Margo was eager to get started. “That works for me. I’m committed.”
“Okay, I’ll finish at the gym and then come to you.”
He wasn’t bad to look at. Who knew? Maybe she’d get bootie while she was training with him.
****
Life without her cell phone Bluetooth attached to her ear like another appendage was liberating. The mere sound of it ringing made Margo cringe. If it wasn’t Carmala or Seth, who had custom ring tones, then it invariably was something to do with the handful of pending deals she’d left behind. She had a ton of calls coming in from Dan, but she usually let his calls go to voice mail.
After only a day into her leave, Dan had left several urgent messages. All about the same transaction. Despite her plan to let him handle it on his own, she’d broken down and called him. She had regretted every bit of the forty-five-minute conversation. Margo explained why she did this or how it was approved and where it was all documented in the file. Dan had finally let her off the phone. Wasn’t there a law about harassing an employee when they took a leave of absence?
Most of the calls now were from irate customers she didn’t want to hear from. She hid the cell phone; this way she wouldn’t be aware there were any calls coming in. But then she’d forgotten the hiding spot. When she found the phone again, there were forty messages. All of which were emergencies. Each voicemail contained the usual threats of never wanting to do business with her or her bank again. Ugh! Couldn’t they leave her alone? Maybe she could drop the cell in the toilet. Or in the pool. That might do the trick. She just wanted them to leave her alone.
Now that she’d hired a trainer, she thought she’d get help with the diet. Years ago, she had hired a nutritionist, the crazy man-eater Isabel “Izzie” Wharton. She decided to hire her again to get those extra pounds off.
Izzie sounded surprised to hear from her. “Margo. It’s been such a long time. How’s the banking business? I heard times were tough.”
“Tough enough that I finally quit!”
“I’ve been telling you, you needed to cut down your hours for some time. Otherwise, you’re going to drop dead.”
“I took a leave of absence. I didn’t quit. But I doubt that I’ll go back. When can you come by?”
“I’m free Friday, if that’s good?”
“Sure is, see you then.”
****
Izzie arrived at nine on the dot. She grazed Margo’s cheek with a quick kiss and bolted into the kitchen.
Margo chuckled to herself as Izzie whizzed past her with her bright green eyes, frizzy strawberry-blonde hair, and big, chunky jewelry. She had missed her zany friend. Izzie placed her oversized handbag, cooler—filled with diet food, no doubt—and briefcase on the kitchen table. Without a word, she opened the refrigerator and threw away condiments, fruit drinks, and even a newly purchased gallon of milk into a big green trash bag.
Margo watched, arms akimbo. “I see you waste no time.”
“You’ve reversed everything I taught you. How could you? I told you no dairy. And I’ll bet you’re having wine and cheese every day, aren’t you?”
“Well…” Margo’s cheeks flushed warm.
Margo could barely contain her laughter as she checked out Izzie’s butt while she bent over the refrigerator. Why did she wear that short, skintight, leopard-print dress? She was supposed to be on a client call. But, then, that was Izzie.
She turned with two tubs of cheese spread shaking them in Margo’s face. “You’re wasting your money on a personal trainer. Without the right food, there will be no results. An effective exercise routine is based on eighty percent diet and twenty percent exercise. We need to put you on a low fat, high protein diet that includes five measured meals.”
“I need to lose twenty pounds.” Margo surreptitiously squeezed her belly fat, but Izzie caught her and tsked.
“I’ll make it easy for you. We’ll put together containers of precooked meals, measured with individual servings of turkey, chicken, or fish. I’ll stack the freezer with bags marked a.m., p.m., and s for snack.” Izzie turned and pinched Margo’s cheek. “Give in to the process, and Izzie will make it all better.”
Izzie whipped up a quick lunch of lean turkey, brown rice with a savory amino acid sauce, and a green salad with watermelon and cilantro.
Between bites, Margo told Izzie about Timothy.
“Timothy was a fuckin’ bore. You got married too young, anyway. Now is the time of your life. We should hit the town this weekend and enjoy shopping the meat market of men.” Izzie sprang up from her chair, twirled around the kitchen screaming out, “All I want is a man with muscles. Big gorgeous muscles.”
Margo rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile at Izzie’s antics. “All I want is a little bit of peace.”
“Yeah, with a little piece of action, you’ll get peace, honey.” She continued to wiggle her butt, dancing and singing around the kitchen about some fictional guy with big muscles and a bigger wiener. If Margo didn’t already know her, she’d think she was the furthest thing from a professional nutritionist.
“I’ve got my piece of action coming to me three times a week,” Margo said.
That announcement stopped Izzie in midtwirl as she surveyed Margo. Then she plopped on a seat at the table and leaned forward, hand rested under her chin. “Spill it. You’ve got a man and didn’t tell me?”
“Yeah, a man I can have and be done with until his next scheduled visit.” Margo gave Izzie a wide smile. “My trainer, Seth.”
Izzie resumed eating. “Your trainer?”
“Why do I need to go out and search for a hottie, when I can have him come to me?”
“I’ll be goddamned, so I taught my Margie well!”
“I’m legally separated at this point. Timmy served me the papers in a Federal Express envelope at work, no less. I signed them and sent them back. The court will take up to ninety days to finalize it. So I’m free to do what I want. He’s the one who cheated. Now, about my plan for Seth, he doesn’t know it yet, but I’ll be making my move soon.”
“That’s my girl.” Izzie pushed up from the table and loaded the dirty dishes in the sink. “I cooked. You’re on dish duty. I’ll be on my way. I have another meeting. See you Tuesday, then.” She gathered her things.
“Hey, since you’re on the way out, would you mind getting my mail and bringing it up the driveway?”
“Lazy.” She waved her index finger in front of her face in mock admonishment. “That’s not good for your metabolism.”
“Please, it’s on your way.”
“I’ll leave it at your doorstep. See you later.”
Margo hated going out of her house to get the mail or the newspapers. What did she need to read in the newspapers? They were all doom and gloom. She planned to cancel the dreadful papers. Pronto.
To be honest with herself, the real reason she didn’t want to go outside was Blake Stevens, the next-door neighbor, and his annoying kids. Her house was set back, far from the road, and the paved driveway curved down to the street. Almost every single time she went out, it seemed that one of the Stevenses was coming or going. It annoyed the crap out of her, and she really didn’t feel like saying hello. She’d wait for Izzie, Seth, or one of the workers to get what she needed.
When no one was expected to visit, she donned her housecoat and slippers and crept down the driveway, hoping to go unnoticed by the neighbors. And, dammit, if she didn’t see the curtains twitch at the Stevenses’ window. Why the hell was he spying on her? Okay, it could have been anyone in the house. But she’d bet her last dollar it was him.
Idly poking around on the computer one afternoon, Margo thought to check to see if she was on whitepages.com. There was absolutely no privacy these days. Not only were her name and date of birth—which she’d always kept a secret—shown ten times but also a mapquest link and an aerial picture of her home.
How was that even legal? What if a disgruntled customer wanted to threaten her?
One particularly scary customer thought D.C. Mutual owed her the world. According to the woman, Margo had delayed the closing of her loan, which forced her fees to go up. She’d threatened to sue the bank and make formal complaints with the regulatory authorities. Of course, Dan caved in to her every demand.
During the next month, Margo upgraded her security system. Ten thousand dollars bought her sophisticated equipment that was foolproof against the craftiest criminal. The alarm notified local police who were guaranteed to get there in seven minutes. Only, a lot could happen in seven minutes.
So next she applied for a concealed weapons permit.
She had loaded guns in her night table drawer, her glove compartment, the kitchen, and the den. Now she was fully prepared and armed, no one could threaten her.
****
On Saturday, Carmala arose at noon, still groggy and hung over from the previous night’s partying. Guido was still asleep. She decided to leave him there. She padded downstairs to make an espresso.
Carmala was worried about Margo. It’d been a couple of months now since Timothy had left. When she spoke to Margo after she’d received the divorce papers from Tim, Margo had acted as if it was no big deal. Well, it was a big deal. It was good of him to wait until after the holidays, but just getting the paperwork made the divorce official, and it had to hurt. No matter how tough she was trying to be.
Carmala decided to pay Margo a visit. Two hours later, in her house, Carmala sized up her friend, who was still in her nightgown and housecoat. “My God, you look wired. Are you okay?”
Margo motioned her into the kitchen and made them tea. “No one does the work around here correctly, so I have to do it myself. And since I’m doing so much work, I have a lot of nervous energy. Plus, I’ve got side effects of my corporate-world withdrawal.” Margo stopped in her tracks and eyed Carmala. “You look a little rough today.”
Snagged. She’d applied extra makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes. “I hit the town with Guido, and we bumped into Jon, no less. He wined and dined us all night. But enough about me. What about you? How was it not going to the office the past couple of months?”
“Retirement agrees with me.”
Carmala sat at the breakfast bar while Margo busied herself in the kitchen. “I thought it was only a leave of absence.”
“That’s how I set it up and what I told Dan. But, deep down, I’d like to retire from mortgage banking.”
“Retire? I thought you loved your job?”
Margo served Carmala’s tea, then poured herself a cup.
“I’ve prepared for this.” She sat down to join Carmala. “I’m ready for a career change. Don’t worry about me. I’m well set for a while. I so don’t want to talk about work. Hey, you’ll be proud. I hired Seth to train me in my home gym and Izzie as my nutritionist. Remember Izzie? She’s a blast.”
Carmala nodded. “Yeah, she’s one crazy bitch. But you can’t stay cooped up in this house all the time.”
“I canceled the damned papers because they only have depressing stuff. Besides, I have a bunch of chick lit to catch up on, and countless episodes of Real Housewives on my DVR. I have all the comforts in the world right here.” She sipped her tea and sighed.
“What you need to do is get dressed. Let’s go to the mall and do some shopping.”
“No, Carm. Stay here. I’ll make a fun dinner and we’ll open a bottle of red.”
“Margo, it’s a beautiful day. I don’t want to stay in.”
“We’ll have a good time.”
Carmala didn’t want to bring up unhappy emotions for Margo, but she wanted her to talk, if she needed to. “What’s going on with the divorce?”
“Well, it’s been about a month since he filed the paperwork for the divorce, which you know was uncontested, so it should be finalized in another sixty days.”
“And how are you handling it?”
Margo shrugged. “As good as can be expected. I’ve met with Gail numerous times, and she’s helped me face the emotions that I’d been denying and to see things for what they are. I mean, he cheated on me, he broke the bonds between us. I had to move on, and I’ve accepted that it’s over. Now, I’m ready to actually enjoy myself a little. Like…with Seth.”
“Okay. I guess that’s good.”
“I plan to seduce him.” Margo blushed. “I’ve had a crush on him even before my separation. I didn’t think bad thoughts when I was married, of course, but having trained with him for a couple of years, I’ve had a wayward thought or two.”
“That’s perfectly normal. I wonder how he feels.”
“I think he’d be very open to the opportunity of getting with me.” Margo smiled brightly. “What’s going on with Guido? Is he being good?”
“Guido’s been on his best behavior ever. Now that he’s moved in, he helps me around the house, makes dinner, cleans, and does laundry. He also pays half the bills.”
“Yeah, but has he stalked you again?”
“He never stalked me. He gets concerned for me, that’s all. We have it worked out. If I’m running late, I tell him so he’ll know when to prepare dinner. Sometimes he brings takeout to the office and sits with me until I’m done. He’s been supportive even with the stressful client I had, Smithinson. My plan worked, by the way, and I saved the account.”
“That’s great, glad to hear it.” Margo moved to the kitchen counter and uncorked one of the bottles of their favorite fine cabernet sauvignon and held it up to Carmala. “Might as well start early. It’s after noon.” Margo took out a tray from the fridge of rice crackers, sharp cheddar and brie cheese, Spanish olives, hummus, cucumber, and tomatoes. She placed it on the kitchen table. “Enjoy.”
“Nice presentation.” Hmm, since when did Margo become a domestic goddess? Good for her to occupy her mind and be productive. Carmala nibbled on a chunk of cheese, savoring the tart taste.
“I’m a little concerned about you,” Margo said. “What were you thinking, letting him move in with you? You know he’ll pull his same old crap. Before you know it, he’ll be listening to your messages and reading your e-mails when you’re not home. A leopard doesn’t change his spots. I guarantee it.”
“You’re wrong, Margo. He’s not doing any of that. Besides, I like having him around.” She hesitated while eating a few tidbits. “There is something I noticed, though. And it’s bugging me.”
Margo ate a couple of olives and sipped her wine. “Hey, don’t give me that look. Izzie doesn’t need to know about a couple of pieces of cheese or a few olives. So go on, tell me about it.”
“There’s not much to it. We were at our regular Thai restaurant for dinner. He surprised me with late tickets for a comedy club downtown. At dinner, we were talking, and it dawned on me that we really are on different levels. And perhaps there’s an irreconcilable difference between us. I stared into his sweet face, and suddenly I knew we were at a complete standstill in our conversation. He gave me his lazy wink and smiled as if there was nothing wrong. Everything was okay, we weren’t fighting. It’s just that after four long, and sometimes, agonizing years with this man…I don’t know if I want four more.”
“I don’t understand. He gave you the sexy wink. You have great sex. He’s been supportive of your work. What, at that particular moment, was going on for you?”
“Now you sound like a shrink.”
“Something had to trigger this realization.”
“I dunno. It’s like something clicked in my brain. I stared at the wall art and was literally lost for words.” Carmala was unable to speak, to clearly vocalize what she meant. Maybe she wasn’t really sure and shouldn’t have brought the subject up.
“Sometimes silence is good.”
“Yeah, comfortable silence, but this was disconcerting. I felt that no matter what I would talk about, such as the day’s developments on Wall Street or comments on currents events, the meaning of it all would wash right over him. It seemed like nothing I would say would matter to him. All we share in
common is sex, fighting, then having make-up sex. Like anything deeper can never exist between us.”
“You’re just realizing this now? I mean, he’s a blue-collar guy. What else would you expect? He doesn’t do Wall Street. One second you defend him, and the next I feel like you want to dump him.”
“No, it’s not because he has a blue-collar job or a lack of education. He’s actually very intelligent. It’s his disinterest. He simply isn’t interested in the same things. He politely listens, but he isn’t really listening. It’s almost like he’s pretending to be attentive. It hit me that I could be talking to a wall for the rest of my life if I stay with him. I need some kind of intelligible response besides yeah, babe. I feel like I’m facing an abyss of indecision. I love him, yet maybe I shouldn’t. Is that crazy? And, hell, now we live together. So I can’t get away from him, if I wanted to. And the confusing thing is, I’m not entirely sure I want to. Not yet, anyway.”
“Carm, you need to think seriously about what you’re saying. It doesn’t sound like you’re ready to dump him, but I can see you don’t know if you’re in or you’re out.”
“I hear you, Margo, loud and clear. I’m off to Palm Beach tomorrow. So I’ll have some time to think about me and Guido.”
Margo widened her eyes. “Oh…you have to tell me all about your trip.”
Carmala told Margo about her new potential account, Maddox Industries. Margo listened, interjecting questions at all the right places. If she could connect with Guido on a mental level, like she did with her friends, she’d have no cause for concern. She could deal with his quirks, his possessiveness. She loved him, really she did.
Yep, a trip to Palm Beach was just what she needed now.
****
It was Monday night and time for Margo’s first in-house training with Seth. Before he came in, she asked him to get the mail. He returned with a two-day pile.
“Are you so lazy that you can’t get your mail?” he asked.
Margo grabbed the mail and put it on a ledge by the front door. “No, actually, I’m having a bit of trouble with the next-door neighbor spying on my every move.”
Having Fun with Mr. Wrong Page 19
