“And there’s a bunch more fan mail this morning,” Veronica said. “I think it’s so cool you’ve got a fan club. I’ve never known anyone who had a fan club.”
“Yeah. Fifteen members at last count. I’m gonna be bigger than Britney Spears soon.”
“But still, it’s a club. I don’t have a fan club.”
“You’re young yet.” Lucy walked over to the dolly and grabbed one of the cartons. “At this rate, every man, woman, and child in America will be required by law to do something humiliating on television before they die, so your time will come.”
Lucy hoisted the package on the top of her desk, then used a letter opener to slice through the packing tape. She pulled open the flaps and her eyes landed on the familiar small yellow boxes with brown printing. Dozens of little yellow boxes, the sight of which caused her heart to race and her mouth to water.
Impossible.
“Why in the world would the club send you three cases of Milk Duds?” Veronica peered over Lucy’s shoulder and sniffed. “That’s really mean.”
Lucy reached for the invoice with trembling fingers and studied the sender information-sure enough, it listed the Palm Club’s Miami Beach address and number. And it listed Theo by name.
She grabbed her phone. Then put it back down.
Could somebody have put his name on that invoice as a joke? Who would want to hurt her like that? Who would like to see her fail? Who on earth could be so malicious?
Veronica stared at her, openmouthed and bug-eyed. “Ohmigod!” she said. “I thought you were going to rip Theo to shreds. That was close.”
“Yes, it was.”
Veronica eased a hand into one of the packages and held aloft a few boxes of candy. “Because I was just thinking maybe somebody used Theo’s name as a kind of sick joke. I mean, it makes no sense that he’d send you these.”
If Veronica had just reached a logical conclusion before Lucy, the end was near. “I think that’s exactly what happened,” Lucy said.
“I wonder who would do that to you?” Veronica shook the boxes like marimbas and sashayed toward the door. “You don’t mind if I eat these, do you?”
“It’s time to WakeUp, Miami!”
Lucy spread her arms wide and smiled as the vaguely salsalike theme music kicked in. The applause was punctured by sharp whistles and a chant of “Go,
Lucy; go, Lucy“ as the cameras left her and focused on hosts John Weaver and Carolina Buendia.
“Good morning, everyone, and thank you, Lucy, for waking us up today!” Carolina said. “We’ve got a great show for you this morning, including what’s fast becoming everybody’s favorite monthly segment here on WakeUp Miami-Lucy Cunningham’s check-in on her journey from chubby to chic!”
From his spot just off camera, Theo cringed, and caught Lucy’s eye. She shrugged it off and gave him a little smile.
She was wearing a pair of sleek black yoga pants today and a form-fitting scoop-neck shirt in a pale blue. He wondered if Gia was taking her shopping, because he hadn’t seen the hideous leggings or the pink sweatpants in ages. He watched her walk across the stage and wave to the audience, which seemed to get more pumped with each of their appearances. A middle-aged couple in the third row held a poster that said; Lose, Lucy, Lose!
John Weaver spoke to the camera. “Stay tuned. We’ll be back with Lucy and personal trainer Theo Redmond and all of Miami will see just how close Lucy’s getting to her goal of losing a whopping one hundred pounds in a year!”
They cut to a commercial and Theo studied Lucy as she walked across the set toward him, moving with a level of confidence he’d not seen before, almost with a little sway of her hips. Maybe it was the flared legs of the yoga pants.
Maybe it was all the dates with Tyson.
Theo laughed at himself. Despite his logical approach to the kissing fiasco, he now faced another fiasco- Tyson was dating Lucy, and loving it. He’d taken her to a concert, a movie, a couple dinners, lunches. Theo no longer asked. He’d also managed to stop himself from asking how much petting-heavy or otherwise-was going on. He didn’t want to know.
Because the woman walking toward him had melted in his arms once, surrendered to his mouth, showing Theo that beneath Lucy Cunningham’s surface lurked a babe who felt like paradise and tasted like lust. And what had he done after that discovery? He gave her to another man.
He should be taken out and shot.
“My public adores me,” she whispered, standing beside him at the edge of the set. “I think my fan club membership just skyrocketed to sixteen.”
She smelled especially soft and sweet today and he took a deep breath of her. “Are you wearing a new perfume?”
She smiled up at him, and Theo examined her lips for any telltale sign of paradise. He was alarmed to see the scenery hadn’t changed, and decided he’d have to simply avoid looking at her mouth.
“I am. Thank you for noticing. It’s called ‘Paradise Awaits.’” Lucy tipped her head to the side and her smile mellowed. “Gia’s modeling for their new ad and gave me a freebie. You like?”
Theo had to laugh. Sometimes the ways of the universe could be as subtle as a sledgehammer. Sometimes it hurt like hell, but other times it was just a gentle reminder to pay attention. And at the moment, he certainly was rising to attention-everywhere. It started with a heat in his face and moved down into his chest, where his heart stirred to life, and kept on moving southward. Everything about him was perking up right there in front of John Weaver and Carolina Buen-dia and an audience full of people watching their every move.
“I like,” he said.
She nodded. “Hey. Two Cuban sandwiches and a bag of Fritos were delivered to my office yesterday at lunchtime.”
Theo frowned at her. “You ordered that for lunch?”
Lucy made a tsking sound followed by a sigh of exasperation. “No, Theo. This is not another pecan pie confession. What I’m telling you is that someone called in that order to be delivered to me at work-the Milk Dud scenario again-with your name on the receipt.”
“Wow. That’s so strange.” Theo was doing his best to sound casual, but the truth was, this had “creepy” written all over it. It was true that Lucy’s notoriety was increasing, and it could be that she had attracted the attention of an admirer with a twisted sense of humor. Theo hoped that was the only thing twisted about him. “Do you think we should call the police?”
Lucy laughed so loud that the stage director slashed her finger across her throat and glared at her an instant before she counted down to action.
Lucy leaned her shoulder against Theo and whispered, “I’m not sure the unauthorized delivery of swine is a felony.”
Theo put his lips to her ear and enjoyed the scent of paradise before he said, “Damn well should be.”
Lucy lost only three pounds that month. Theo’s heart just about cracked in two as he watched her step down from the scale in front of the live audience, trying her best to put on a brave face as the crowd groaned in disappointment.
He felt her tremble from head to toe as he measured her in front of the cameras. She had lost five more inches, three from her hips alone.
Theo took the opportunity to explain to John and Carolina that this was a perfect example of why people working toward improved health and fitness should not be too focused on the numbers. Lucy had obviously lost many pounds of fat and gained lean muscle, which weighs more. Her loss of inches was proof that her body was finding its own pace of transformation.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if next month is a big number loss for Lucy. Sometimes it works like that.”
Carolina leaned forward in her chair, her great legs crossed at the knees, and she patted Lucy’s forearm. “Do you feel like you’ve failed this month?”
Ah, hell. This was the kind of crap that they’d managed to avoid so far and the last thing he wanted Lucy to have to deal with. But Lucy-sweet, funny Lucy- looked right into the camera and said, “The only thing I’m losing is weight.”
“Sure,” Lucy said, standing up and waiting for the woman to reach her.
“My name is Sonja Gallegos and I’ve lost eleven pounds following the Lucy and Theo health and fitness plan,” the woman announced.
That was interesting news-considering Theo didn’t know there was such a thing.
“When are you going to have your Web site up and running?” Sonja asked. “And when’s the book coming out?”
Lucy laughed good-naturedly and gave Sonja a squeeze. “We’ll keep everyone posted. Promise.”
Theo ended up giving Lucy a ride to her office after the show because she told him her car was in the shop.
“So how’d you get here this morning?” he asked.
“Taxi.”
Theo sighed, pulling into the crazy morning rush hour traffic of downtown Miami. “I could have picked you up at your place, Luce. It wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“But what about your brother? And you live all the way up in Miami Springs. I didn’t want to cause any more problems than I already do.”
“It would have been OK. You can ask me for things like that anytime. That’s what friends do.”
He watched her turn her face toward the passenger-side window. She’d lost a total of forty-three pounds now, and it was fascinating how the bone structure of her face had come out of hiding. When he looked at her he no longer saw a round-faced woman. He saw Lucy. And Lucy happened to have been blessed with a nice heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, big, perfectly spaced eyes, and beautiful skin.
But if he had to pick one thing he loved most about the way she was designed, it would have to be her neck. It was graceful and long, and the way she had her head turned away at the moment made him want to kiss her right behind her cute ear.
“Are we really friends?” Lucy swiveled so fast she caught him gawking at her. A shadow passed through her eyes and she frowned.
“Of course we’re friends.”
“Just checking.”
“Why did you have to ask me that?”
She didn’t say anything for a moment, then smiled. “We’re the kind of friends who’ve kissed once by mistake.”
Theo swallowed hard, pulling onto First Avenue and getting flipped off in the process. He knew her office was near Twelfth Street and he needed to switch lanes, which was going to be near impossible at this hour of the morning. He also knew he needed to respond to that last comment but had no earthly idea what to say to her.
That kiss had been hot and confusing and tipped his world on its axis. It had been unforgettable. And Lucy had just referred to it as a mistake. Maybe that was the easiest way to put the issue to rest.
“We all make mistakes, Lucy. We’re human.”
“You can drop me off right here.” She reached for the door handle and grabbed her clothes hanger from the backseat.
“But your office is six blocks away!”
“I’ll walk.” She waited, her hand on the handle. “Unlock the car, please.”
“We need to talk about this.”
Her eyes flashed at him and she gritted her teeth. “Unlock the car. Now.”
“You’re dating Tyson.”
“The door, Theo.”
“Fine.” He hit the button and the sharp little click echoed through the Honda interior like a gunshot. “I’ll see you tomorrow at-”
Slam!
She was already gone.
Lucy changed her clothes in the ladies’ room of Sher-rod amp; Thorns and tried to find the perfect balance between deep-relaxation breathing and hyperventilation. But the way her sinuses hummed and her vision ebbed and flowed, she feared she’d already crossed that line.
She fumbled with the back button on her skirt and looked at herself in the mirror. “What the hell?” Granted it was difficult to keep her wardrobe organized with the constant size changes, but she could have sworn this particular skirt was a size 16. But it sagged at the waist and made the bottom half of her body look like it was draped in a sack.
She yanked at the waist and twisted the fabric around so she could read the tag. Yep. A 16. This was very weird.
“Good morning, Lucy!” Veronica balanced her Starbucks cup on the edge of the sink and began to touch up her lipstick. “Having a problem with your zipper?”
“No. I’m having a problem with my trainer.” Lucy shoved the waistband into her panty hose and pulled her cotton twinset down over her hips and admired the effect in the ladies’ room mirror. “I look like I have a tumor.”
“So what’s wrong with Theo? What did he do?
I watched you two this morning on WakeUp Miami and he sure seemed nice to you. It looked like he was taking care of you.“
Lucy blinked hard at her own reflection, then looked at Veronica. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“I said…” Veronica rubbed her lips together and popped the lipstick tube back in her bag. “It was obvious he really cares for you. Just the way he looked at you when you talked. The way he smiled at you. It was real sweet. Gentle. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had the hots for you, but I know you’ve been going out with that other trainer babe.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Veronica!” Lucy scooped up the empty hanger and her workout clothes from the floor and shoved them in her gym bag.
“Hey, you asked and I answered. You’re my boss. I don’t lie to you. That’s what I saw.”
Lucy stood a moment at the restroom door and tried to remember if she’d seen any of what Veronica described. Maybe. But then, Theo was usually sweet. Always gentle. Like a friend would be.
The dangerously high lust level she’d felt in his kiss must have been a figment of her imagination, a result of her naivete.
“Thank you, Veronica. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“No problem. So what did Theo do? Why are you so pissed at him?”
She held the door open for her assistant. “Nothing. It’s all in my head.”
Lucy made her way down the still-quiet halls of Sherrod amp; Thorns. She liked getting in at eight because that left her an hour of peace before everyone else showed up and the fax machine started going crazy and the phones rang incessantly and Stephan popped his head in to make as many pointless suggestions and godawful strange comments as one man could produce in a day’s work.
She parted company with Veronica and rounded the corner past Stephan’s office, which used to be Sarah’s. Lucy remembered interviewing with Sarah, how much she loved the older woman’s sense of humor and her worldliness. How they’d hit it off immediately. With her gone, the one hundred thousand couldn’t come soon enough.
“I said I’ll make it work, so enough with the bullshit threats about the IRS or anything else. You got it?”
Lucy stopped dead as she heard Stephan slam down his phone and scream, “Nasty old unscrupulous fuck!” The words echoed through the quiet hallway.
She took a steadying breath and opted to walk by his door casually, greeting Stephan with a smile and a wave. He saw her, and his face fell. He ran after her.
“Lucy. Hold up.”
She turned in time to see him adjusting the collar of his dress shirt, looking for all the world like he was nearly stroking out from stress, and they hadn’t even opened for business yet.
“Everything OK, Stephan?”
“Sure. Sure. Great.” He put his hand at the small of Lucy’s back and directed her toward her office. She absolutely hated him touching her like that. “How’s the Eddie Award entry coming? And what the hell’s wrong with your skirt?”
Lucy sighed. She threw her gym bag behind he desk and motioned for Stephan to have a seat. “My skirt is too big and I’m done with the Eddie entry. It’s an incomplete mess. I’m embarrassed to put my name on it. But it’s done. Veronica’s
making a copy.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“It’s seven pages and fourteen graphic attachments of bullshit and you know it.”
Stephan didn’t blink. “I think it’s important for the agency’s visibility that we at least try this year.”
“I disagree. The Palm Club campaign would be perfect for next year’s entry, but not now. But I did it, just as you asked. Anything else?”
Stephan shuffled his feet on the carpet and looked around restlessly. His eyes landed on hers and he grinned. “Tough break on the weight gain this month.”
Lucy would have to call the look on her boss’s face outright glee. “I lost three pounds, Stephan. That’s not a gain.”
“Well, Lucy, it hardly matters. What matters is the fact that at this rate it doesn’t look like you’re going to make it, and I won’t lie to you-I’m quite concerned.”
Lucy sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. She’d just started doing that again, and it made her feel a little smug that she could once again get her thighs to lie on top of each other like a normal person. “Is this your way of empowering me?”
Stephan snickered and steepled his fingers in front of his face. “You’re plenty empowered. I don’t want to put additional pressure on you, but it’s clear I need to remind you that the firm’s reputation is in your hands.”
“I see.”
“You and the pretty-boy trainer can be as bubbly as fuck on TV, but if you don’t keep dropping the pounds we’re going to start dropping clients. If you don’t keep losing weight, you could ruin us. You and everyone else around here could be out of a job.”
Once again, Lucy couldn’t quite figure out the man who was supposed to be the captain of this business enterprise. She wondered if maybe Sarah’s death had sent him over the edge.
“Did you see the show this morning, Stephan? Did you see the woman who wanted to know when our Web site would be up?”
“The poster was quite a classy touch.” He shook his head.
“I think she’s hit on something. I think Theo and I should have our own site-not just the progress reports on the Palm Club site. We can have chat rooms and online support groups for those trying to get fit. We can link to the Palm Club, of course, and have guest trainers do weekly question-and-answer columns. I can make a blog of my daily workouts and food journal. What do you think?”
He Loves Lucy Page 10
