by Nikki Larson
While adding music and text to her video, Sylvia wondered how her mother would take it if she knew the truth – that, not that long ago, Sylvia had had an abusive boyfriend and had miscarried their child. Kyle Haggar, college football quarterback, was both handsome and charismatic, with his disarming grin, broad shoulders, and huge biceps. He’d won her over, wooed her with extravagant gifts and empty promises. She should have known better. She should have seen the signs – his flashes of anger at any petty little thing, the darkness behind his eyes when he looked at her. Well, she’d skipped right over all that, and look what it had gotten her. Nothing but plenty of heartbreak.
She brushed aside a tear and focused again on her video. It took her maybe an hour to perfect it and post it from her phone to her FanGram account. She was up to over half a million followers now, which made her heart soar. She went back to look at her website, happy to reread her description of who she was and why she did what she did:
“Hi, I’m Sylvia Oscar, the founder of SO Good Fitness, LLC. I’m a widely sought-after motivational speaker, a FanGram internet sensation, as well as a best-selling author of two health and fitness books. For the past three years, I’ve helped transform the physical and emotional lives of thousands of people around the world by focusing on joyous fitness, healthy foods, and uplifting thoughts. My mission is to help others triumph over obstacles as I have and transform their bodies and minds. Come with me on this exciting journey to health and wellness. Never forget that you are worth so much! Together, we will fulfill our dreams!”
Reviewing her mission in life always made her smile. She needed the constant reminder, to keep her focus on inspiration and positivity. Dark, depressing thoughts of the past only served to bring her down. Sylvia wanted to live in the light, to be a light to others. This is what she was thinking when she went to sleep that night. She dreamt of wide-open fields and wildflowers in the spring, of children and laughter. She saw her own little girl, Ashley Tate, with flowing light brown hair and the sweetest smile. And Sylvia woke feeling touched, comforted, and refreshed.
Chapter 6
“So, Sylvia tells me you’re a hero,” Fiona Oscar said over dinner that Saturday night.
Jaxton’s heart leapt in his chest at the compliment. He’d never been called a hero before. Of course, Fiona’s tone had a touch of humor to it. In any case, he’d take it.
“I didn’t say that,” Sylvia protested immediately. She threw her mother a hard stare, prompting Fiona to burst out in laughter. When she directed her disdain at her brother, he laughed heartily as well.
“Sylvia,” Jaxton said, letting her name flow out of his mouth as smoothly as silk, “only you seem bothered by this fact, that I am, indeed, a hero.” He enjoyed chiding his long-time nemesis, who responded by twisting her shoulders and putting on a nearly-convincing look of disgust. He couldn’t help it; he took great delight in seeing her squirm.
She dismissed him by promptly going to the kitchen and returning with a large bowl full of salad. “Want some? Anyone?” she asked, obviously trying hard to sound sweet and unbothered.
“Oh, I almost forgot to serve that,” Fiona said, smiling appreciatively at her only daughter.
Jaxton’s eyes remained on Sylvia. Her long brown hair, her ice-blue eyes, and her lovely delicate features were such a stunning combination. He was always drawn to her, whether he wanted to be or not. “Changing the subject?” he challenged her.
“Yes,” she admitted as she set the serving bowl down. “Only because it’s necessary.” She flashed him what could only be described as a grimace, then served herself a generous helping of baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and cucumber; drizzled olive oil over the top, then added salt and pepper. “We can’t have you thinking you’re somebody special, now can we?”
Jaxton smirked. He had to give her points for her comeback. She was quite clever when she wanted to be. He would skip over the insult for now, and address it later. “You eat salad like that? No dressing?” He shouldn’t be surprised. She was always adding new restrictions to her already strict diet.
“Yes,” she said with an air of superiority as she took her place at the table. “This is the healthiest way to eat a salad. Without added dressing. Dressing only serves to add calories and unneeded fat.”
While Fiona was fixated on the TV playing in the background, Jaxton carelessly let his eyes roam up and down Sylvia’s slender frame. He couldn’t help but smile approvingly. There was not an ounce of fat on her, and this was probably part of the reason why. “Kudos to you, then,” he said. He knew he shouldn’t let his eyes feast on her like this, but she was certainly hard to ignore.
Blaine came in from outside, where he’d been grilling salmon to go with the rice and vegetables Sylvia had prepared. He, for one, apparently didn’t want to let the playful banter die. “So, Sylvia, are you saying that Jaxton is not allowed to be a hero?” He set the salmon on the kitchen island and motioned for Jaxton to come dish up. “I mean,” he said, pausing for emphasis, “if Jaxton is a hero – if he did something heroic – there’s no reason to deny it.” He looked at Sylvia pointedly. “Is there?”
Both Fiona and Blaine delighted in Sylvia’s discomfort, if their broad smiles were any indication.
“Stop it,” Sylvia said, clenching her teeth and clearly struggling to keep her tone light. She gave her brother’s shoulder a shove. “I guess you could say he saved the day by thwarting a kidnapping,” she allowed. Then her eyes clouded over with seriousness and the smile left her face. “No, really, that could have been awful. It’s not a joking matter. That little girl was so vulnerable. I mean, her mother was on the phone, distracted. Everybody is on their phone these days. You should be able to go the grocery store and not worry that someone is going to snatch your child away right in front of you.” She held a hand to her cheek in despair.
“I’m no hero,” Jaxton agreed, squeezing a lemon over his grilled salmon, and over the wild rice and broccoli as well. Blaine was a good cook when he wanted to be. So was Sylvia. It was nice they could cook for Fiona while she was recovering. “I was just at the right place at the right time. It was a God thing.” It was important to give God the credit. Only God was the one who deserved the glory for intervening and rescuing the little girl from a terrible fate.
“Don’t you always think everything is a God thing?” Sylvia snapped. “Why can’t you admit some things are just a coincidence?”
The intake of Fiona’s breath was unmistakable, as was the tension on Blaine’s face.
“Now, Sylvia,” Fiona said, but she stopped short of saying any more.
“It’s okay,” Jaxton assured her. “I’m used to it.” He gave a slightly sad smile. “Maybe someday Sylvia will see the man behind the curtain for what he is.”
“The man behind the curtain?” Sylvia scoffed. “You say it like God is some magician behind the scenes, controlling all the events in the world.”
“He’s sovereign,” Jaxton commented. “But you’re right, I shouldn’t say it like that. God is so much more than a man behind a curtain.” He cringed at that choice of words. “He’s the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the Holy One of Israel.”
Sylvia’s eyes grew sad as she looked across the table and met Jaxton’s gaze. “There are thousands of children kidnapped every day, and he doesn’t do anything about that. Why was this one little girl more important than all those others? Why doesn’t God step in and prevent every type of evil, all the time?”
Jaxton knew she felt this way, but still, it was hard to hear it, especially when he didn’t totally understand himself. “I know; I know,” he said quietly, searching the faces of the three other people seated at the table as he tried to find the words to explain. “All we know is that God is good. He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he,” he said, reciting one of the most comforting verses he knew, Deuteronomy 32:4.
Sylvia huffed in disgust. “I
just don’t always believe it.”
Chapter 7
Sylvia had just finished her walk along the beach early Sunday morning and was resting on a park bench enjoying the ocean view when the man approached her.
“Hey, are you Sylvia Oscar, the FanGram fitness sensation?”
She regarded him warily from behind her dark sunglasses. He had a broad smile, and a friendly face reminiscent of some game show host. His dark hair was spiked on top and short on the side, and his eyes had a certain gleam to them. He held out a business card and waited eagerly for her to take it.
Gingerly, she accepted the card and read what was on it: Gabe Flores, TV Producer. She studied his face once again before answering. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Wonderful,” he said, obviously delighted. “You know, I realize this is a little bit odd, but bear with me for just a moment, please.” He paused and gauged her response. “We are doing a new show and we’d love for you to be a part of it.” Again, his eyes scanned her face. “It’s a reality show, featuring all of the top FanGram fitness gurus.” He closed one eye in an unusual wink, as it pained him to mention it. Or perhaps he was trying to be charming. “Look, you don’t have to decide now,” he said, as if sensing her hesitancy. “Just call the number on the card if you are interested.” And with that, he nodded and left her staring at him as he went.
“Creeper,” she muttered underneath her breath once she figured he was far enough away not to hear her. She stared at the card in her hand. It looked very professional, with its sleek black and white design and thin lettering. But she couldn’t risk it. She threw it in the nearest trashcan and, because she suddenly felt restless, walked to the nearest Starbucks.
The strong scent of coffee permeated the air, and the place was crowded, she noted when she opened the door. What a variety of people were in here. Confident young women who had their guard up and their noses up in the air. Businessmen, dutifully working on their computers even on a Sunday. Families with energetic children happy to be out and about, getting a treat.
The mom in line in front of her ordered a lemon bar for each of her two kids, who were ecstatic, cheerfully half-skipping, half-bouncing toward the last open table, food in hand.
If only the mother realized what all that sugar actually did to her children, she wouldn’t indulge them like that, Sylvia thought. They were headed for a tenuous high and a determined crash. If only people could think of food as fuel, helping their bodies function optimally. Maybe Sylvia would offer a class, invite young mothers, teach them good nutrition. She could make it a mommy and child class, and add movement and music to make it fun. If only she could find the time. Already she was booked three months out, with speaking engagements, motivational meetings with friends and cohorts, and of course the never-ending daily videos she uploaded to FanGram.
After ordering a plain coffee and grabbing a protein box with boiled eggs, peanut butter, muesli bread, cheese, apple slices, and grapes, Sylvia headed outside to find a place to sit where she could brainstorm her next career moves. It was important to always do her research, and plan accordingly. If she wanted to continue to be successful in the online world, she would have to make sure she was up on all the latest, and plan strategically. She was the master of her own destiny, and the world was her oyster.
She smiled at that thought and delved into her research, using her phone to look up a few of the most popular fitness gurus. One, Symphonie Simmons, was famous for her full-body workouts done in her kitchen. Giselle from Switzerland was posting photos which included not only Pilates exercises but also her dog and occasionally her buff boyfriend. Best friends Serena and Katrina posed on an Australian beach with lovely smiles and flawless yoga poses.
And just then Sylvia had an idea. And once it took form in her mind, there was no shaking it.
But it was inconvenient.
What would happen if, instead of casting Jaxton aside every chance she got, she used him in her fitness poses? I mean, she could capitalize on the fact that he was a billionaire. And his amazing good looks. Surely the women would go gaga over his sculptured cheekbones and his ever-present five-o’clock shadow, not to mention his bulging biceps and his ripped abs. And it just might keep those pesky blondes away from him at the gym, if they thought she and Jaxton were a couple.
Not that she cared about women falling all over him.
Did she?
It wasn’t worth thinking about.
But the real question was, would he go for it? He usually liked to stay out of the limelight. His Love Bars were the focus in all his advertising campaigns – not his manly, to-swoon-for face.
“Hey.”
Sylvia was startled to hear a man’s voice. She looked up from her computer to see the very same spike-haired man that had been at the beach.
“Here,” he said, holding out his business card. “I think you lost this.”
Sylvia’s rather-appalled response must have been apparent, because he took a step back and laughed.
“No, I didn’t retrieve it from the trash can,” he reassured her.
Only it wasn’t all that reassuring because that meant he’d been watching her when she threw it away. That realization sent shivers up her spine.
Maybe she could appoint Jaxton to be her bodyguard, too, and keep the creepers away. With no small flutter of fear in her heart, she stared at the card he was still holding out to her.
“Take it,” he urged her. “You’d be great on our show. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. It’s a great opportunity for an up-and-coming star like you.”
Her eyes narrowed but she took the business card from him all the same, just to get the guy to leave her alone. Then she couldn’t restrain herself from giving a little dismissive flick of her hand to wave him away.
Chapter 8
Jaxton worked out hard at the gym his family had named after his mother’s side of the family. Reisburg was his mother’s maiden name. He thought of his sweet mom every time he was here. It was unavoidable. Reminders of her were everywhere. She’d loved the ocean views, the California sunshine, and staying in shape. She’d gotten skin cancer for that very reason, from being constantly outside and exposed to the elements, he supposed. Her light skin was no match for the sun’s intense rays. He was glad to be able to lift weights and use the rowing machine, to do a few calisthenics in the back rooms with all the mirrors – the rooms where classes were held. The intensity of his workouts always matched the intensity of his hard-to-manage feelings, the sadness which would surely have overwhelmed him had he not had an outlet.
His mom would have been proud of him, he knew, for his stance against the oil refineries and his embracing good health and nutrition – and also the promoting of good deeds – with his Love Bars. His mother was the sweetest person he’d known, and he was grateful for all the ways she’d led him into doing what was right and good. It was fitting that he would honor her by choosing to create healthy, sweet-tasting food, and having a do-good campaign to go with it. His random-acts-of-kindness campaign was sure taking off, ever since he’d visited the children’s cancer hospital in Grover, Utah. The event made national news, thanks to his connections with the news outlets. Now his bars were selling in three of the fifty states – California, Utah, and Arizona, with plans for even greater expansion.
His mother’s death was certainly a catalyst for him giving his all to God, finally. She was the one who had taken him to church, taught him the Bible, wanted him to accept Christ – but he’d never done it until after she was gone. His degree of devotion to God was pretty much off the charts now. He wanted to do all the good he could, with God’s power. Since he’d grown up so wealthy, he never had the temptation to make money his god. He’d learned quickly that money did not provide happiness and meaningfulness in life. Instead, it was a means to bless others, to help people. He was grateful for all the lessons. He only wished he’d listened to his mom sooner.
Jaxton was using the bench press when he suddenly heard an old
familiar ringtone. Sylvia. Frozen in midair, he listened intently. He hadn’t heard that ring since they’d broke up two years ago. Had he not deleted it? Funny he still had the same phone…. But he grew attached to things. He didn’t constantly need the latest version of anything.
The weight was getting heavy now, and he lowered it back onto the rack. It hit with a thud, and he sat up to check his phone and to make the incessant ringtone stop. He could only take so much of their song. He should have deleted it before now.
“Hello?” he said, glancing around to see if anyone was paying attention to him, listening in. But everyone was busy with their workouts.
“Hi, it’s Sylvia,” the voice on the other end said. Her voice was confident and composed, and full of energy. Yep, that was Sylvia all right. As if he wouldn’t have known it from her personal ringtone and her beautiful face which showed up on his screen beneath her name.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
“I have a proposition for you,” she said breezily.
His voice caught in his throat and he practically coughed. A proposition? Did she have to word it that way? “Oh yeah?” he asked huskily, shaking his head to get all inappropriate images out of his brain.
“Yes,” she asserted. “Meet me at Rubio’s tonight for fish tacos?”
“But it’s not Taco Tuesday,” he teased. His voice came out gruffer than he intended, but he was only trying to compensate for his sudden nervousness.