Free Trouble In Bloom by Heather Webber Page B

bod—
    Duke pushed 3 on the keypad. The treadmill sped up. I picked up my pace and tightened my grip on the safety rails.
    Not so bad. Piece of cake.
    Mmm. Cake. A little digital calorie counter had just hit
    100. How long would I have to walk to earn a piece of German chocolate cake?
    After fifteen minutes at 3, Duke bumped it up to 4.5 and said, "Jog."
    "What?" Sweat dripped down the side of my face. I didn't dare let go of the rails to wipe it away.
    "Jog!"
    The treadmill sped up. I broke into a jog. Like a racetrack dog chasing after a stuffed bunny, I imagined a big, ooey, gooey piece of cake in front of me . . . until Duke jumped in front of the treadmill, bursting my cake bubble.
    Suddenly I didn't feel much like running anymore.
    "Pump your arms!" he ordered.
    My arms? That meant I'd have to let go of the rails.
    Duke sidestepped, and I swear the piece of cake returned, floating where his head had been. It was all the incentive I needed.
    I let go of the safety rail and . . . jogged.
    I was doing it! Jogging!
    German chocolate cake, here I come!
    I looked over at Duke, smiled.
    Suddenly, everything woozily tilted off-kilter. My feet flew out from under me and my arms flailed as I went fl ying off the back of the treadmill, crashing onto the fl oor. The lead line came with me, shutting down the machine.
    I landed on my butt and collapsed in a heap.
    Duke hovered over me like the angel of death. "Maybe you're right. The treadmill isn't for you."
    * * *
    I walked into chaos at TBS. BeBe greeted me at the door, all slobbery kisses and drool. I looked at Kit.
    He gawked at me.
    Right. The makeover. I'd forgotten.
    Roxie and Nels were there, and Roxie was in a snit. "Where were you this morning?"
    Right. I was supposed to meet them at home, but I'd come straight there from Duke's torture chamber—after showering.
    "Sorry," I said. "I was off meeting Bobby for a secret rendezvous."
    Roxie's eyes bulged.
    "I'm kidding," I said. "I was . . . somewhere else."
    "Where?"
    "Somewhere."
    "Ach," Brickhouse broke in. "Enough. She's not going to tell you, and it's none of your business anyway."
    Roxie folded her arms.
    Kit smiled. "How was that somewhere?"
    "I thought you liked me."
    He laughed. It was good to see him laugh. He still didn't look well. He looked . . .
    Wait.
    He looked like I did right after Bobby had left.
    Had Daisy left? Was their relationship that far gone? I'd known it was on the rocks, but never suspected it had gotten so bad.
    BeBe licked my hand. Since Kit was down in the dumps, I decided not to make an issue of BeBe. Looked like TBS had officially become a doggy day care. I wondered if I needed a license for that.
    "Did you really fire Deanna?" Kit asked, sipping coffee from a pink LIVE! WITH REGIS & KELLY mug.
    "What? No!"
    Brickhouse said, "Then why is she leaving?"
    My stomach knotted. "You'll have to ask her."
    "What about Weekend Warrior?" Kit asked.
    Weekend Warrior was my innovative design project, specifically created for Deanna's talents. "I don't know. I didn't get a chance to tell Deanna about it."
    Brickhouse clucked. "Maybe you should. Maybe then she wouldn't leave."
    I rubbed BeBe's head. She looked up at me, all big brown eyes and adoration. It did my heart good. Being a doggy day care wasn't so bad. "She made her choice."
    "Ach. Stubborn."
    "Yes, she is."
    "Not her." Brickhouse folded her arms. "You."
    "Hey, I tried explaining, and she wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. Right?" I asked Roxie, because Nels had been in dreamland.
    Roxie nodded. "It's true."
    "In fact," I added, "did you all know Deanna already had an interview scheduled at The Grass Is Always Greener for Friday?"
    Kit finally broke the stunned silence by saying, "Sorry, Nina." By the look in his eye, I think he finally understood.
    "What was I supposed to do?" I asked them.
    "Ach. That Deanna is so stubborn."
    I smiled. It was as close to sympathy as I was going to get from Brickhouse. "Well, let's not dwell. We all have