He Loves Lucy (9 page)

Dan turned his twinkling eyes and a wide grin upon Lucy and shook his head in wonder. “You look marvelous, Luce. Have I told you that?”

“No, actually. You haven’t.”

“You do. Fabulous. And when was the last time I told you that you were the best sister a guy could have?”

Lucy let her eyes flick toward Mary Fran, then back to her brother. “That would be never.”

“Ah. My oversight.”

Lucy had to laugh. If she wasn’t mistaken, Gia really liked Dan, sitting over there in his chair just being who he was-an average-looking pediatrics intern in a pair of Levi’s and a nondescript cotton sweater. She had to admit Dan was funny and smart and would probably make a decent catch for somebody at some point. She just hadn’t thought it would be anytime soon or that he’d catch the attention of somebody as glamorous as Gia Altamonte.

It was almost as far-fetched as someone like her snagging someone like Theo.

• • •

Theo didn’t even recognize her at first. He walked into the green room at the TV station and took a seat near the doughnut table. He let his gaze move casually around the room to the three TV monitors bolted to the wall and to the small knot of people chatting nearby.

That’s when he saw an attractive woman seated on the edge of a table, talking on a cell phone, one leg bent, her hair falling in glossy waves of at least three different colors. Then she clicked the phone shut and looked up, tossing her hair back.

“
Lucy
.” Her name came out like a gasp. Theo sat very still, realizing with confusion that his pulse was tripping.

Well, of course it was. He was just surprised. That was all. He was looking at the cumulative effect of a good balance of freestyle, cardio, and core strengthening along with lean protein, complex carbs, and fruits and vegetables.

He was merely reacting to all the changes in her numbers made visible. Her body fat mass was down. Her lean muscle mass was up. She’d lost a bunch of pounds and a bunch of inches from her upper arms, chest, hips, waist, thighs, and calves.

He’d done a great job with her. He had a right to a little increase in his pulse.

The soundman walked toward Theo and nodded. “She’s looking
awesome
,” he said, stopping in front of Theo.

“Thanks.” As soon as Theo said it, he realized the guy’s compliment wasn’t really meant for him but for Lucy. Theo heard his own nervous laugh.

He continued to study Lucy as she chatted with one of the morning show’s assistant producers. Lucy smiled at the young woman confidently, nodding and listening as the producer waved her hands and laughed. Theo stared at the soft curve of Lucy’s cheek and felt a jolt of surprise when she tucked a thick segment of hair behind her ear.

Lucy had pretty hands. Long fingers. He’d seen them a hundred times-why hadn’t he ever really
seen
them? And what was with her hair today? It almost looked like it had red in it, and he could have sworn it had been just plain brown. Why couldn’t he take his eyes off her face? Why was he feeling like this while looking at Lucy?

Theo wiped his palms on his pants and looked around the room uncomfortably. He’d never seen Lucy dressed up. That had to be it. She’d worn sweatpants the first two times they’d done the show. And he knew he’d never seen her with her hair down or with makeup on, at least never anything on her lips, which looked shiny and soft today.

He had to get out of there.

“Hey, Theo!” Lucy waved to him, her beautiful eyes looking right into his. Theo felt his heart thud in his chest as she stood up from the edge of the table and smiled.

She wanted him to look. She stood tall, with her shoulders back, showing herself to him. She looked at him like she knew something he didn’t, and frankly, it left him a little unhinged. It was like Lucy was daring him to accept the changes in her. Theo took the dare and let his eyes devour her from head to toe and back again. Lucy Cunningham was curvy and female and flat-out beautiful.
Oh hell
…

Right then, Ramona walked into the green room along with Lola and Tyson. In today’s installment of
Wake Up Miami
, the trainers were scheduled to work with four members of the studio audience. The theme of today’s show was designing a personalized motivation strategy.

Lola sat down next to Theo and he caught a whiff of her perfume. Theo glanced her way and quickly tried to figure out what he’d ever thought was attractive about her. Lola’s quads were so hard you could bounce a quarter off them. Her arms were nothing but corded muscle. Her collarbones stuck out in the vee of her shirt. He recalled how the tanned skin pulled tight over every one of Lola’s ribs, the corrugated surface of her abs, and the sharp bones at the barely there swell of her hips.

Then he looked at Lucy. She was soft and round and glowing. She was funny and sweet. She was complicated. She was brave. She was feminine. And she was smiling at him like they were sharing a very private joke.

And he wondered,
Who’s the one with doe eyes today
?

Tyson plunked down on the chair next to him. “Day-um. She’s looking
fine
.”

Theo turned to see Tyson leaning forward, his elbows balanced on his knees as he stared at Lucy. Theo didn’t like the laserlike focus of his friend’s expression. Not one bit: He glared at him.

Tyson looked Theo’s way and laughed. “What? What I do?”

Just then, the assistant producer left the room and

Lucy turned to pick up her laptop from the floor. Tyson let out a big rush of air. “She’s getting a real nice booty on her, Redmond. Squats? Lunges?”

Theo’s brain started to burn hot. He couldn’t see straight. “Her booty is none of your business.”

“Hey, it’s just part of my continuing education refresher course. Gotta keep my booty-ologist certification up-to-date, you know.”

“Go refresh yourself with someone else’s booty,” Theo said.

Tyson laughed. “Don’t tell me you hadn’t noticed what you’ve been working with! C’mon, Theo-open your eyes. She’s a nice-looking woman, and in about another ten pounds I plan to ask her out, so don’t you even think about slackin‘ off now.”

Before Theo could recover enough from the shock of anger to respond, Tyson gave him a playful punch and strolled across the room to chat with Lucy. Theo watched his friend elicit a shy smile from her and was shocked again-this time by the stab of jealousy. He
was jealous
?

The realization sobered him up but quick.

This was not a part of his plan. Since Jenna left him six months ago, he’d decided to shut down his heart and focus on his own dreams. Of course his heart still did the job for Buddy and Uncle Viv and Aunt Martin, but not for women. That was the plan-there was no time or energy to waste on a woman. All Theo’s life, all he’d ever wanted to do was be a doctor, and it was finally within reach again. He could not afford the distraction.

Besides, Lucy was not just any woman-she was his

job
, for God’s sake, not to mention his ticket back to med school.

Theo watched Tyson put his big hands on Lucy and guide her into the hallway. It took everything he had not to run after them.

April

Theo heard the familiar sound of Jenna’s Acura pulling up to the curb. He brushed the sandy soil from his knees and stood up, turning away from the rhododendrons in time to see Jenna pop out of her shiny sedan. She strolled up the driveway, her long, smooth legs carrying her with the same sensual strength she’d always possessed.

“Theo.” She stopped in front of him and crooked her head. Her straight light hair fell against a shoulder and her smile was sweet and a little sad. Then she broke eye contact with him and studied the yard. “The place looks great. Do you have a minute?”

Theo tossed down the pruning sheers he’d been holding in a death grip and nodded, trying not to stare at the way her skirt hugged her slim hips or the soft skin at her opening of her blouse. It had been a few weeks since he’d last talked to her and seven months since he’d kissed her, and he wasn’t sure if the steady in-and-out of his breathing meant he’d finally gotten over her or if he was in a daze. ‘To what do I owe this honor?“ he asked.

“How’ve you been, Theo?”

Jenna’s face was aglow with her bedside manner persona. He’d seen it often enough when they were med students, and he didn’t like that it was directed his way this morning-it implied bad news was on its way.

“Fine, but we’re going to have to talk out here. Buddy’s home and I don’t want to confuse him.”

Jenna’s eyes lit up. “How
is
he? God, I miss him. Would you tell him I miss him?”

Theo nodded, watching as Norton strolled through the pine bark mulch and approached Jenna’s ankle as if he planned to rub against it. At the last instant he stopped, arched his spine, and hissed like the demon-possessed thing he was.

“Norton! You’ve gotten so fat!” Jenna reached down to stroke his large orange head and he slashed at her with a declawed paw. “Well, I see you’re still quite the sociopath.”

“You did call him fat.”

Jenna laughed.

“I’ll tell Buddy you said hi.” Of course, there was no way in hell Theo would mention her name to his brother. It would only result in weeks of nonstop questions about when she was coming back. “So what’s up, Jenna?”

“I’ve been watching you on TV. You’re famous now!” Jenna watched Norton skitter away. “I can’t tell you how I feel for that client of yours! I don’t know how she could have let herself go like that. She seems fairly intelligent. But you’re doing great with her. I even saw your billboard at a bus stop near the med center. I guess you’ve been able to quit the bouncer job at the club?”

Theo sighed, trying to tally up all the vaguely condescending things she’d managed in one breath. “Did you come here to get my autograph or something?”

She laughed, and her pale gold eyes filled with affection. For a brief moment, Theo thought maybe she still loved him. Maybe she’d come here on a Saturday morning to beg him for another chance. He straightened his back at the thought.

“Actually, I’ve come to ask for your blessing.”

That definitely did not sound like begging.

“I wanted to tell you before you heard it through the grapevine.”

Theo’s eyes flicked to the ring finger of her left hand, and there it was-
bam
!-the door-slamming end to whatever he’d built in five years with Jenna. At that moment, it felt like a whole lot of nothing.

“He asked me last weekend and I said yes.”

“I’m happy for you.”

“Are you?” Jenna’s whisper was shaky. “It’s important to me that you’re OK with this, Theo.”

He had to get a few additional feet between himself and all the sweet-smelling, cool beauty that was Jenna. He turned away and rubbed a dirty hand through his hair and tried to find his balance.

“He’s a lot older than you.” Theo turned to squint at her there in the sun, all pretty and unruffled and everything he’d ever wanted-smart, determined, steady, logical, built, gorgeous.

Jenna smiled. “Yes. He’s fifty-one.”

“Has lover boy had a recent stress test? Have you checked his lipids?”

“Come on, Theo-”

He couldn’t decide what to do with his hands. He had no pockets in the old pair of running shorts he’d worn to work in the yard that morning, so his hands just hung there, feeling rubbery and useless when all he really wanted to do was punch a big-ass hole in the stucco side of the house.

“Are you going to join his surgery practice when you’re done with your fellowship?”

“We’ve talked about it.”

“The call schedule is going to be hell on your marriage.”

“Theo-”

“When’s the wedding?‘

“We’re not sure yet.” Jenna allowed a little giggle to escape. “We’ve talked about maybe eloping.”

“Oh boy! Won’t that get him in trouble with his
wife
?”

“His divorce is almost final.”

“Good, because I think the state of Florida frowns on bigamy.”

“
Stop
it.”

“Look, I’m sorry. Congratulations.” Theo found himself taking the two steps required to reach Jenna and wrap her up in his arms. He hugged her, feeling her solid suppleness, the so-familiar shape that perfectly sealed the hole she’d left in him seven months ago. He patted her arm and pulled away.

“Thank you.” Jenna blinked and wiped a little tear from her cheek, and the flare from the megadiamond nearly scorched Theo’s corneas. “I’m so glad you’re taking this well.”

Theo shrugged and bent down to retrieve the pruning shears. “Yeah, Jenna. I take everything well. Just bring it on, babe. That’s my motto.”

Jenna’s hand landed on his shoulder. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, Theo, and I don’t think there’s a logical way to explain it I don’t think love is logical.”

Theo chortled and kept snipping.

“Seriously. I was trying to decide if I owe you an apology.”

He didn’t look at her when he asked, “So do you?”

“No.” She removed her hand. “I think we love who we love and there’s not a damn thing that can be done about it.”

Theo hung his head and stared at the mulch under his old running shoes. “That sounds rather fatalistic for a woman who’s had to fight for everything she’s ever wanted in life.”

“I just knew what I wanted, and I wanted him.”

“Yep. You knew what you wanted, all right.”

Though Theo faced the house, he could feel the heat of Jenna’s anger. He peeked around to see her glaring at him.

“We’ve been over this, Theo.”

He turned to face her full-on. “You know, I don’t think we ever really cut through the bullshit and told each other the truth-and the truth is you wanted more than a personal trainer with a retarded little brother. You wanted more than a guy who still works the door at Flawless on weekends because he can’t say no to the money.”