“What the hell is that?”

Lucy grimaced, forcing her mind to spring from its pizza-induced stupor. “Uh. Papier-mache?”

Keith looked her up and down. “You look great, Luce. Whatever it takes.”

Lucy spent the next few moments desperately trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place in her bedroom. She turned up the volume on the episode where Aunt Bea makes the metric ton of pickles, its plot line meshing with Fran and Keith discussing work, sex, economizing, family dinners, Holden and the twins, and whether they should downsize and sell the manse in Buckhead so that Keith could get a less demanding job.

Lucy even heard Fran say something about going back to work part-time.

Moments later, Fran and Keith exited from the bedroom holding hands. Keith looked in shock but calmer, and Frannie looked happier than Lucy had seen her in months. Her smile was so wide it pushed up the pink apple of her cheeks. In his free hand Keith held Fran’s overnight bag.

“We’re checking into the Four Seasons tonight. I’ll call Mom and let her know.” Fran walked to the couch and kissed Lucy good-bye. “Thank you, sweetie. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

Lucy watched them wait for the elevator. She sighed with vicarious bliss when Keith cupped Fran’s head in his hands and kissed her mouth hard. Lucy closed the door and gave them privacy.

She’d just finished scraping the sink clean when there was another pounding at the door. She figured Fran had forgotten something. But it was Theo.

He knew the timing wasn’t perfect, but when would it ever be? Lucy had been expertly avoiding him at the gym and cleverly returned his calls when he was with clients, so it appeared she was making a good-faith effort to communicate, only he knew she wasn’t.

Theo hoped to God he wasn’t waking her up-it was after ten. And he really hoped he wasn’t walking in on some kind of date. He didn’t think he could handle that. All he knew was he had to see her, try to break through this impasse and make sure she was OK.

Because he had a feeling she wasn’t OK at all.

Theo put the gift behind his back just as Lucy opened the door. The expression on her face nearly made him laugh-she looked like a kid who’d been caught doing something reeeeally bad.

One quick scan revealed that she was wearing his favorite ensemble-the pink sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.

“Hey, Luce. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

She said nothing, but her eyes got wider.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course. Sure. Sorry.” She opened the door for him and Theo looked around, smiling at how it always looked like such a girl’s place from top to bottom- green plants and nice furniture, a spotless kitchen with place mats and a centerpiece on the dinette table. Then he smelled tomato sauce.

“Italian for dinner tonight?”

Lucy’s eyes got huge. “Can I get you something to drink, Theo? What brings you downtown?”

That look in her eyes told him he was right about the Italian-maybe takeout lasagna or pizza-and he asked for some iced tea if she had it. She said she did and motioned for Theo to have a seat in an overstuffed chair.

“How’ve you been?” she asked from the kitchen. “How’d the test go? When do you find out?”

Theo stared at the back of her head-that ponytail- and the sweet, strong ledge of her shoulders, the graceful neck. He’d missed her so much that he found it hard to breathe.

“The test was eight hours long, in two four-hour sessions-anatomy and physiology, histology, pathology. I’d forgotten how it felt to think so hard my brain got sore.” She handed him a glass of iced tea and he drank gratefully.

“That’s a lot of ologies in one day.”

“Yeah, I think that was the point-they wanted to remind me what I was in for.”

Lucy snuggled up on the end of the couch and tucked her feet under her. He saw a flash of pink toe-nails before they disappeared under pink sweatpants. He smiled at her.

“When will you know, Theo?”

“Soon.”

“You’ll get back in. They’d be stupid not to let you back in.”

Theo shrugged. “Even giving me this test was an exception to the rule. I have no idea what they’ll decide.”

Lucy rested her chin in her hand and smiled at him. “So what’s up?”

“I’ve missed you, Luce. I saw you on WakeUp Miami last week.”

She nodded. “Ah. Not my best work.”

“You need to get back in the gym with me.”

Lucy’s eyebrows knit together and she sat up, then tucked her arms around her waist, as if protecting herself. “I am sorry about that crack I made about the money. I know that’s not the only thing that’s important to you.”

Theo laughed. He’d had a fairly amusing conversation with Tyson just the other day about how, if Lucy’s proposed formula was applied, Tyson now owed him six thousand dollars for the weight she’d gained under his tutelage. “Thanks,” he said. “So you’ll work with me again?”

Lucy sighed and grabbed herself tighter. It almost looked like she was fighting off a stomachache.

“I think I have to. Tyson is great, but it’s not the same. I need to get back in the rhythm I had with you, or I’m going to blow this completely.”

Theo set the iced tea on a glass end table and reached behind him. “I brought you something. Buddy and I thought it was just what you needed.” Theo handed her the tissue-wrapped square. “A little something to keep you focused.”

“Peanut brittle?”

“Better.”

Lucy pulled away the paper and Theo watched as she held the Special Olympics creed in her hands, reading, saying nothing. He saw a tear plop onto the shiny brass surface of the plaque.

“It was supposed to inspire you, Luce, not make you sad.”

She looked up at him and grinned. ‘Thank you, and please tell Buddy I said thank you.“

“Will do. It was his idea. He misses you almost as much as I do. Even Norton seems out-of-sorts.”

Lucy laughed. “And you, Theo? How are you?”

Theo just loved this. The cadence of this whole conversation with Lucy felt so damn good it amazed him. Being with her felt like home, like peace, like where he was meant to be. “I’m nothing without you, Luce.”

“Clearly just a shell of a man.”

“I’m even having trouble with my hair gel.”

Lucy placed the plaque on the coffee table and curled back up in a ball, chuckling. Theo reached his hand toward her. Tentatively, she took it.

Lucy shook her head slowly, her ponytail gently swooshing over her shoulder. “I’ve really dropped the ball these last few weeks, Theo. All our hard work-”

“We’ll just start from here. It’s just a place to start.”

Lucy’s beautiful face twisted with disappointment. “With my gain last month, I’ve got thirty-four pounds to go in twelve weeks. We’re probably not going to make our goal.”

“Hey, sweetie…” Theo moved to the edge of his chair and leaned closer, cradling her hand in both of his now. “If you don’t lose another pound from now until December, you still would have made it.”

She nodded, giving him a brave smile.

“That goal was just a gimmick, Luce. An even number that sounded good. You don’t have to go there if you don’t want. You are healthy and fit and beautiful right now. You’re ready to take on the world.”

Lucy nodded. “I rock.”

“You do.” Theo wanted to put his arms around her and smell her hair and feel her warm skin against his. He wanted to love her, soothe her, make her laugh. He wanted to kiss her.

“The important thing is we make the most of the time we’ve got.”

Lucy laughed softly. “Is this Theo-the-Trainer or Theo-the-Philosopher talking?”

He grinned. “Both, Luce.”

“I’m in.”

He was up out of the chair and on the couch before he realized he was moving.

“Theo-”

“Look, I’ve got to tell you something. Will you hear me out?”

Lucy giggled. “I think I should charge a per-confession fee this evening.”