Chapter Eight

“Healthy food!” Spencer enthused with a wide smile.

“Oh. Ish,” Lucy replied, her tone definitely less excited now. “Not my favorite.”

“It’s part of the process. We’re working on reshaping your body, but the best way to do that is through eating healthier. Note I’m saying ‘eating healthier’, not ‘diet’, got it?” Spencer said, making sure to look her in the eye to make his point.

Lucy sighed. “You know what I find fascinating? Skinny people always believe that fat people like me simply don’t know how to eat healthily. Like, we haven’t ever read a million books or websites about it. I guarantee most overweight people know way more about nutrition, diet and macronutrients than skinny people. We just don’t seem to be able to implement it or stick with it, so please, don’t lecture me about the evil of carbs or ghrelin production in the pituitary gland.”

Spencer crossed his arms and fixed her with a stare. “Couple of things, there. First, stop calling yourself fat. Second, I rarely lecture. Third, this is also about getting your mind primed to eat healthier by setting you up for success with some basic meal plans. Total body solutions, remember?”

“Does this meal plan include anything that, for example, tastes good?” Lucy retorted.

Spencer shook his head, his eyes a steely blue now. “I want to help you, Lucy. You have to trust me enough to help me help you. Just try, yeah? I know you’ve heard it, and no matter how much I believe in physical activity, you and I both know that diet is at least seventy percent of the battle in losing weight. Maybe even eighty percent.”

Lucy nodded after a long beat. “I know,” she said, her voice soft. “I’m sorry. I get a little… defensive.”

Spencer grinned. “That was more like San Francisco 49ers defensive line defensive, not ‘a little defensive’.”

Lucy couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry. Really. I want to try I’m just… it’s…”

“A defense mechanism?” Spencer teased and Lucy nodded wryly.

“Something like that,” Lucy agreed.

“Look, I’m a full service trainer. I may not go buy the groceries with you or anything, but I can at least give you some ammo to get you going to the grocery store and armed with some healthier stuff than fried chicken or chocolate chip cookies.”

“Do you subsidize the food budget out of the bill I pay you?” Lucy asked, her voice expressionless but her eyes twinkling with teasing.

“You’re hilarious,” Spencer deadpanned. “You want air conditioning in here or not? Electric bill, remember? Papa ain’t made of money.”

Lucy laughed, then walked over to his desk and sat down, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, ready to take notes. “Okay, tell me all about this delicious healthy food I’m going to be eating for the rest of my days…”

**

An hour later, Lucy was armed with a grocery list, a menu plan and a couple of recipes. After closing the door of her car and settling gratefully in the plush seat, she dug out her phone and speed dialed.

“Hey Luce,” Brandt said, his voice relaxed.

“Whatcha doing?” Lucy asked, her voice wheedling.

“I don’t know…” Brandt said, his voice slightly suspicious. “What am I doing?”

“Wanna go shopping?” Lucy said, her voice a sing song.

“You even have to ask?” Brandt said enthusiastically. “Where should I meet you?”

“Well…”

**

“This is so not what I had in mind when you said shopping,” Brandt grumbled, navigating the grocery cart around an obstacle filled with sweet corn and mushrooms. “I was thinking clothes, shoes, jewelry, cars…. Something fun. Not… kale.”

“I know, but it was the only way I thought you’d come,” Lucy said, clutching her grocery list in her hand and looking around nervously. She’d only been in the Whole Foods here in Monterey a few times before, and didn’t know where anything was.

Plus, she didn’t even recognize what half the food was – it was all ‘raw’ or ‘vegan’ or ‘natural’.

Or just plain weird looking.

She missed the Safeway up the road.

Plus, let’s face it, Safeway was a lot cheaper – this getting healthy stuff was expensive.

“Do you see any tofu?”

“Oh Jesus,” Brandt breathed. “We are not eating tofu. I don’t care what you do to it, it’s slimy and nasty and wrong. How about chicken instead?”

“I sense I’m going to be clucking like a damn chicken by the time this healthy living thing kicks in.”

“But a cute, healthy chicken.”

“What’s your position on grouper?” Lucy asked a few minutes later, walking by the fish freezer and peering inside at all the frozen offerings.

“Tilapia is nicer, not as fishy,” Brandt said, wrinkling his nose. “Do you know how to cook some of this? Or any of this?”

Lucy shook her head. “Not all of it, but I’m sure I can figure it out. If I can figure out how to make pumpkin whoopee pies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting on my own, I can surely figure out how to cook a damn fish fillet.”

“Omigod, whoopee pies…” Brandt breathed. “Let’s get the makings for that instead.”

“First of all, no. And second of all, I don’t think they would deign to have that sort of food in Whole Foods. Sugar, icing, flour?! Are you crazy?!” Lucy said with mock horror, a hand pressed to her chest dramatically and Brandt laughed.

“Okay, what else is on this stupid list from your stupid but stupidly hot trainer?” Brandt asked, following her further in the produce section and peering over her shoulder at the paper in her hands.

“Just… vegetables. Salad. Fruit. Lean protein like chicken and fish. No snacks, no chocolate, no soda, no…”

“No nothing that tastes good,” Brandt finished.

“It’s not fair,” Lucy said quietly. “You can eat that stuff, and still stay skinny.”

“I’m not going to debate metabolism with you,” Brandt said gently, her tone changing from teasing to pacifying. “Let’s focus on you, okay? How was your session today?”

“Good,” Lucy said. “Except for that damn torture device of a stationary bike. My butt was not designed for a teeny tiny seat like that.”

“And how was Speeeeeencer?” Brandt enthused and Lucy laughed.

“He was fine, except for the torturing. We mostly talked about books and my massage practice and stuff. And he didn’t stalk me in the parking lot this time, which was a bonus. And yes, he was still cute, because I’m sure you’re going to ask. Still cute.”

“Nice,” Brandt agreed, sounded distracted. Lucy followed his gaze and saw an incredibly handsome, and clearly gay, man trying to decide between two different kinds of Greek yogurt.

“Yeah, he’s all kinds of nice,” Lucy said, meaning the stranger, not Spencer. “You should go over and… be nice too.”

“I can’t ditch you in your time of need,” Brandt said, his eyes following the man over to the organic eggs.

“We drove separately. I’m sure I can buy some damn chicken and check out without your emotional support,” Lucy said lightly, even though she was sad to think that Brandt was going to ditch her for her first foray into a ‘new and healthy’ dinner. “Go.”

“Are you sure?” Brandt asked, swinging his eyes around to meet hers. “I don’t…”

“Go,” Lucy said firmly. “Have fun.”

Brandt gave her a cheeky grin, handed off the grocery cart to her and put the man in his laser sights.

Lucy grinned as they struck up conversation, clearly interested in each other off the bat, and then sighed as she looked back at her grocery list, noting that very little was crossed off so far.

What the hell was spelt?

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