for this morning.
She definitely didn’t remember Nancy Crumpler having an appointment. Maybe she thought that since Cole was her nephew, she didn’t need an appointment. “Are you here to see Cole?” Leena asked.
“No,” Nancy said. “I’m here to see you.”
Oh no. More questions. “I really don’t have time to talk right now. As you can see”—Leena waved a hand at the people around them—“it’s a very busy day today.”
“This won’t take long. I just wanted to thank you.”
“For what?”
“For that photo in the paper this morning. It’s about time that someone showed people what a real woman should look like.”
“That’s why I’m here too,” someone else spoke up.
“How many of you actually have appointments this morning?” Leena demanded suspiciously.
Only one person raised her hand.
“We think it’s wonderful that you did this,” Nancy said. “That you represent the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes.”
Leena couldn’t believe she was being congratulated for showing off her cheesy thighs.
“You’re a model, yet you have a figure,” Nancy continued. “And curves. And thighs. Don’t get me wrong. I realize there is a problem with obesity in this country. I’m not saying that women should eat until they drop or that they shouldn’t be concerned with their health. But not eating enough is also an unhealthy situation. Starving yourself.” Nancy shook her head. “It’s not right. Young girls and women look at the Hollywood actresses with their stick figures and they think that’s the ideal. That they should look like that or they won’t be popular or pretty. Then you come along and—”
“Look like a fat cow.” This comment came from Edie Dabronovitch, who’d just entered the waiting room with her bulldog Princess.
Nancy turned to confront her, as did half a dozen other women.
“Hey”—Edie held up one skinny manicured hand—“don’t hate me just because I’m pretty and skinny.”
“That’s not the reason we hate you,” Nancy assured her. “We hate you because you’re bitchy and mean.”
Edie was outraged. “If your sister the nun could hear you now, she’d be appalled.”
“No, she wouldn’t. She’d agree with me.”
“Ladies, is there a problem out here?” Cole asked as he strolled into the waiting room.
Edie placed her hand on his arm before confiding, “I was just telling these people that men like you prefer a slim woman to someone who’s fat.”
“She just called Leena a fat cow,” Nancy told Cole.
Edie lifted her chin. “I was just saying what everyone is thinking.”
“Say it again and you’ll regret it,” Leena said in her most dangerous voice—the one she’d used as a kid when someone had insulted her, the one she’d used on a photographer in Chicago who’d come close to assaulting her, the one she used on anyone who crossed the line with her.
Edie backed up. “She’s threatening me. You heard her, Cole. What are you going to do about it?”
“Yeah, Cole. What are you going to do about it?” Leena put her hands on her curvaceous hips and confronted him. Yes, she needed this job, but she’d rather work the midnight shift at Gas4Less than be insulted and humiliated any further.
“I’m going to have to ask you to apologize,” Cole said.
Leena shook her head. “No way!”
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was speaking to Edie.”
“Apologize?” Edie was stunned.
Cole nodded.
“Me?”
Cole nodded again.
“For what?” Edie demanded. “Speaking the truth?”
“For being rude to one of my employees.”
Edie narrowed her eyes. “Need I remind you that I’m a client here and that I can and will take my business elsewhere.”
Cole shrugged. “That’s your choice.”
Edie’s face turned beet red. “And I’ll tell all my friends to take their pets elsewhere too,” she threatened.
“Who are you kidding?” Nancy said. “You don’t have any friends in this town.”
“I have
She definitely didn’t remember Nancy Crumpler having an appointment. Maybe she thought that since Cole was her nephew, she didn’t need an appointment. “Are you here to see Cole?” Leena asked.
“No,” Nancy said. “I’m here to see you.”
Oh no. More questions. “I really don’t have time to talk right now. As you can see”—Leena waved a hand at the people around them—“it’s a very busy day today.”
“This won’t take long. I just wanted to thank you.”
“For what?”
“For that photo in the paper this morning. It’s about time that someone showed people what a real woman should look like.”
“That’s why I’m here too,” someone else spoke up.
“How many of you actually have appointments this morning?” Leena demanded suspiciously.
Only one person raised her hand.
“We think it’s wonderful that you did this,” Nancy said. “That you represent the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes.”
Leena couldn’t believe she was being congratulated for showing off her cheesy thighs.
“You’re a model, yet you have a figure,” Nancy continued. “And curves. And thighs. Don’t get me wrong. I realize there is a problem with obesity in this country. I’m not saying that women should eat until they drop or that they shouldn’t be concerned with their health. But not eating enough is also an unhealthy situation. Starving yourself.” Nancy shook her head. “It’s not right. Young girls and women look at the Hollywood actresses with their stick figures and they think that’s the ideal. That they should look like that or they won’t be popular or pretty. Then you come along and—”
“Look like a fat cow.” This comment came from Edie Dabronovitch, who’d just entered the waiting room with her bulldog Princess.
Nancy turned to confront her, as did half a dozen other women.
“Hey”—Edie held up one skinny manicured hand—“don’t hate me just because I’m pretty and skinny.”
“That’s not the reason we hate you,” Nancy assured her. “We hate you because you’re bitchy and mean.”
Edie was outraged. “If your sister the nun could hear you now, she’d be appalled.”
“No, she wouldn’t. She’d agree with me.”
“Ladies, is there a problem out here?” Cole asked as he strolled into the waiting room.
Edie placed her hand on his arm before confiding, “I was just telling these people that men like you prefer a slim woman to someone who’s fat.”
“She just called Leena a fat cow,” Nancy told Cole.
Edie lifted her chin. “I was just saying what everyone is thinking.”
“Say it again and you’ll regret it,” Leena said in her most dangerous voice—the one she’d used as a kid when someone had insulted her, the one she’d used on a photographer in Chicago who’d come close to assaulting her, the one she used on anyone who crossed the line with her.
Edie backed up. “She’s threatening me. You heard her, Cole. What are you going to do about it?”
“Yeah, Cole. What are you going to do about it?” Leena put her hands on her curvaceous hips and confronted him. Yes, she needed this job, but she’d rather work the midnight shift at Gas4Less than be insulted and humiliated any further.
“I’m going to have to ask you to apologize,” Cole said.
Leena shook her head. “No way!”
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was speaking to Edie.”
“Apologize?” Edie was stunned.
Cole nodded.
“Me?”
Cole nodded again.
“For what?” Edie demanded. “Speaking the truth?”
“For being rude to one of my employees.”
Edie narrowed her eyes. “Need I remind you that I’m a client here and that I can and will take my business elsewhere.”
Cole shrugged. “That’s your choice.”
Edie’s face turned beet red. “And I’ll tell all my friends to take their pets elsewhere too,” she threatened.
“Who are you kidding?” Nancy said. “You don’t have any friends in this town.”
“I have
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