Their Secret Bargain

by Kay Lyons

  “Correction. I lost weight when I was dating Tucker. I was so sure it was too soon to get involved that I felt sick every time he came around me.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  Suzanne propped an elbow on the bar. “A girl has to keep some diet secrets.” Her gaze settled on the bowl of peanuts nearby and she pushed them in front of Jenn. “Eat. It’ll help absorb the alcohol. Now, what else did Todd say?”

  “Just the usual. I can’t stand him. That, that—”

  “Need me to supply an expletive?”

  “Oooooooh! He actually had the nerve to say he wants to take his girlfriend on my vacation before they spawn.”

  “You mean, she’s—”

  “Pregnant,” Jenn blurted out, nearly overturning the dish of peanuts. “The cheating liar has a baby on the way. Believe it or not, I don’t care. I don’t,” she repeated. “It’s beyond over, but he stood there on my uncut grass in front of the house he said we’d fix up together and told me he wanted to take her on my dream vacation, since it’s obvious I’m not going because I’m not…beach-worthy.”

  “He said that? What did you do? Please tell me you told him to shove it where the sun don’t shine. Jenn?”

  “I wanted to.”

  A plate of fries appeared in front of them, along with coffee and two glasses of water. “On the house. Enjoy, ladies.” Nick smiled at Jenn before walking away. She eyed his backside and shook her head.

  “But?”

  “Yeah, it is nice, isn’t it?”

  Suzanne giggled.

  She blinked back to the present. “What’s so funny?”

  “You. And yes, it is, but finish your story. What did he do next?”

  “I told him to plan his own vacation and have enough parenting skills not to make his child watch him cheat on its mother.”

  “I suppose it could’ve been worse. You could have given your plans to him.”

  “I told you I didn’t.” Jenn snorted, picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth. “I’m pathetic, but that’s my vacation and I’m not giving it up. Not after all the work I put into planning the thing. I know all the little places to go see. Where I want to eat, shop, swim…The insider stuff that regular tourists won’t know about.”

  Suzanne raised her brows. “But you said you aren’t going now. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

  “I have. I am going. I’m going to—” She dropped the fry she was holding and shoved the plate away. “I’m going to lose weight and take that trip. I have to for me and all womankind.”

  Suzanne beamed like a proud parent. “Good for you. It’s about time you pulled yourself out of this funk.”

  “Todd’s right about one thing, though. I’m not beach-worthy. I had to buy a whole new wardrobe of shapeless dresses to get me through the school year. Look at this,” she said, plucking at the denim jumper she had on now. “I tried to find something sexy to wear here and…This is not sexy.”

  Suzanne couldn’t hide her smile or the laugh she poorly disguised with a cough.

  “It’s not funny, either.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I know. But it’s not that bad, either. If you’ve decided to diet, I have no doubt you can lose the weight you’ve gained.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Don’t let Todd get to you. If you do, you let him win.” Suzanne made herself more comfortable on the stool. “Jenn, I’m worried about you. Everyone deals with stuff like this in their own way, but you don’t drink.”

  No, she didn’t. It just proved how unnerved she was with her life at the moment. When she’d discovered the bottle, the only thought in her head was to hurt Todd the way she’d been hurt, and the only thing he’d ever seemed to love during their marriage was that stupid champagne. “Do you know,” she said softly, “I packed my lunch for an entire year to save money to buy the chandelier in the hall, and the weekend I bought it Todd went out and bought that bottle of really expensive champagne? He said it was sexy and sophisticated and it made him feel like James Bond. As if Todd could ever be 007.”

  They both rolled their eyes.

  “It was such a slap in the face.”

  “But it’s finished. And you’ve decided to fight back, right?”

  “Right. I just don’t know where to begin. It’s easy to gain weight, but how am I going to lose all this before the end of summer?”

  Suzanne was quiet and thoughtful, then a grin formed on her face. “I’ve got it. I know exactly how you can do it.”

  “Really?”

  “Admit it. You probably couldn’t lose a lot if you tried on your own, but if you had help you could kick butt, right? Jenn, Nick’s looking for a tutor for his son, and since the two of you seemed to hit it off earlier—”

  “Hit it off?” That drew her out of her daze. “Get real. He asked me where the teachers were who didn’t have any plans,” she muttered morosely. “That’s not exactly hitting it off.”

  “Maybe he was checking to see if you’d say you were spending the summer with a boyfriend or something. Ever think of that?”

  “I’m not that drunk.”

  “Look, he wants someone who’ll keep things discreet. Are you interested or not? He brought you food, too. On the house.”

  Fattening food. For the fat girl. She fingered the plate of fries, wanting another one. “Why can’t you do it? You’ll only be gone a couple weeks, not the whole summer. Is the kid such a problem?”

  “No problem. Matt is wonderful, very sweet, with a heart of gold. And what better way to spend your summer than hanging around with a sexy bad boy with a body that would give any woman inspiration to look her best? You never know what might happen.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jenn glanced at the hot bod in question and sighed. “Guys like that don’t notice women like me. We’re not even a blip on the radar.”

  Suzanne waved the complaint away. “I disagree, because Nick is the best. But that’s beside the point. The point is, he needs a tutor and he asked me to only mention it to people I knew would be discreet.”

  “What’s the big deal?”

  “Matt’s shy and embarrasses easily, and Nick doesn’t want people talking or kids making fun of him. You know how gossip works.”

  That she did. “People suck.”

  “My, my, you are in a mood. But why not consider it? You could help Matt, earn some extra money, and you never know. Maybe being around all that hard muscle and sex appeal would be just the thing to distract you from…”

  Jenn looked up in time to see Suzanne indicate the fries. And lo and behold she’d picked up another, had been nibbling on it and hadn’t even noticed. Jenn stared down at the fattening treat, then thought of her faulty marriage and the rest of her life. “Why do I do this?” She said, tossing the fry down. “Why do I let him get to me? I know I’m only hurting myself, but I can’t seem to stop. I don’t even want these fries. I didn’t want the champagne, either, but he made me so angry and I just…I hate the thought that I failed.”

  Suzanne patted her on the back. “You didn’t fail at anything. Cheaters cheat. It’s as simple as that. Listen, about the weight, if you want I know a doctor who prescribes…”

  Jenn shook her head firmly back and forth. “No drugs. They give me heart palpitations, and I’d only gain it right back once I quit taking them.”

  “Then what you need is someone who’ll take charge and get you exercising. Too bad it won’t be me.”

  “Why not? Suzanne, you have to help me.”

  “Can’t. Hawaii, remember? And…I’ll be a bit restricted in what I can do when I get back, too.”

  Jenn shoved aside the fries, suspicious of Suzanne’s curiously bright eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “Are you ready to be an aunt?”

  Chapter 4

  AN AUNT? You’re pregnant? Oh, I’m so happy for you!” Jenn nearly fell off the stool trying to hug her friend.

  Suzanne laughed with delight. “It’s about time, huh? I didn�
�t think it would ever happen again, especially after all that treatment failed to produce any results. But don’t worry, you are still going to have a fantastic summer. I’ll come home from Hawaii and support you any way I can. I promise. The doctor just wants me to limit strenuous activities and avoid heavy lifting.”

  Jenn hugged her again, then looked down at Suzanne’s impossibly flat stomach. “That’s why you’ve lost weight? Morning sickness?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re having a baby.”

  “Tuck is over the moon. He says I wasn’t giving his boys enough credit.”

  Jenn nodded, dazed. Thrilled for her friend and a little jealous, too. A good jealous though. She wanted kids. And had things gone as planned, she would’ve been pregnant soon, too. The trip was where it was supposed to have happened. But plans change. “Do I get to host the baby shower?”

  “Absolutely. Maybe you can toss it into the mix and use it for added incentive? Maybe wear your Paradise dress?”

  “That stupid dress wouldn’t fit my thigh at the moment.”

  “Stop exaggerating. The material has a bit of stretch, and with a little dieting you’d be good to go in no—” Her mouth dropped and she stared at Jenn, a grin slowly overtaking her features.

  “What?”

  “I cannot believe I didn’t think of this earlier. It’s sooo obvious! It’s the perfect solution to your problem.”

  “Liposuction?”

  “Do you really want to go through the risk and pain of surgery?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Because this is better. In fact, if you both agree, it won’t cost either one of you a thing. Gym fees aren’t cheap, so why not offer to tutor Matt in exchange for a membership at Nick’s Gym? Hello? See what I mean? No, wait. We’ll ask for a trainer! A personal trainer who’ll kick your butt if you don’t stay on track. Jenn, you could take that trip to Paradise at the end of August, right before school starts, and come home looking like a million bucks, all tanned and slim. The girls at school would die! Come on, say something. You’ve got to admit that would be quite a comeback.”

  Yes, it would. But could she do it? Hope soared for the second time that evening, even as her nerves positively hummed. Was she ready to do this? With her muddled head, she couldn’t think straight.

  “Nick? Nick, come here for a sec, will ya?”

  That got Jenn’s champagne-blurred attention in a hurry. “What? You mean, he’s—Now?”

  “Yes, now. It’s almost closing, so he’s not as busy, and you’ve got just enough alcohol in you to not be so shy. Nick!”

  NICK GLANCED OVER to where Suzanne and her friend sat and smiled at the women. Suzanne wore a broad, happy grin, as any expectant mother should, while her friend glanced at him beneath her long lashes and looked as if she wanted to crawl under a table. He frowned, noting that the brunette’s gently rounded cheeks were looking unusually pale. Tucker’s wife whispered something to the woman in encouraging, coaxing tones he couldn’t make out.

  Finishing off the order, he placed the last of the drinks on the tray for the waitress and made his way to the two women, leaning against the bar in front of them. “What’s up?”

  “We need to talk to you about the tutoring thing.”

  “Okay.” His gaze shifted to Suzanne’s friend. Surprisingly, he’d been thinking about her ever since he’d seen her leave in such a rush. He hadn’t been able to get her pretty gray eyes out of his head, and he’d felt compelled to find out what happened to send her off in tears. Tuck had filled him in on all the gory details of her divorce and the scene at the door. “Just to warn you, your ex is still here.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Suzanne stated bluntly. “We’re not going to worry about him. Nick, Jenn has a proposition for you.”

  He waited, watching as Suzanne elbowed her friend in the side when she didn’t immediately speak up. “What’s that?”

  Jennifer Rose fiddled with the strap of her purse and nibbled her lips, distracting him in a way the perky twenty-something with the belly ring hadn’t been able to do.

  “I wanted to ask you…Suzanne mentioned…Um, you know, I think I’d like that rum and Coke now.”

  He caught the alcohol on her breath when she exhaled and wondered what had happened between her and Dixon. He’d overheard enough of her conversation with Suzanne to know that drinking wasn’t the norm. “Sorry. I can’t serve you that.”

  “Why not?”

  She sounded so indignant, he smiled. “Because I’ve decided you’re not really a rum-and-Coke kind of woman.”

  Her head lowered once more. “Figures. I’m not a lot of things.”

  What did that mean? He shook his head and added a teasing grin. “Don’t take it so hard. I’ve been tending bar since I came of age and I can usually tell a person’s drink within a few minutes of talking to him.”

  “Oh?” She perked up a bit. “So what do you think I’d like?”

  Enjoying himself, he looked her over. Her dark brown hair curled around her face and neck in thick waves, the tips ending where her cleavage began. She was what some people would consider full-figured, but he was a man who appreciated a woman’s curves. “I think you’d like…A Kiss on the Lips.”

  “I—I don’t…I mean, um…”

  Nick glanced discreetly over at her ex-husband and found the guy still glaring at them. Todd Dixon had always been a loud-mouthed idiot, way too full of himself. Back in school, Dixon had called Nick stupid, snickered at his D’s and F’s, and laughed and made fun of him because he’d been held back to repeat a year.

  The way Nick looked at it, he and Jennifer Rose were on the same side. Payback wasn’t out of line, not in this case. Especially after hearing what the guy had done to her.

  “Come here.” Nick smiled at her look of shock and was glad her ex couldn’t see it from where he was. But without more than a gulping swallow, she leaned toward him. “Your jerk of an ex-husband is watching you as if he owns you. Wanna have a little fun with him?”

  Her eyes flared wide, leading him to believe she wasn’t used to being flirted with. Knowing that made him want to do it more.

  “What k-kind of fun?”

  Nick nuzzled his nose against hers, heard her sharply indrawn breath and caught sight of Suzanne’s delirious grin with his peripheral vision. But he didn’t stop. He felt compelled to help this woman out, even if he wasn’t sure why. Was it because of what Todd had done to him in school? Because she was a friend of Suzanne and Tucker’s? Or because there was something about her pretty face and sad eyes that told him she was a nice person whose confidence needed a boost?

  When Jenn didn’t protest or pull away, he brushed the corner of her mouth with his lips, giving her a slow, sweet kiss that held more heart-thumping heat than anything he’d experienced in quite a while.

  She smelled like heaven. The scent of her skin was earthy from the muggy night outside and whatever perfume she’d put on that morning was just strong enough to be intriguing. When he drew away, she sat there, face beet-red and looking more than a bit dazed. “Nice to officially meet you, Jennifer Rose. I’m Nick Tulane.”

  “I knew it. You two did hit it off.”

  “Suzanne. It’s not like that.” Jennifer peeked up at Nick, a question in her eyes.

  “Really?” Suzanne turned to him. “Nick?”

  He winked at Suzanne, but didn’t offer up any excuses or explanations. Jennifer seemed…sweet. And after being hit on by too many women with enough sexual experience to give the pros tips, sweet appealed to Nick. A lot.

  “Jennifer, what are you doing?”

  Dixon surprised them all when he grabbed hold of Jennifer’s arm and tugged, as though to pull her away from the bar.

  She yanked free. A good thing since Nick had already straightened in order to separate them himself.

  “What are you doing?”

  The pretty boy continued to glower at Nick before shifting his attention back to her. “You’re making a fool of yours
elf.”

  “What did I do?”

  He leaned over and sniffed. “Have you been drinking?”

  Her spine stiffened and she sat straighter on the stool. “Actually, I’ve been celebrating. Have to admit, Todd, your precious champagne was good, despite the fight it caused when you bought it.”

  Dixon’s eyes bugged out and his mouth dropped open. He gasped, and Nick thought the guy was going to have a heart attack right there. Clearing the space in front of him, in case he had to go over the top of the bar, Nick grinned. “Champagne, huh? You should’ve invited me to the party, sweetheart.” He lowered his voice. “But I guess we can continue it later,” he said, to egg Dixon on.

  “You drank the Bollinger?”

  Impressed, Nick whistled. “Mighty fine taste there, beautiful.”

  Dixon shot him a killing glare. “Don’t you have a glass to wash somewhere?”

  Both women gasped at the insult, but Nick simply braced his hands on the bar and rejoiced in the fact that now, unlike the days in school when he couldn’t hit a ball or shoot hoops to save his life, he could lay the guy out in his burying suit if he wanted to. Owning a gym and lifting weights had a way of evening the odds. “What’s the matter, Dixon? You get your kicks from bullying women instead of kids now?”

  “She’s my wife.”

  “Ex-wife, and thanking God every day for it,” Jenn murmured.

  Nick smiled at her, letting her and everyone else know he agreed with the statement. Dixon muttered obscenities under his breath.

  “Todd?” A young woman came up behind Dixon and tugged on his arm. “Can we go? I’m feeling queasy.”

  Todd didn’t break eye contact with him. “It’s the lousy food here.” He put his arm around his girlfriend’s and glared at Jennifer. “You owe me for the Bollinger.”

  “Mmm, ’fraid not. I think this makes us even,” Jennifer said, her gaze shifting to Dixon’s date.

  He sneered at Jennifer before stalking away, dragging his overly made-up doll two steps behind him.

  Jenn bit her lip and groaned. “I’m so sorry. That was…Oh, that was mortifying and totally uncalled for.”