“Grab some beer for us, will ya? If you want me to tell you the story, I’ll need some liquid refreshment.”
Once they were on the floor, sitting side by side, backs propped against the wall, Eadan took a long slug of beer and sighed. “Remember the operation I had booked in Glasgow; the Phillips boy? It didn’t take place because the lad had slipped into a coma and we’d lost our window of opportunity to perform the surgery. So rather than stay away from my darling fiancée another minute, I wrangled a flight home the same night.”
“Och! I don’t think ye need to continue. What did you do to the guy with her? Will he heal soon” Eadan knew that Graeme was only trying to lighten the tension, but once he started reliving it, he couldn’t stop.
“The sucker had a glass chin and bollocks the size of a fox terrier. I’ve never seen a cad scuttle away so fast, leaving the lady to face the music. Ah…scratch that. She certainly doesn’t deserve the title of lady.” Eadan’s voice laden with sarcasm and laced with fury spat out his pain. “I can’t believe I was going to marry her, Graeme. Make her my wife, the mother of my future offspring. The cheating tart had crawled into my bed with another man as soon as I’d left our apartment.”
“Okay, you might not want me to say this, bro, but you’re well rid of that particular tart. And be glad it’s before the wedding rather than after. I have no doubt—since people don’t change because of a ring and vows—there would have been an imminent divorce and she’d have taken you to the cleaners.”
“You’re right. I know there’s truth in your words. What’s killing me is that I had such little knowledge of the lass. I’ve always believed I was a good judge of character. Now I don’t trust myself at all.” He ripped at the label on the bottle, his fierce pressure an indication of the frustration he felt. “I’m far better off staying a bachelor and playing the field.”
“Hold it! Wasn’t that why you asked Simone to marry you in the first place, because you were sick of the wild flowers in that field?”
“True. I guess I wanted to settle down, buy a nice house and have children. Go figure, in the end, I picked the wildest flower. What a fool! Maybe I should grab a weed next time.”
Graeme laughed. “Look, you just need to find the right woman.”
“Maybe.”
“There’s no maybe here. We’re talking reality, Eadan. You need a wife.”
He slumped and the half-grin everyone recognized as pure Eadan appeared. “Whatever, man. But I’ll tell you one thing for sure. No more gorgeous model-types for me. From now on I want a plain-Jane with nice skin, nice hair and a nice personality.”
“Aha! I get it, you want a nice girl.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
“Do you mind if she has a little extra flesh on her bones?”
Eadan looked at his brother and caught his thoughtful expression before it got replaced with a grin. “It depends. How much extra are we talking about?” Eadan decided to play along, knowing where his brother was leading.
Graeme tried to look pensive and ended up clearly mischievous instead. “Maybe fifteen or twenty pounds of extra curves to cuddle up to.” He slid his feet closer, bending his knees and draped his arms over to let his beer hang in the opening. “She’s actually a nice-looking girl, if you like lots of hair. My god, it’s everywhere, but charming really. And, as a bonus, she has one of the prettiest smiles I’ve seen in a long while.”
Aha, Remi Calder! Eadan recognized the topic of their conversation. “What the hell, man. If you’re so smitten, why don’t you go after her?” Eadan had no idea why this statement produced instant irritation.
“I think Julia might have something to say about that, don’t you? After all, we’ve been seeing each other for almost a year. Besides, the lady had no time for me. All she saw were your tight jeans, brawny muscles and loaded pecs.”
Eadan laughed. “You exaggerate, surely?”
“Not even a little. Seriously, we could set up a diamond display by the light shining from her pretty blue, hungry eyes.”
Laughing, as he was intended to, Eadan said, “Actually, she is kind of perfect, isn’t she? A man could relax his guard with a girl like that.”
“You mean she’d be trustworthy and loyal, like a mixed-breed puppy rather than a pure-bred bitch.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Chapter Four
Remi worried all night about the journal she’d found in the hallway. A picture of Greta the last time she’d seen her popped into her mind. Shoulders slumped forward, the girl had worn a shapeless top that magnified her size rather than camouflaging it; most likely that had been her intention. Not only had it been an icky plum, totally the wrong color for her, but the ghastly style had screamed for the bin or a lit match.
Finally, by morning Remi had come up with an idea. She needed to get the girl over to her place so they could talk. And it had to be soon. Thankfully today was Saturday and there wasn’t any school. She chose to work over the weekend at home, which made her plan doable.
As a chartered accountant during the week, she did books for a number of small business owners. At the weekends, she used those hours to work on her interior design business—for her, a labor of love, and one she managed to earn extra income from when she took on a commission.
Her last contract had ended a few days ago, and she’d decided to reinstate her sign in the lobby of the apartment. A number of her projects came from her neighbors and this suited her perfectly.
Making up her mind to follow through on her plan, she left the flat and headed to the foyer where she pinned up her cardboard notice. After that, she went back to her own floor and slipped a note under the door three apartments down from hers.
*
The expected knock sounded an hour later. Remi took a deep breath, her dry mouth causing her to swallow a few times. Wiping her sweaty palms on the sides of her slacks, she opened the door.
Greta stood there with the paper in her hand, her eyes round yet fearful of rejection. “Your note said that you have something of mine? I’ve come to see what it is.”
“Yes, I do.” Remi slid the journal from her pocket, held it up and noted the look of apprehension appearing on Greta’s pale face.
“That’s mine!” Greta lunged forward, her hand reaching, only to find the book not there.
Remi swung it behind her and stepped back. She waited to see what the girl would do—whether she would lose her temper and push it, or give up. Moments later, when Greta had done nothing but look crushed, Remi answered gently.
“Yes, it is yours, but I hoped we could talk about the things you wrote before you take it with you.”
Deflated, Greta’s eyes filled with tears. “I just want it back. Please, don’t give it to my parents or they’ll be miffed with me.”
Remi, remembering Greta’s parents as being elderly, quiet and uninteresting to say the least, quickly reassured her. “No, lovie, I promise I won’t give the book to anyone but you.” She stepped back to leave an open path and waved her hand toward the living room. “Look, my name is Remi Calder. Is it possible for us to talk? I want to propose a challenge.”
Curiosity now replacing the fear in Greta’s expression, she nodded, “If you like.”
Remi watched the girl and saw the smile light up her face the minute she’d stepped into her living space. The brightness of the day added to the beauty of her first impression, as did the healthy green plants that framed each side of the large window where the sun made them look as if they were mystical.
“Cor! It’s lovely, this is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier room.”
Happy that the girl didn’t disappoint, Remi moved toward the kitchen area and showed Greta the tray laid out with sodas and biscuits. Then she led the way into the sitting section and made herself comfortable on the big chair, leaving Greta with the plush sofa. “Can I come straight to the point, Greta? No beating around the bush?”
Nodding, her mouth full of
cookie, Greta waited.
“I’m proposing a deal for you, but one that I’ll be as involved in as yourself. You see, lovie, I’ve been exactly where you are today. Don’t get hurt feelings from my bluntness, but I looked the same as you, right down to the bad skin on my face and the tent to hide my size.”
She watched as Greta put the rest of the cookie back onto the table and waited to be completely demolished, as was her experience. “No, don’t look at me like that, darling—like I’m going to hurt you. All I really want to do is help you, and at the same time, let you help me.”
Tears exploding, Greta reached for the tissues left conveniently on the table and waited for Remi to carry on.
“Sweet girl, I shan’t continue if you don’t want to hear.”
“I do, really.” Greta blew her nose, wiped her eyes and waited.
“Right! So I read some of your book, enough to know that you’re in a lot of pain and planning some crazy-arse methods on how to end it. I can’t sit by and let that happen. So here’s the deal. In a short while, I want to lose about twenty pounds. You probably need to lose more, but then it’ll come off a lot easier and faster from your body since you’re younger. Are you with me so far?”
It was a silly question since the girl, leaning forward to the point of falling over, was all ears and shining eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s easy, my dear. I say we set up an eating plan and exercise regime that we can do together as partners. Let’s give ourselves a month to begin with, and a goal of fifteen pounds to start. Then we’ll re-visit the situation and plan from there. I’ve found a great site that has recipes we can download. We’ll make hard copies for each of us, so on the nights that we can’t cook together we’ll both eat the same. Would that be a problem for you? Would your parents mind?”
“No! Uh…not at all. No one really cooks. Mum buys mostly prepared foods and we all just eat what’s in the packages. The problem is, I don’t know how to cook, really.”
“I’ll teach you. Once I left home, I made myself learn. It’s not hard, just takes practise. Are you willing to take on this mission? To help each other and be strong for one another?”
Greta’s hands reached forward. “Yes, please! It would be…” That was as far as she could go. Her whole body began shaking, while devastating emotion poured down her face.
Chapter Five
Greta had never experienced such compassion before. The crushing, overpowering, sensation of it stunned her. All the barriers she’d erected, shoring up hate and resentment toward her peers, began to crumble and her keening scared even her. How could she cry so loudly and for so long in front of a virtual stranger? Who knew that when she broke, she’d lose it completely?
All she knew was that strong arms held and rocked her, while gentle hands stroked her head and patted her back. The beautiful smell of a feminine body lotion teased, and strangely, brought her back to her senses.
“I’m sor-ry. I didn’t mean to carry on so.”
“Lord love ya, don’t apologize. I think you’ve stored a lot of sorrow and it needed to be released. Hopefully you’ve emptied some of that justifiable anger for Cassie Edwards along with it.”
“What do you know about…? You read that part?”
“I’m sorry. I was trying to find a name and the words grabbed my eyes. From your description, I admit, I disliked the girl immensely. I suppose we’ll just have to show her that you are worthy of being alive, won’t we? You just have to promise to follow my guidelines, right?”
“I don’t wish to be pushy, but can you tell me exactly what to do. You see, I need to be prepared. I don’t want to screw this up. So whatever directions you give me, I will listen.”
Prepared for this sort of an outcome, Remi handed her several sheets of paper and some advice. “Read these lists. If you need help with anything, let me know. Take the rest of the day to think about the coming month and get mentally prepared. It won’t be easy, love. But then, nothing worthwhile ever is. Tomorrow, if you’re still committed, we’ll go shopping for our meal ingredients for the coming week. We’ll also have our first cooking class by preparing some special dinners and lunches that we can freeze. Does that sound all right to you?”
Too overcome to speak, Greta nodded her confirmation, snatched her papers off the table and rushed to the door. She couldn’t wait to get alone so she could hug herself, do a happy dance and smile until her face hurt.
“Greta, you forgot this.” Remi called to stop her and waved the journal, the book where she’d poured out her heart and asked for help from the only person she thought might still be listening. Seems he’d heard her.
“You keep it. I don’t think I’ll be needing it anymore. In fact, I got a new one for Christmas and I believe I’ll start writing in it tonight.” Greta smiled her delight and loved that Remi pounded the air with her fist and responded with “Good girl! We’ll show all those resident bitches, won’t we?”
Greta floated home and let herself into the apartment without stopping to say anything at all. Instead, she rushed to her room and closed the door, so hugging herself wouldn’t raise any eyebrows or cause any comments.
She collapsed backwards on the bed, stared at the ceiling and tried to figure out how she was feeling. Ecstatic! Shocked! Scared! Surging to her feet, she hurried to the desk for her journal and favorite pen. Then sitting crossed-legged in her chair, she began to write.
After working for almost an hour, the closest she could come to describing her wretched existence was the explanation she wrote on the first page of her newly started Book of Hope.
Journal, if I were to take all the days of my past few years—thinking in terms of tortuous, grey, foggy and stormy weather—and then make the sun burst through in a glorious pattern of warm brilliance. Place a magnificent rainbow across the golden horizon—that might come close to how I feel. I’m happy!
Chapter Six
Eadan hated his new flat. Even though at the time he’d chosen to move he hadn’t cared about his future home, he now realized that he’d taken his previous comfort for granted.
Compared to his earlier existence, this sprawling place seemed drab and lifeless. The furnishings he’d sent over from the apartment where he and Simone had shared their life held no attraction for him whatsoever. Most of the pieces had been her choice, not his style at all. Therefore, he’d chosen the leftovers she didn’t want and thought he’d make do.
Except, it wasn’t working. The space depressed him. And a man in that state had no hope of concentrating. Bad enough the dry subject he’d chosen to write about only kept his interest in blocks of a few hours at a time, but when he tried wandering the rooms to let the thinking process kick in, all he saw were his sorry surroundings.
Turning to his cellphone, he checked the picture he’d taken of the advertisement he’d seen earlier in the lobby with the phone number front and center. Someone in the building offered decorating services. He’d taken notice but hadn’t thought too much about it until one of the other residents had seen him reading the poster and had spoken up. “Do you live here?”
“Yes I moved in recently. I’m Eadan Fleming, living at 906.”
“Dickie Frost, 709. My partner and I had Miss Calder decorate our place recently and it’s gorgeous. If you’d like to come for a drink some evening and take a look, just give us a knock. Honestly, you’d do well to hire her if you’re in the market for that type of service.”
Ah… Miss Calder? “Thank you. I’m contemplating some upgrades and I’ll certainly keep her in mind.”
“Please do. She’s a lovely girl, lives right here in the building, and I have no doubt would satisfy you completely. Look, do stop by tomorrow. In fact, why don’t you join us for drink around five and I’ll prove to you what I mean.”
Eadan had politely agreed to visit the next evening to view Dickie’s place, but since the fellow was decked out in tight black pants topped with a silky pink and white striped shirt, he couldn’t imagine t
hat their tastes would be compatible.
Satisfy you completely! Remembering the conversation, Eadan grinned while imagining the comeback Graeme would have made.
He looked around at the drabness and frowned. What the hell! This could be a sign for him to move on. He’d contact her once he was more settled and set up an appointment.
And if she was unattached, he might just suss her out and see if she’d be open to a date. If nothing else, it would give him someone to have dinner with. And if her shape was anything to go by, she wouldn’t be a picky salad-freak like the last woman he’d put up with for two long, grinding years.
Chapter Seven
As Remi expected, Greta called her later that evening, and the next morning they met to pick up their groceries.
As they drove to the grocers, Remi asked, “Were your parents on board with this plan, Greta? Did you want me to talk with them?”
“Actually, they were wonderfully supportive. My dad gave me a fistful of money in case I wanted to get some new clothes, or for whatever I might need. And my mum says she’d be happy for me to make some of our recipes to share with them also. I guess they’re as sick of shop-bought food as I am.”
“That’s lovely! It’s going to make a difference to have their help. In fact, if they don’t mind, it might be a good idea for you to dump all the junk food from your cupboards. Not what they like, as much as your own treats. We’ll replace them with healthy tidbits so you won’t go hungry. And I’ve got a book for you to read that helped me when I was your age.”
“Sweet! Can I ask you a question? Yesterday, you said that our dieting together would help you too. How?”
“First of all, my dear, please don’t ever refer to what we’re doing as dieting. It isn’t. In ninety percent of cases, diets don’t last. What we’ve chosen is a healthy eating plan, one we can, and should, follow for the rest of our lives. If I hadn’t become lazy over the last few years, working too many hours and not making the proper time to cook healthily, I wouldn’t be in the pickle I’m in now with these extra pounds. Please understand, eating smart means we’ll fill our menus with healthy foods we need in our diet, small portions and basic stuff that will give us lots of energy. And… because nobody’s perfect, we’ll still be able to eat some of the junk foods, just in very small quantities.”