who’d given me the cold shoulder earlier. My eyes caught our side-by-side reflections. I was a cow next to a graceful doe. To make matters worse, rolls of fat were bursting out of my bodysuit’s arm and leg holes. I was mortified, and I felt the blood rising to my face and—oh, the humiliation—tears started welling in my eyes.
The brunette looked me up and down without a shred of sympathy. “Well, what do you know? If it isn’t the party girl herself.” She dropped her brush into her bag, turned and faced me with a small, self-satisfied smile. “Nice outfit. Too bad they didn’t have it in your size.” Then she walked out.
you can tell he’s lying
&
nbsp; when he opens his mouth
I was in shock, too stunned even to think. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to storm out to the dining room and toss a glass of wine in Rob’s face. I wanted him to apologize, to beg for forgiveness, to grovel. But most of all I wanted him to convince me that this was all a mistake and that I was the only woman he loved.
A hundred conflicting emotions swept through me, but I knew I would do nothing but paste a smile on my face and pretend that everything was just dandy. What else could I do? Announce my humiliation to a room full of people? Besides, the success of this evening was important for our business.
I had no idea what to believe anymore. How long had this affair been going on? How many people out there knew about this? When had Rob stopped loving me? For that matter, had he ever? What an idiot I’d been to imagine he was about to propose. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
I was about to start bawling when Toni rushed in, looking almost as upset as I felt.
“Who was that bitch?” she hiss-pered. “She called me a fat cow.” She stopped and stared at me. “What happened to your dress? What’s wrong? Are you crying?”
“No, I busted a seam,” I said, then added, “As for the ‘fat cow’ comment, it was meant for me.” I gave her the detailed account of what had just happened.
Toni’s eyes filled with sympathy. “Oh, Nicky, are you all right?” She wrapped an arm around me and tears ran down my cheeks. When I was in pain, nothing got me going like an affectionate gesture from a friend. Now not only was my face streaked with mascara, but my nose was running and I was definitely doing the ugly cry.
“I’ll be fine,” I said between sobs.
“Why don’t you go home? I’ll tell everyone you don’t feel well.”
“No, absolutely not. People will think it’s because of our food.” I grabbed a handful of tissues from the counter, dabbed my eyes and blew my nose. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll pull myself together.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t want to ruin our evening.” I threw the damp tissues into the wastebasket. “I don’t give a damn about Rob,” I said, knowing this was an out-and-out lie, “but I want everyone to have a great time and love our food. This could mean a lot of future business for us.”
“Good for you, girlfriend. That’s the attitude. I can’t believe he encouraged you to throw this party for him when he was screwing around behind your back. What a jerk.”
What I couldn’t believe was how I’d convinced myself that Rob was about to propose, but I was too embarrassed to admit this, even to my closest friend.
“Take a deep breath.” She grabbed a handful of paper napkins and ran cold water over them. “Here, hold these over your eyes.” At last I stopped crying, and while Toni picked out threads from my dress with her fingernails, I retouched my makeup. By the time my eyes looked nearly normal, Toni had finished repairing my dress.
She wiggled her fingers at me. “I told you these Frenchies came in handy.” After a quick smoothing out under the hot-air dryer, my dress was almost as good as new.
“Now you’re wearing a shift. It’s the latest look,” she declared, after I slipped it back on. To my amazement, the dress did fit better without the darts.
“You ready?” she asked, with equal parts sympathy and persuasion.
I nodded and stepped out of the washroom just in time to see the front door close behind the brunette. I glanced at Rob, who was staring at the entrance with a surprised expression on his face. The image of the man I loved in bed with that woman flashed through my mind and I almost threw up.
“You don’t look so good,” said Toni, a concerned look in her eyes. “Maybe you should go home.”
“Don’t worry.” I took a deep breath and attempted a self-possessed smile. “I’m fine.” I wasn’t sure how convincing I was, but under the circumstances it was the best I could manage. I hurried off to the kitchen, where I was determined to hide out for as long as I could. Toni headed for the dining room, where she would play hostess until I felt up to it.
Once the door closed behind me, I looked around for something, anything to do. I lifted pot covers, checked seasoning, opened ovens and generally made a pest of myself. I had no clue what I was doing, but as long as I kept busy, I felt in check. The kitchen staff was clearly avoiding looking my way, trying to spare me embarrassment, I guessed. After a while, I decided I should return to my guests. After all, much as I might have liked to, I couldn’t disappear all night. Instead of joining Rob, I mingled, then rushed back to the kitchen whenever I felt my composure slipping.
I stopped by Kim’s table, wearing what I thought was a natural smile, but she took one look at me, jumped out of her chair and pulled me aside. “What’s wrong, Nicky? You look upset.”
What’s wrong? Everything, I wanted to say. My whole entire life, that’s what. Instead I mouthed to her, “I’m all right. Don’t worry.” It was embarrassing enough to admit to a female acquaintance that I’d been a fool without a bunch of men listening in on the conversation.
Toni appeared by Kim’s side and spoke in her ear. I moved away. The evening stretched on. I circulated, I chatted. I had no idea what anyone was talking about, and half the time I wasn’t even sure what I was saying. But I must have been doing a good job of pretending because no one else seemed to notice, not even Rob. This, of course, made me feel even worse. He was having a grand time, completely oblivious to the lethal looks I kept sending his way. Lucky for him I didn’t own a gun.
Toni materialized by my side and threw a few murderous looks of her own toward Rob. She leaned into me. “You know, what I’d like is for just one guy to prove that they’re not all the same.”
*
It was a few minutes past eleven and at last the evening was winding down. I looked around at the tables covered with coffee cups and wineglasses. It would take hours to clean everything but I’d already told all the assistants they could go. With a restaurant full of dirty dishes it was crazy to send the help home, but I wanted to be alone with Rob, even if I had to clean everything myself later. Normally, the task would seem daunting, but I was numb. I forced myself to focus and made my way to the front door, where Kim and Toni joined me. Meanwhile, Rob was pouring himself another glass of wine—his sixth?
“Would you like me to stay?” Kim offered discreetly.
One look at her sympathetic expression and I knew she knew. “I guess Toni told you.”
She nodded. “Don’t be angry at her. She’s concerned.”
I sighed. “I want to be alone with him.”
She tilted her head. “Are you sure? I’ll be happy to stay if you like.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but this is something I have to do by myself. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay in the kitchen,” Toni said. “He won’t even know I’m here.”
“You go on home. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”
Toni nodded. “I understand. As they say in the restaurant business, you have a bone to pick. It’s likely to get messy.”
“I won’t make a scene,” I assured them. “I just want him out. I’ll speak to him calmly, I promise.”
Kim looked doubtful. “I hope you can. The last thing you’d want to do is cry in front of him. Don’t give that jerk the satisfaction of knowing he hurt you.” Then, holding my hand, she added, “I’m only as far as my phone. Call me anytime, even if it’s the middle of the night. In fact, call me. I’ll be worried until I hear from you.”
“That’s nice of you,” I said, then turned and looked at Rob. He was bidding his goodbyes to a few friends—oblivious to my misery.
“I hate to be the first to leave,” Janice’s voice startled me. I had to force myself to focus on her words. “I just can’t believe you prepared all that wonderful food yourself.”
“Not entirely by myself,” I replied. “Toni is a chef, and there’s also the staff.”
“Simon and I are so impressed.”
I looked around.
“Where is Simon? I didn’t see him leave.”
“He’s just gone to get the car.” She hovered by the entrance, glancing outside every few seconds.
“I’m happy to see him looking so much better.” As I spoke the words, Janice’s face fell. Had I said something wrong? Of course! How stupid of me. She didn’t want people to know about Simon’s stress over the stock market. It wouldn’t bode well for his reputation if word spread that he’d been worried to the point of being ill.
Janice smiled pleasantly. “He does look good, doesn’t he?” This was said so naturally that I found myself wondering if I’d I imagined her mood of a moment ago.
She was peering out the window again. “There he is.” She turned and air kissed me. “We’ll be back, that’s a promise. I’ll call you soon,” she added, darting out.
I turned to the other guests who had congregated around me.
“The decor is great and the food—”
“—to die for.”
To every comment, Toni smiled graciously and I tried to be pleasant. A long forty minutes later, the last guest was gone.
Toni put an arm around me. “Why don’t you go? I’ll take care of closing up.”
“No, you go,” I said firmly. “I don’t want one more night of Rob’s things in my house. I’d rather have it out with him right here, right now.”
Before exiting, she glanced at Rob. “Don’t let the schmuck get away with anything. Just remember, you can tell he’s lying when he opens his mouth.”
Rob slithered over. “Great party, baby.” He leaned casually against the wall, sipping his red wine. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”
I will stay calm. I will stay calm. I will stay calm. I repeated this like a mantra. I took a deep breath, but I had no idea how to start.
“You’re unusually quiet. Tired? Can’t say that I blame you. You put a lot of work into this.”
“You’re having an affair,” I blurted. “Aren’t you?” There. That wasn’t so bad. I was calm. Rob’s smile froze, then disintegrated. “I know all about it, so don’t bother denying it.” I was still calm. I was doing good.
Getting Skinny (A Chef Landry Mystery) Page 4
