She gave him a nod. “Anything.”
“If there’s one thing an almost heart attack will teach you, it’sthat life is too fucking short. You can be gone in the blink of an eye.” Hefinally shifted his focus from the ceiling to Rebecca, snagged and held hergaze with his. “Life is too. Fucking. Short.”
She nodded, captured by the intensity of his stare, feeling likeit was boring into her, burrowing deep, planting a seed.
“So. I need you to help me get into shape.”
Rebecca blinked, felt released, and gave him another nod.“Absolutely.” Then she absorbed the words, replayed them in her head, and asmiled widely. “You know I’ve been waiting to hear those exact words from youfor, like, our entire friendship, right?”
“I know,” Nick said, with a sigh. “I know. And I don’t want any Itold you sos. Got it? Just…help me.”
“Got it. I will not say I told you so. I promise.” And then shewas on her feet, pacing, ideas and meals and an exercise regimen alreadyforming in her brain. Then she stopped, pivoted to face him. “There will beground rules, you know.”
“Terrific.” He arched an eyebrow and looked decidedly unamused.
“If I’m going to be your trainer, you’re going to have to listento me. No complaining.”
“No complaining? Seriously, Becks, do you even know me at all?”
“Fine. Aminimumof complaining.”
“Done.”
Rebecca started ticking things off on her fingers. “We’ll get youinto the gym at least three times a week. More if we can manage. I’ve got somegreat books for you to look at about how to eat better, but still have what youlike…”
“Becks.”
Rebecca stopped and looked at Nick, saw the softness in his eyes,the friendship, the love.
“Thank you.”
She took a moment, smiled tenderly at him before saying, “Are youkidding me? Whipping your ass into shape? This is a dream come true for me.”
Nick shook his head. But he was still smiling.
Chapter Nineteen
The only good thing that had come out of Nick’s ordeal, at leastfor Rebecca, had been that it had shifted her focus away from Spencer Thompson.Since Sunday, all her attention had been on Nick. Getting him home from thehospital, convincing him to take the week off and just rest, talking to himabout the changes in his diet and in his overall lifestyle they were looking tomake. All of it had taken the majority of Rebecca’s concentration, and that wasa good thing.
She’d canceled the bride class on Monday, taking the day to getNick home and settled into his easy chair, make sure Michelle didn’t needanything, running to pick up prescriptions. The poker gang had all been in andout, but Rebecca’s presence was near constant, until Michelle finally told her,gently and kindly, to go home. Rebecca obeyed, and once there, had dug out herbooks and checked her bookmarked websites to help her work up a new regimen forher best friend. He was going to live a long and healthy life if it killed her.
Tuesday, she’d gotten back to the grind, and it was a full day ofclients. She was helping Phil on the dip machine that evening when she happenedto glance up at the windowed wall of the spin room and saw Spencer pedalingaway in all her sweaty blond glory. The sight did things to Rebecca. Manythings. It made her smile, filled her with trepidation, tickled her withlonging. Phil had to say her name twice before she forced her eyes away andback down to him. When she looked up again, class was over and Spencer wasgone.
Rebecca was both relieved and disappointed.
After work, she’d called Nick to see if he needed anything fromthe store, since she was going anyway. Then she picked up two bags ofvegetables and other produce and a six-pack of non-alcoholic beer and took itover to the Scarfano house to help Michelle make him a healthy, filling dinner.To Nick’s credit, he only whined once.
By the time Rebecca got home, fed a very irritated Veruca Salt,and dropped into bed, she felt like a discarded dishrag: soggy, flimsy, anduseless. Veruca rolled in a ball on Rebecca’s stomach and began to purr, andthat’s all it took. Sleep claimed her instantly.
Rebecca knew it was a dream.
It had that strange, foggy, soft-lit quality to it, like she waswatching through cheesecloth or gauze. The lighting was too perfect and therewas background music. Large, ornate double doors opened in front of her, andshe was faced with the interior of a church full of people as she stood at theend of the center aisle. No sound other than the music, which was somethingpretty but unrecognizable to her. Strings and a piano, maybe? Coming fromabove. Unaware that she made the decision, she began walking down the aisle, thestrangers that filled the pews on both sides watching her, but saying nothing.When Rebecca looked up, to the end of the aisle, two women stood there.
Spencer was stunning. Ethereal in a white flowing dress that wasmade just for her. It was strapless, leaving her shoulders and the top of herchest exposed, an inviting expanse of creamy skin. The top edge of the dresswas scalloped, the lacy pattern encompassing Spencer’s full breasts. Not caringthat she was in a church and shouldn’t be gawking, Rebecca let her eyes followthe bare shoulders down Spencer’s arms to the small, tasteful bouquet of whitedaisies she held with both hands, and when Rebecca got closer, looked up andinto those beautiful blue eyes, they were filled with confusion, with hurt, andwith something else…hope? Spencer didn’t speak. Every emotion she conveyed, shedid with her eyes.
Rebecca turned to the other woman. Marti. Of course. Her dress wasalmost as gorgeous as Spencer’s, but not quite. She didn’t have the samecurves, the same inviting aura that Spencer did. Marti was attractive, but notwarm, as though she wore an invisible force field to keep people at arm’slength. Rebecca met her brown eyes, but her emotions were much clearer thanSpencer’s. And there was only one: anger. Rebecca did a double take when shesaw Marti’s mouth moving, but no sound came out. Was Rebecca the only one whocouldn’t hear her? Marti pointed back down the aisle, obviously telling Rebeccato get lost, but when Rebecca tried to reply, she found she had no voice of herown, couldn’t speak even when she felt as though she was making a massiveeffort to do so. The only sound continued to be the soothing notes from themusic, a confusing and bizarre soundtrack to the otherwise silent film playingout before her.
Rebecca looked to Spencer again. Their gazes held and somethingpassed between them. Rebecca felt it like warmth, like a gentle summer breezeoff the ocean. Again, she tried to speak to Spencer but made no sound. Spencerlooked down as if studying the flowers in her hands as Marti continued to flailand point, and it was the only moment Rebecca was glad for the lack of speech.She didn’t need to hear what Marti was saying to understand it. What she didn’tunderstand was why Spencer made no effort to talk. She said nothing. Her mouthnever opened. She simply looked on, watched what was happening around her as ifshe had no other choice.
