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If it’s eaten straight from the pan, it has no calories. These are the Bacon Rules.
Whatever all this means
Pops never really got his shit together, losing touch with Savvy when he started his third family.
Third!
“I was going to—I need some new slacks for work.” “You just bought some a couple months ago.” “Yeah, but the material between my thighs rubs and wears out. Then the seams fray and split, so they need to be replaced.” She bit her lip, embarrassed by the admission.
“I just didn’t see this coming. I thought we were in a good place.” “But see—” Joanie leaned forward “—that’s what makes this a dick move. We have no idea how long he felt the way that he did, because he never communicated it to you. At least, not in this way, right?”
She eyed the brightly lit building, self-consciously adjusting the shapewear that cut off the circulation to her thighs.
The curly girl in Nikki’s chair got up and reached toward Savvy’s hair. “Girl, you sure you want to get rid of all this length? This takes years, and yours is so healthy.” She looked at the ceiling, trying to find the words without showing they broke her, but her voice cracked. “He said he wanted an upgrade.” Five mouths sucked in a breath at the same time.
Savvy looked down, her go-to move whenever her eyes welled with tears. “It hurts less when I get to the punch line first.” She led her friends down the hall into the living room and gestured to the sofa. Maggie looked at her with tears in her eyes. “Savs—”
“No. I hate going to the mall to buy clothes, because then I have to look at myself in the mirror. Department stores make you feel like crap because their plus-sized clothes are all frumpy and hidden away in some tiny corner where no one else ever goes. It’s not fair.
This breakup has been eye-opening in a lot of ways, and as much as I’ve been talking about a revenge look—” she eyed them “—am I just being childish? I mean, Jason’s got me fucked up, y’all.” She burst into ugly tears so quickly that her friends froze.
Smh
“Savannah. Nice to meet you, Spencer.”
LMFAO
The second bedroom in Savvy’s house served as a guest room and an office.
Now, a daybed covered in a thick comforter and fluffy pillows sat beneath the windows adjacent to built-in bookcases stacked with women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, and framed photos. A standing desk faced the wall opposite the daybed with a large monitor and docking station for her laptop.
She picked up her pace as she passed a boot camp underway, avoiding eye contact. Weary faces of the participants strained as their instructor demanded one more round of burpees. That SUCKS.
I fucking wheezed. He’s married
She scratched Teddy’s chin, and he panted, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
Omg EW
Ignoring Spencer, Jason looked confused and uncomfortable. “What are you doing here?” Savvy shrugged, irritated by his coarseness. “I live right down the street, as I’m sure you recall. I hiked one of the trails.” He snorted. “You hiked a trail? And what the hell did you do to your hair?” Savvy watched Cheyenne’s smile fade. She was sure the girl had no interest in joining this conversation, though Savvy appreciated that her reaction showed a dislike for Jason’s attitude. They weren’t going to be besties, but at least this girl seemed to have a backbone.
He shrugged. “Your hair is shorter, and you look sweaty. That’s it.” Savvy swallowed a rush of anger and sadness. How could she ever have loved this man? “Okay,” she said, finality in her tone.
Cheyenne gestured like she wanted to say goodbye, caught in the awkward exchange, but Savvy was too far into her feelings to respond.
They eased into a comfortable silence, and Savvy couldn’t remember the last time she’d had one of those with Jason. Over the years, their silences had become loaded; Savvy always worried she’d do or say the wrong thing.
“Seems like a good place for someone who has a lot on their mind.” I wonder who else he’s brought here.
She placed a hand on his forearm, which still rested along the back of the bench. Feeling the muscle in his arm tense, she pulled back. Savvy cursed herself for misreading the moment. Here he was, pitching his business to her, doing his job—the least she could do was respect that and keep her hands off him.
“Real talk, it’s a little pungent in here, girl.” Savvy’s nose wrinkled, as they walked into the women’s locker room to lock up their shoes and purses. Though clean, the room smelled of heavy sweat covered with lavender mist from several diffusers. Floral and musty.
Weird for yoga
Savvy fought with her body, trying to contort it into several positions unsuccessfully. Thick thighs refused to be crossed; heavy arms couldn’t hold for a full pose without dropping.
The thickness of the air tightened around her, and the room spun. Savvy sat down to steady herself and towel off, and a wave of guilt washed over her. Look at that, the energy in the room shifted because the chubby girl in the back can’t get it together.
Continued the class?
Spencer asked them if they needed anything else, and when they declined, went to the counter to order. One of the girls from the yoga class scurried over to them while his back was turned. “Girl, is that your man?” “No,” Savvy coughed, choking back a laugh. “Well, is he single?” Savvy sipped her tea. “I have no idea, but I can find out.” She winked at her. “Girl, let ME know. If you don’t want him, my whole table is prepared to fight Hunger Games–style for him.” She slapped Savvy five and hurried off to the ladies’ room.
“That’s actually a good thing. I can see how you move around in the space.” His brown eyes fixated on hers. The thought of him watching her move sent butterflies flitting to her stomach, and she had to remind herself he was purely professional.
Savvy lived for that first sizzle.
Their eyes met for a slow second, but Savvy looked away first, returning her attention to the tart.
Joanie’s mouth was stuffed with chicken, sweet Thai chili sauce at the corners of her mouth. “Who, me?” she gestured toward herself with her half-eaten wing.
Teddy jumped up and put his front paws on the arm of her chair, pushing his wet nose against Savvy’s cheek, whining with happiness, placing slobbery kisses all over her hands and chin. She brought her hands to either side of Teddy’s face, rubbing behind his ears as he continued to give her love. “Hello. Oh, I love you,” she whispered.
“How are you, Savannah?
Omg
“I love it, but I’m not convinced that I could afford to do that here.” “Oh, well, we can’t have you leaving the area anytime soon. I’m finally getting the chance to get to know you.” Spencer smiled brightly, and she felt color rush to her cheeks. If he weren’t so damned polite, she’d have thought he was flirting with her. “I’m sure I’ll be here for a while. I’d love to do a cookbook first,” she said shyly. She couldn’t think of what to say next, looking to Teddy for any kind of hint. His soulful gaze offered no answers.
Strong hands wrapped around the fleshy part of her arms, pulling her back in Spencer’s direction. She laughed nervously, wondering whether he noticed the softness of her frame. Whether he was repulsed by it the way Jason apparently was.
“Uh, ladies? You know that I’m still here, right?” Beth was standing directly behind the benches. “I just went to take a call.” Maggie’s eyes widened as she took another bite.
She reached toward Joanie to hand her a bag of ice. “I do. I thought you might need this.” Kotter’s face was beet red. “Ehm, thanks.” She placed the ice pack on her left cheekbone, where the start of a bruise was beginning to show. The ice helped Joanie avoid looking directly at Beth.
“Whoa.” Maggie brought her phone closer to her face to confirm whatever she thought she saw. “What is it?” Savvy eyed her cautiously, worried some weirdo had popped up on the screen. “It’s not what, it’s who.” Stunned, she looked up at Savvy. “Well, who is it?” “It’s Spencer,” Maggie said. “Oh.” Savvy reached for her phone to check out his profile, and there he was, smiling up at her. “You realize that you just made a little sound, right?” Mags grinned at her.
“You’re doing great work, Savs,” Beth chimed in. “Thanks, but it would be really great if I could just wake up and be some fit sex goddess.” All three women raised their eyebrows in unison. “I mean, I can put it down in the bedroom, so really I guess I just want to wake up and be fit,” Savvy clarified.
Charlotte led them through ninety minutes of poses, pushing them to go back, fall back, way back. Savvy kept her eyes forward, staring hard at her own reflection, but her eyes wandered to people in the front row; their years of practice demonstrated in the surety of their forms. She tried not to compare herself, knowing that her own practice had barely begun.
Honor yourself, thank yourself, accept yourself where you are right now.” That last line struck a chord deep inside, and Savvy’s eyes welled with tears.
“Hey, Maggie, how’s it going?” Jason asked uncomfortably, still looking at the floor. Maggie, on the other hand, stepped closer, forcing him to look her in the eye. “You tell me. Who’s your friend?” Chloe took a step back, observing the tense expressions of four strangers. “Jason?” “This is Chloe.” Jason gestured. “Uh-huh. Why is it that we see you with another woman every time we run into you?” Maggie stood tall, hands perching on either hip. Chloe turned to look up at him. Jason ran his hand over his fade and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah...”
“I know it’s hard to imagine now, but it’s all going to work out, Savvy. You deserve so much better.”
“Are you okay, Savvy?” “I will be.” Maggie turned to her, grabbing her hand. “You will be.”
All of the hard work she’d put into her workouts gave her more energy to throw into her work during the day, and people were noticing all the gaps she filled to help the team meet their goals.
Oh please
Warren extended his hand to her once more, and Savvy shook it, making sure to meet his eye and give him her full hand. No wimpy handshakes. “Welcome to the team, Savannah. We are lucky to have you.”
