Chapter One
“Son of a billy goat!”
A small, mustard-colored bead rolled off the table and onto thehardwood floor, then bounced several times, the sound of the clicks the onlyway Spencer Thompson had to keep track of where it went. She set down her roundnose pliers and did her best to follow the bead until it settled silently onthe area rug somewhere near the chrome and glass coffee table. On her hands andknees, half under the table, Spencer was startled by the slamming of the doorand jumped, banging her head with a loud whack.
“What in the world are you doing?” Marti Daniels tossed herattaché onto the couch and looked down at Spencer with an amused grin.
Spencer rubbed the back of her blond head with one hand and heldup the small, yellow glass bauble with the other, in pain but victorious. “Losta bead.” She hauled herself to her feet and sat back in the uncomfortable chairat the tiny workspace she’d set up in the corner of Marti’s town house.
“You should be more careful; those beads will go everywhere. Ithought that’s what the board thingy was for. So you don’t lose beads.” Martispoke on her way to the kitchen, which was visible to Spencer, as waseverything else on the first floor in the open-concept living space.
“It is, but I can’t get it to lie flat in this small space.”Spencer said it quietly, moving the bead board here and there as she did everytime she lost a bead and tried to readjust her setup. She was pretty certainMarti wasn’t really listening as she poured herself a glass of wine; she tendedto get lost in her own head, tuning everybody else out. The fact was, therewasn’t enough room for Spencer to work in that space, but it was all Marti hadbeen willing to relinquish. Spencer’s table was small—maybe two and a half feetsquare—and she had a myriad of tools and supplies stacked precariously high.Her workspace in her own house was much more comfortable and spacious, and shecould spread out. Not for the first time that night, she considered packing upher stuff and just going home.
Marti flopped onto the black leather couch and kicked off herpumps, crossed her feet at the ankles on the coffee table, and blew out a veryloud breath. “Man, what a day.”
“Yeah?” Spencer squinted at the wire in her hand as she bent itwith the pliers. At home, she had a freestanding magnifying glass to help hersee, but not here. Moving her head at different angles to adjust her view,blinking rapidly and squinting, she finally managed to attach the lobster clawclasp.
“God. That Dawson case is going to be the death of me yet.” Martithen launched into details of the case she was working on at her law firm, herbiggest since being made partner a couple months ago.
Spencer listened with one ear, as a lot of what Marti said tendedto be a reiteration from the previous night’s recap of the previous day.Spencer nodded and uh-huh’d in all the right places as Marti droned on, but herfocus was on the necklace she was crafting. Her mother’s birthday was inNovember, and for as long as Spencer could remember, her mother had alwayscomplained about how ugly her birthstone was. November technically had twoofficial birthstones: topaz and citrine. And while topaz came in a range ofcolors from blue to yellow to red to pink, to Spencer’s mom, November’sbirthstone had always been the unimpressive, mustardy-goldish-orange color ofcitrine. When Spencer started making jewelry as a hobby, she’d vowed to makeher mother something featuring citrine that would change her opinion of herbirthstone. Now she held the necklace up, a finished product, and smiled. Itwas of average length—not a choker, but not a long necklace either. She’dalternated the citrine-colored beads with some gunmetal ones with an iridescentfinish. It was unique and subtle, and Spencer knew her mother would love it.She turned so Marti could see it.
“Nice,” Marti said, then continued with her recap of a contractcase one of the other attorneys was working on without missing a beat.
Spencer sighed quietly and turned back to her supplies. Everythingwas portable here, but at home, there was a vast array and she missed it. Beadsand balls in every imaginable shape, size, and color. Wires of differentthicknesses. Tools for a variety of adjustments. Sitting at her crafting tablein front of all her materials was about the only place in the world whereSpencer felt confident, felt like she had everything under control and was themistress of her own universe.
“Did you get my email?” Marti asked, yanking Spencer back to thetown house. “I sent you a link.”
“I haven’t checked it in a while,” Spencer said, putting thingsaway in their individual spots. Truth was, she’d been focused on the necklacefor the better part of three hours, but she wasn’t about to tell Marti that.Marti thought her hobby was a waste of time.
“Well, it starts next week, so make sure you’re ready.” With thatMarti got up and grabbed her attaché. She crossed the room, put a finger underSpencer’s chin, and tilted her head up for a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll bein my office for a couple hours. Got some things to go over.”
Spencer nodded, watched her go. Marti Daniels was veryattractive—tall with dark hair and eyes. Focused. Intelligent. Driven.Confident. Her surety was what had drawn Spencer in the first place. Martialways knew what she wanted and she always got it. That had been intoxicatingfor a while. Now?
Spencer didn’t like to think about now.
With another sigh, she turned off the desk lamp on her table andstood. She crossed to the kitchen, deciding that Marti’s glass of wine lookedgood, and poured herself one of her own. Back on the couch, she pulled out herown laptop to check her email and see what Marti had been talking about.
The subject line read simply,StartsMonday.
The body was typical Marti—short and to the point.You’re all registered. Enjoy!
Brow furrowed, Spencer clicked on the link, which brought her tothe website of a local gym and the headline ofBe Your Best Bride. Her gaze went to thedescription.
Wedding daygetting too close? Worried about fitting into the perfect dress? Want to wowyour groom and all your guests? We can help! Join us for this twelve-week groupclass and get yourself in the best shape of your life! Our own Kara Laughlinwill guide you through a mix of yoga, weight training, and cardio to get youfit, fabulous, and sexy so you can be your best bride!
Spencer sat there, blinking. She couldn’t really be too surprised,because she’d seen an ad for the class and had commented on it to Marti.Spencer could use some exercise. She was a little soft in some places; she knewthat. But Marti signing her up for the class without even running it by herfirst made something else painfully clear to Spencer: Marti also thought shecould use some exercise.
With a hard swallow, Spencer clicked on the link that took her tothe bio of Kara Laughlin. If she was going to actually take this class, she atleast wanted to know what she was in for.
The information was not comforting.
Kara Laughlin was tall, blond, and imposing, all sinewy muscle andfew curves. The full-length shot of her in skintight workout pants, arms foldedover a red sports bra, staring intimidatingly into the camera filled Spencerwith the inexplicable urge to hide behind something large. The close-up of justher face showed a woman with intensity, sharp features, and demanding eyes.Spencer had a sudden image of herself on her back on the ground, struggling todo crunches, while Kara Laughlin and her Zero Body Fat frame stood over hershouting angrily at her to work harder! Push harder! Move her lazy fat ass!
Spencer was already terrified of her.
She was about to slam the laptop shut when she noticed a clause atthe bottom of the description, right next to the—in Spencer’sopinion—exorbitant price:costrefundable if canceled with a week’s notice. Cancellations with less than sevendays until class starts are not refundable.
“Well, that seems ridiculous,” Spencer muttered. And now she wasstuck. Because it was Thursday and the class began on Monday and there was noway she’d throw away that much of Marti’s money just like that, just becauseshe was beyond intimidated. Apparently, it was important to her fiancée thatshe attend this class and get herself into better shape, so Spencer wouldattempt to do so, Fitness Nazi or no Fitness Nazi.
