She scanned the rest of the details, punched the start time intoher iPhone, and then zipped through the rest of her email, which was mostly adsfrom stores. Spencer nibbled on the inside of her cheek as she deleted most ofthem, but held on to a couple from stores she frequented that were havingsales. She was going to need some workout apparel if she was going to do this.
With a soft click, she closed her laptop and set it on the coffeetable, then picked up her wine and sipped. She enjoyed the quiet like this. Notelevision. No music. Just…silence. A wiggle of her butt helped her burrow abit further down into the couch cushions. While she would never have spent asmuch money on one piece of furniture as Marti had on this couch, Spencercouldn’t argue against its comfort. She sometimes thought she liked the couchbetter than Marti’s bed, had fallen asleep there more than once.
Not for the first time, she wished she had a dog. This would bethe perfect time for snuggling. She’d always wanted one, ever since she wasyoung, but her mother was allergic. And then there’d been college, and thenshe’d lived with two roommates in her first apartment. Then she’d fallen inlove and moved in with Stephanie, who didn’t like dogs (which probablyshould’ve been Spencer’s first clue). By the time she had her own place and hadbegun thinking about getting one, she’d started dating Marti, who always saidthey’d get one together when the time was right. Which seemed to be never. Buthow great would it be to cuddle up right now with a four-legged furball thatshe could kiss all over and hug and love? That would love her backunconditionally, no matter what kind of shape she was in?
Spencer sighed, then chuckled to herself as she realized thatshe’d been doing an awful lot of sighing lately. Doing her best to shake offthe feeling of restlessness that seemed to envelop her the past few weeks, shegrabbed thePeoplemagazine that had come in Marti’s mail today, Katy Perry smiling back at herfrom the cover. Turning sideways so her head was perched on the arm of thecouch, Spencer settled in and began to read.
The next time she was aware of anything, the lights were off andthere was a thick fleece blanket covering her as she lay on the couch. A glanceat her watch told her it was nearly 2:00 a.m. ThePeoplemagazine was back on the coffeetable next to her wineglass, which was still half full. Marti must have coveredher up and turned the lights off. Spencer tried not to think about the factthat, rather than wake her up and lead her to bed, Marti had left her on thecouch.
Another sigh emanated from her lungs as she turned onto her sideand pulled the blanket up over her shoulder.
It was fine. The couch was much more comfortable than the bedlately anyway.
Spencer closed her eyes and willed herself back to sleep.
Chapter Two
“Really, Nick?” Rebecca McCall stared at her best friend as hehanded his menu back to the waiter.
“What?” he replied, the mischievous expression on his face tellingher he knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Heart attack on a plate. That’s what you just ordered.” Her voicewas unintentionally harsh and she grimaced as soon as she heard herself.“Sorry. I’m just frustrated with work. And I worry about you.”
“I know you do.” It was the truth. Nick Scarfano wasn’t always asbig as he was now. Sure, he’d played football in high school more than fifteenyears ago and had bulked up as much as the next guy. He’d even played a bit incollege. Since then, though, he’d given up on most sports, but not on the wayhe’d always eaten when playing sports. He was a big guy now. Too big. He knewit. And Rebecca knew it. While she always managed to make him feel a little bitguilty, she also knew he still looked forward to the double cheeseburger andfries that would soon be set in front of him. She’d been trying to change hiseating habits for the better part of a decade, and she’d been mostlyunsuccessful. He tapped his straw on the table and removed the wrapper, poppedit into his Coke. “What’s up with work?” he asked before sipping.
Rebecca took a slug of her water as she glanced out the windownext to their table and watched the lunch rush go by. “Kara Laughlin somehowmanaged to come down with mono.”
“That’s good, right? You hate her.”
Rebecca snorted a laugh. Leave it to Nick to see the bright sideof somebody else’s misery. “I dislike her intensely.”
Nick held up his hands. “Oh. Excuse the fuck out of me. Youdislikeher. My bad.So, why are you bummed out that she’s sick? Mono should keep her out of thegym—i.e., out of your hair—for quite a while.”
“It would be awesome except I have to cover her stupid bridal class.”
Nick shook his head with a shrug, telling her he needed furtherexplanation.
Rebecca sat back in her chair. “It’s this ridiculous fitness classshe thought up. For brides-to-be to get themselves in shape for their upcomingweddings.”
“Why is that bad?”
Leaning forward on the table, Rebecca got serious. “It’s not badin general. What’s bad is the way she’s marketed it. She’s basically saying youhave to be as skinny and fit as possible in order for your wedding to beawesome. The ad says things like ‘want to wow your groom?’ As if being thin isthe only way you can do that. She’s a fitness instructor, yet she’s constantlyperpetuating body image issues for women.” Rebecca had tried to make Kara seehow the ad came across, but she refused to. And as one of the most seniorfitness instructors at BodyFit, she was rarely questioned. It drove Rebeccacrazy. “This is the fourth time she’s run this class, and it’s been prettysuccessful, so they keep letting her do it again.”
The waiter came, carrying a tray loaded down with food. He setRebecca’s salmon salad in front of her, then slid the giant plate of grease andfat in front of Nick. He looked up at her and grinned like an eight-year-old ina toy store. She shook her head but said nothing more about his choice oflunch, and they were quiet for several moments as they ate.
Nick swallowed a bite, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said,“You know, instead of being angry, you could maybe use this as an opportunityto run the class the way you think it should be run. I mean, do youhaveto follow herplan?”
Rebecca furrowed her brow. “I honestly don’t know.” She’d been sobusy being annoyed all morning that Nick’s suggestion hadn’t occurred to her.
“And who would know if you didn’t?” He popped three fries into hismouth at once.
“I suppose I could tweak it a bit.” Rebecca chewed some salad, herbrain beginning to whir. “I’d have to step carefully. A lot of the clients comedue to word of mouth from their friends who’ve already attended a previousclass. I couldn’t change it completely.”
“But you could change the attitude around it.” Nick pointed hisfork at her.
She held his gaze.
“It’s not a bad idea, is it?” he asked, proud of himself.
