“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.”
Theo tried not to smile as Carolina fidgeted with her cue cards and blinked in discomfort before they started taking questions from the audience. The woman with the Lose, Lucy, Lose! poster stood up and asked if she could give Lucy a hug.
“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?