“You ready to work?” Spencer asked as Lucy came through the door
of the warehouse two days later for their usual training appointment.
She put down her workout bag and shucked off her jacket, pulling
her ponytail out of her collar. “I haven’t exactly been sticking to a workout
regimen the last few days,” she admitted, automatically beginning to stretch
her muscles on the nearby mat.
“Yes, I understand you’ve been aerobicizing in other ways,”
Spencer shot back, remembering their conversation in the kitchen the first morning
after she had stayed over at their place.
Lucy blushed. “Shuddup,” she said, her voice even and Spencer
laughed.
“Okay, well, let’s finish up some stretching and then hit the
treadmill, see what you’ve got in you today,” he said, but Lucy didn’t move
from her place near his desk, and he paused in mid stride, looking at her.
“Unless… do we need to talk? We can talk. Are we okay?”
Lucy bit her lower lip, unsure. “Do you want to talk?”
“I want us to be okay, so if that means we have to have an
uncomfortable conversation, we can,” Spencer said honestly.
“I appreciate that,” Lucy said, meaning it. “I was pretty pissed
off at you, as you know. But now…” she trailed off, unable to stop from smiling
as she thought of a mental picture of Sullivan. “Now I find my anger has somewhat
abated. But I was hurt, Spencer.”
“I know,” he said, his voice full of contrition. “When I sent him
to the farmer’s market that first time you guys met up... I really was sick as
a dog, and I don’t want to let you down or disappoint you. I know I never
should have agreed in the first place, but I really wanted to help you, Lucy.
You seemed… you just seemed lost, and like you needed some guidance, and I like
helping people. Sullivan didn’t want to hoodwink you when I asked him to do it,
but since I thought it would just be that one time…”
“And the other times?”
“He wanted to see you, and… I couldn’t refuse. You are the first
person – not even love interest, just person
– he has been interested in getting to know for a long time. Jewel did a pretty
good mind fuck on him, so to see him willing to get out there, and since I knew
what a great person you were… we were stupid, we should have told you sooner,
but…”
“But what’s done is done,” Lucy said.
“Yeah,” Spencer said, watching her carefully. “What’s done is
done.”
“Okay,” Lucy said, nodding her head and putting it behind her for
good. “Let’s go to work.”
Even as Spencer cranked up speed of the treadmill, making Lucy go
faster and further than she had before, she stayed with it, not complaining and
not fading, like so many of his clients would have.
For the first time in a while, he truly believed that if she had
to go to the summit of Kilimanjaro, she could probably really do it. Maybe with
Sullivan’s love and encouragement, and his workout regimen and food plan, she
really could get to the peak without it taking the stuffing out of her.
As he had her switch to the elliptical machine, he tried to work
out in his head what he needed to have her do to be conditioned and ready for
the hike – he’d done some research on Kilimanjaro, and knew it took five to
seven hours of walking each day, for several days, to summit, assuming they
took the ‘easy’ route, which, considering Lionel’s contempt for Lucy’s fitness,
he assumed was the way they would go.
That hike was no picnic, either, with elevation changes, thinner
air and a lot of miles, but if she was determined, he was determined to get her
there.
He only hoped she didn’t have to wear some god awful maid of honor
dress when she finally got up there. He smiled at the mental image of Lucy
having to shimmy out of hiking boots and a parka and into some poofy lavender
monstrosity.
“What’s so funny?” Lucy asked, noting his expression as she swiped
sweat from her brow and took a drink of water.
“I was just picturing you on the summit of Kilimanjaro in some ass
ugly bridesmaid’s dress,” he admitted, and Lucy laughed out loud.
“Oh my god, if they make me put on some sort of taffeta disaster,
I’m backing out of this right now,” she said, and he laughed. Her face sobered
after a long moment, and she met his eyes. “Do you really think I can do this?”
she asked quietly, her voice full of concern, and a bit of fear.
“Yes,” Spencer said without hesitation. “You can do this. And I’ll
help you do it. We have time to get you conditioned better, and we’re gonna do
it.”
She nodded, and started stepping a bit faster.
**
“Oh my god, I’m starving,”
Lucy said, slumping onto the couch next to Sullivan and giving him a kiss
hello. “Your twin is just… just mean.”
“I’ve been saying that for years,” Sullivan said mildly. “But he
means well.”
“He read me the riot act on eating for fuel, not for fullness,”
Lucy said with a well timed eye roll. “I wanted to tell him to eat me, but I
thought that might be sexual harassment.”
Sullivan laughed. “Don’t harass the twin, and especially not with
sexual innuendos. It’s off putting.”
“I was frustrated at the time, okay?” Lucy said. “I mean, some of
the pounds are coming off, but not enough of them, and not fast enough. If I
have to eat what he wants me to eat, I’m going to be an increasingly cranky
person. How do you feel about cranky?”
“Eh, I’m not much of a fan, but for you…” Sullivan said sweetly,
kissing her temple, “I’ll deal with it.”
“Thanks,” Lucy said.
“If it helps, I’d much rather have you be full and… zesty, but
I’ll accept half starved and cranky. I’m that kind of guy.”
“Zesty?”
“Yes, I’ve decided that’s the perfect word to describe you.”
Lucy felt herself melt at his genuine compliment. “I like that.”
“I like you.”
They stared at each other, smiling, for a long moment before Lucy
sighed slightly. “How do you feel about chicken breasts, rice and broccoli for
the next few months until I do this thing?”
“I feel like that’s exactly what I’ve been eating ever since
Spencer had like a moment of Zen and decided to become a trainer.”
“I thought maybe it was for the workout clothes and chicks,” Lucy
replied.
“No, workout clothes and chicks is why I became a computer geek,”
Sullivan replied mildly. “Any guy that can tear apart a motherboard and put it
back together is guaranteed to get some tail.”
Lucy laughed. “You know, you’re funnier and a little more crass
than I ever would have thought when I met you that first time,” she said, her
tone serious now.
“Is that good or bad?” Sullivan asked.
“Oh, I like my men dangerous,” Lucy said with a teasing grin. “You’re just a bad boy, aren’t you?”
“Want to see my collection of Doctor Who memorabilia? It’ll drive
you out of your mind. Forget those guys with Harleys or leather pants, I’m
where it’s at.” He paused, cocking his head to one side. “Except for that part
where I ended my sentence with a preposition.”
Lucy laughed and threw herself into his lap. “I love that you live
by your own rules – established English grammar rules be damned.”
“I like living on the edge,” Sullivan said, nibbling on her
earlobe. They both jumped as the door crashed open and Spencer walked in.
“Get a room,” he said tonelessly, barely sparing them a glance as
he headed for the kitchen.
“That’s a very good idea,” Sullivan said with a wicked glint in
his eyes. “Shall we?”
Lucy laughed as he tugged her by the hand towards his bedroom.
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