Slim Chance. Jackie Rose

that you’ll love it.”

      “Come on.” Missy reached out and grabbed my hand. “Give it a shot—you’ve got nothing to lose!”

      “If that were true I wouldn’t be here,” I said, and Jade laughed. He actually laughed. At my joke.

      “Working out is addictive, Evie, you’ll see. At least it is for me. You know, if I wasn’t here all the time, I’d probably be a much better actor,” he said grinning, and winked right at me.

      Missy giggled.

      “Where do I sign?”

      6

      “Didn’t you once tell me that gyms were the devil’s playground?” Bruce asked.

      “Yes, but…”

      “And wasn’t that you who told me that exercise was the dominion of the vain and the indulgence of the wicked?”

      “Well, I might have…”

      “Yet you feel that this is something you’d like to do?”

      “Not that I need your approval, but yes.”

      “I’m just teasing you, Evie.” Bruce put down the paper and took off his glasses. “I think it’s amazing. It’s a great way to work off stress, you know. Maybe I should join, too.”

      “No way,” I said. What a horrible idea. I would never be able to work out in front of Bruce, and he’d hate it there anyway. This was definitely something I needed to do on my own. “You’re a beanpole. You don’t need to lose weight. I’m the fat and revolting one. And if I don’t lose weight fast, I’m going to be miserable and disgusting on our wedding day, and I’ll never be able to look at the pictures for as long as we both shall live.”

      “Maybe we can use that last bit as part of our wedding vows.”

      Annoyed though I was, I had to laugh.

      He put his glasses back on and sighed. “I think you look wonderful the way you are.”

      Liar.

      Morgan was far more supportive of my newfound initiative. She works out seven days a week, and has been on my case to do this for years. We even went shopping on Saturday and picked out all kinds of fun workout clothes. Spandex, it turns out, also has miraculous fat-taming abilities if you buy your items a size too small, and I even considered wearing my new shorts under my work clothes on Monday to help control my wayward gut. But I didn’t plan to tell anyone else about the gym.

      Unfortunately, we bumped into Kimby and Theo at Annie’s café.

      “Morgan, you look fabulous,” drooled Theo. “I wish you’d let me steal you away to my studio sometime. That you haven’t been discovered yet…it’s an affront. I could maybe start a portfolio for you and then we could see where it goes. I know some people. What do you think?”