$50,000 lying around. "You don't need to do that, Trey. I can afford it."
He was shaking his head before she finished the sentence. "Nope. No, ma'am. It was my fault, and I'll pay for the picture."
"Trey. It was both of us. And it's really only me who'll be a laughingstock."
"I thought we covered that."
"Yes, well…" It was hard to argue with him. In many respects he was right. But, there was still the question of his having to pay. "I don't mean to pry. I know it's none of my business. But how is it an army major has so much money to throw away?"
"Re-enlistment bonuses, hazard pay, lots of savin’, and, most of all, the Boot Camps." His smile told her that he wasn't irritated by her nosiness.
"Oh."
"I was gonna buy a little house just outside of the fort."
His plans were ruined. Although it wasn't entirely her fault, she felt awful for him. The money was no issue at all for her. She'd made bundles on the Paris runways and in magazine ads. But for him, it was a means to an end. "Really, Trey. I wish you'd let me pay."
"Nope. No more argument about it either." He brushed his callused fingers over her cheek.
She wouldn't argue with him, but she couldn't let his dream slip out of his fingers for the sake of one scummy photographer. She'd take care of the payment and make the deal with the photographer. Now that they'd agreed the creep should be paid, Trey didn't need to be involved further. Decision made, she smiled and snugged her cheek into his hand.
"Now come on and let's get goin’. I want to get out of this rain and settle in for a little home style food and drink."
Her smile slipped. What lie could she tell to get her out of eating in front of his family? Was a lie necessary? Couldn't she trust him not to be disgusted with her? Guilt at the very idea of lying further washed over her like a sick miasma. "I don't know, Trey."
"Look, angel, I know you have some kind of problem with food. I don't know what it is, but it worries me. Do you have an eatin' disorder?"
Panic raced through Liv's bloodstream. She thought she'd been subtle, but apparently not. Now he wanted an answer, and she didn't like having to explain something she didn't understand herself. "I'm fat." The word was like a suicidal sword to the gut.
He frowned, but didn't respond right away.
"I know you keep telling me that I'm perfect the way I am, but Trey, you didn't see me before. You don't know how beautiful I used to be." She heard the tears in her voice and tried to calm down.
Instead of saying anything he pulled her into his arms and shushed her.
"I don't care if I have to say it a thousand times, Liv. Or say it in a thousand different ways." He petted her hair and held her against his body. It was warm there and so comforting. "You are not fat. You are an angel."
She wanted to cry, to laugh, to crawl right into his pocket and be part of his every movement. The fact was, she loved him. It was terrifying and so one-sided. She was sure to get her heart broken, but she couldn't help it. And she wanted to believe him when he said that she was fine the way she was. She tried hard to believe it. If he could see her as beautiful, why couldn't she?
"Are you tryin’ to lose weight, darlin'? Is that why you're so uncomfortable around food?"
"I'm not anorexic, if that's what you're concerned about, Trey. I'm really not. I was pretty close to falling into that trap, working on the runways, but before I could get there, I realized that I was miserable and had to do something about it. I stopped watching every calorie. Stopped telling myself that the hunger pangs were really bloat from being too full." She turned up her face and looked into his eyes. "I will never forget the day I had buttered popcorn at a movie screening. Buttered! It marked the end of the line for being a size zero. I was done with being hungry."
"You're still unhappy though."
"I put on twenty pounds in a year. Suddenly, I had hips. It looked like someone else's body. Someone
He was shaking his head before she finished the sentence. "Nope. No, ma'am. It was my fault, and I'll pay for the picture."
"Trey. It was both of us. And it's really only me who'll be a laughingstock."
"I thought we covered that."
"Yes, well…" It was hard to argue with him. In many respects he was right. But, there was still the question of his having to pay. "I don't mean to pry. I know it's none of my business. But how is it an army major has so much money to throw away?"
"Re-enlistment bonuses, hazard pay, lots of savin’, and, most of all, the Boot Camps." His smile told her that he wasn't irritated by her nosiness.
"Oh."
"I was gonna buy a little house just outside of the fort."
His plans were ruined. Although it wasn't entirely her fault, she felt awful for him. The money was no issue at all for her. She'd made bundles on the Paris runways and in magazine ads. But for him, it was a means to an end. "Really, Trey. I wish you'd let me pay."
"Nope. No more argument about it either." He brushed his callused fingers over her cheek.
She wouldn't argue with him, but she couldn't let his dream slip out of his fingers for the sake of one scummy photographer. She'd take care of the payment and make the deal with the photographer. Now that they'd agreed the creep should be paid, Trey didn't need to be involved further. Decision made, she smiled and snugged her cheek into his hand.
"Now come on and let's get goin’. I want to get out of this rain and settle in for a little home style food and drink."
Her smile slipped. What lie could she tell to get her out of eating in front of his family? Was a lie necessary? Couldn't she trust him not to be disgusted with her? Guilt at the very idea of lying further washed over her like a sick miasma. "I don't know, Trey."
"Look, angel, I know you have some kind of problem with food. I don't know what it is, but it worries me. Do you have an eatin' disorder?"
Panic raced through Liv's bloodstream. She thought she'd been subtle, but apparently not. Now he wanted an answer, and she didn't like having to explain something she didn't understand herself. "I'm fat." The word was like a suicidal sword to the gut.
He frowned, but didn't respond right away.
"I know you keep telling me that I'm perfect the way I am, but Trey, you didn't see me before. You don't know how beautiful I used to be." She heard the tears in her voice and tried to calm down.
Instead of saying anything he pulled her into his arms and shushed her.
"I don't care if I have to say it a thousand times, Liv. Or say it in a thousand different ways." He petted her hair and held her against his body. It was warm there and so comforting. "You are not fat. You are an angel."
She wanted to cry, to laugh, to crawl right into his pocket and be part of his every movement. The fact was, she loved him. It was terrifying and so one-sided. She was sure to get her heart broken, but she couldn't help it. And she wanted to believe him when he said that she was fine the way she was. She tried hard to believe it. If he could see her as beautiful, why couldn't she?
"Are you tryin’ to lose weight, darlin'? Is that why you're so uncomfortable around food?"
"I'm not anorexic, if that's what you're concerned about, Trey. I'm really not. I was pretty close to falling into that trap, working on the runways, but before I could get there, I realized that I was miserable and had to do something about it. I stopped watching every calorie. Stopped telling myself that the hunger pangs were really bloat from being too full." She turned up her face and looked into his eyes. "I will never forget the day I had buttered popcorn at a movie screening. Buttered! It marked the end of the line for being a size zero. I was done with being hungry."
"You're still unhappy though."
"I put on twenty pounds in a year. Suddenly, I had hips. It looked like someone else's body. Someone
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