“It’s just that sometimes this whole thing seems like a fantasy to me. Do you know how long it’s been since I was this thin and felt this good?”

“A long time.”

“Right after I was weaned and started on solid food, I think.”

Theo laughed.

“So, thank you.”

Theo was speechless. What he wanted to do was pull her into his lap and hold her and kiss her until they both couldn’t breathe. But the signals she was giving off today made him rethink that plan.

“Then thank you, too,” he said.

“No sweat. I know the money’s going to help with med school.”

Theo took a deep breath, moved his chair closer to hers, and sat down again. “When my parents died, they left their investments and cash assets in a trust fund for Buddy and they left the house and all their belongings to me. They were paying for part of my med school, and I was taking the rest out in loans, which I’ll be paying back for many years.”

Lucy nodded.

“I can’t touch a dime of Buddy’s money. People with Down syndrome are living very long lives now, but often with medical complications as they get older. I have no idea what he’ll need in his life, or when he’ll need it. That money is not mine.”

Lucy frowned. “So what you’re saying is that every pound I lose is a thousand dollars straight into your med school tuition?”

‘That’s a no-frills way to put it.“

“Yikes. I really shouldn’t have eaten that pecan pie.”

Theo laughed. “You said it was only half a pie.”

After a moment of quiet, Lucy cocked her head and smiled at him. “I’ve never asked you-what kind of doctor do you want to be, Theo?”

“A physiatrist.”

“Do you mean a psychiatrist?”

Theo shook his head. “No, Cunningham. I know the kind of doctor I want to be, and the word is physiatrist-physical medicine in a hospital setting, postsurgery rehab, mostly.”

“How long will that take?”

“After med school there’s a four-year residency and a one-year fellowship. At best, it’ll be seven years until I’m done. I won’t be out of training until I’m thirty-nine-old and gray.”

“Hardly.” Lucy smiled at him again.

“What I’m saying is that your dream is my dream, Luce. That’s the way it works for us.”

Lucy fiddled with her coffee cup. “I can’t wait to break away from psycho Stephan and start my own company, you know? I want the challenge of making my own decisions. I want the chance to thrive or dive on my own.”

“You’ll be getting that chance soon.”

Theo and Lucy sat for a long moment, looking into each other’s eyes. Theo reached for her hand.

“Buddy is my hero. Did I ever tell you that?”

“No,” Lucy said.

“Yeah. God gave him a whopping disadvantage, but he’s always made the absolute most of his gifts. I see being a doctor as my way of doing that.”

“OK.”

“You’re the exact opposite of Buddy. Do you know what I’m saying?”

She looked surprised. “Not really.”

“You’ve got everything, Lucy. Brains. Beauty. Wit. Determination. A good heart. And I can’t tell you how cool it is to see you claim it all.”

She laughed, but it was a little sob of a laugh and it was clear the tears weren’t going to stop this time.

“I’ll get those tissues now.”

“Maybe that’s a good idea.”

Theo returned with an entire box, which made Lucy giggle.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy, Lucy. I wish things were different, but this is how it is. I can only ask for your patience.”

She blew her nose and nodded. “Patience is not my best virtue.”

“C’mere, Luce.”

He pulled her onto his lap and held her tight. Lucy put her arms around him and hugged him back, a hug full of affection and connection, and he felt the power of it-all the way down to his shoes.

The timbre of the embrace changed slowly. Lucy curled into him, relaxed against Theo’s body. He held her softly, feeling her breathe, drawing her scent into him, reveling in the deep satisfaction he felt just having this woman in his arms.

“I really want to do this, Theo.”

“Hug me?”

“That, too.” Lucy pulled back to look down into his face. “But I was referring to my goal. I want to succeed.”

“I know you do.” Theo grabbed a tissue and wiped away a smear of mascara on her cheek. “Maybe what we need is some serious-assed motivation. Are you with me?”

Her eyes widened. “Sure.”

“Our challenge is another thirty-two pounds in twenty-one weeks. It’s doable, but it’s going to be tough. So pick something-something big and juicy and decadent-as your reward when you reach your goal.”

“I’m assuming Milk Duds are out.”

“They are.”

“Starting my own company, then.”

“Nope. Can’t be work-related. It’s gotta be a splurge. An adventure. Something you’ve always wanted. Something you can’t wait to do.”

He could almost see the synapses fire behind the bright light of her eyes. “All right,” she whispered. “I want to go to bed with you again.”

Theo thought he would fall out of the chair. “Uh…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t think I can wait five months to make wild love to you again. I’m not sure I can wait five minutes. What else you got?”

She smiled and looked off into the yard in thought for a minute. “I know!” Her face shone with delight. “How about I arrange to go somewhere exotic where I can be pampered head to toe? I’m talking total sensory overload, Theo.”

“Go on. This is good.” His hand slid up her back, then caressed her between her shoulder blades.

“I want to loll around in abject luxury at some island resort, where a whole team of people tends to my every desire.”

Theo’s hand strayed down to her lower back, where he spread his fingers wide and pressed in. “Excellent. Maybe Fran could go with you.”

“That would be fun. Don’t stop touching me.”

Theo let his hand slide down to Lucy’s ass, packed tight in that little dress, and he grabbed a handful. Lucy’s head wobbled backward. She breathed heavily. “And I want cabana boys named Raoul to rub warm, fragrant oil all over me, from head to toe, all over my throat and chest and my legs and arms. I want-”

Theo pushed the chair back on the deck and it made a loud scraping sound. He grabbed Lucy’s face and kissed her hard, then rose up and placed her on her feet, taking her hand.

“Where are we going, Theo?”

“Shh.” He stroked her hair as he led her inside. “The name’s Raoul.”

July

Office of Doris Lehman, MSW, PhD “But how did you know it was love?”

Doris shifted in the modern leather and chrome chair and crossed, then recrossed her legs before she answered. “How I came to love Mr. Lehman has very little to do with how you might experience love with Theo.”

Lucy sighed and kicked off her new strappy little mules. She now wore an entire shoe size smaller than last November, and she’d just gotten her toenails painted a bright pink, her first pedicure since the Clinton administration. “So you’re not going to tell me?”

“The real question is one that only you can answer, Lucy.” Doris smiled kindly. “So. Are you in love with Theo?”

“Oh God! I’m completely, utterly, nutso in love with that man! But how do I let go of the rope? How do I loosen my grip and fall into the water if I can’t even see what’s down in there? Piranhas? Sharp rocks? Toxie waste? I don’t even know how deep the water is! I could snap my neck like a twig!”

Doris raised an eyebrow. “That was quite a metaphor.”

Lucy glared at the kimono kittens on the paper screen and swore she heard them tittering and snickering at her outburst. She was really starting to hate those little trollops.

“Actually, Doris, I was hoping this is where you tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do with my life!”