Ch 22: Green Juice vs. Lasagna

Gina, of all people, sat at the large kitchen island clad in designer jeans and a bright red tank top, her long brown tendrils flowing down her back. Red must be her signature color. She drank a green juice from a straw, her phone in her other hand.
“Good morning,” she said, not looking up from her phone. “I thought we’d get an early start on the day.”
“Um, OK?” I said, still standing at the corner of the hallway.
She looked up startled. Seeing me, she made a weird face. Holding my shoes, bag slung over my shoulder, wearing one of Luke’s old t-shirts, I wasn’t sure what Gina would think.
“I thought you were Luke,” she retorted. “Early morning workout?” she asked.
“Something like that.” I tried to be vague.
“Where’s Luke?”
“Um…” I hesitated, not sure how to answer. “He needed a little rest.” I nodded my head, willing her to believe my explanation. “Well, I better go,” I said. I knew I had no right to ask her why she was at Luke’s so early, although I was dying to know. Somehow, she had let herself in.
“You know you really should consider juicing,” she pointed to the drink she held on the counter. “It does wonders for my complexion.” She brought her hand to her cheek as if modeling a face cream. “I’m sure it would help your figure.”
Oh, no. Here we go again. More comments about my body, I thought. How could I get these Hollywood hotshots to leave me alone?
“Thanks all the same, but I prefer to actually eat.” I decided to leave the comment about my shape alone.
“Suit yourself. I’ve started Luke on it. He looks so much better, doesn’t he?”
That was a loaded question. If I told her how hot I thought Luke looked, it might seem like I was trying to snag her boyfriend. But was he her boyfriend? Without the necessary information, I decided to tread carefully.
“He looks great,” I said. A perfectly simple answer. But before I left, I asked one more question of the gorgeous Gina who would be gorgeous with or without drinking green juice. “Who’s Roberto?”
She smiled at me, the kind of smile that signals someone knows something you don’t. “Roberto’s a genius with hair,” she raised a hand and smoothed her own. “He’s just one of the best in Hollywood. Really hard to get an appointment with. I’m scheduled to see him tomorrow. My hair’s a mess.”
I looked at her perfectly coiffed hair, shiny and sleek, much unlike my thick and unruly locks. “Yeah, you really better get that fixed,” I said. She shrugged and took a sip of her juice as I finished my dash to the door before Luke woke up.
***
Clearly not taking Gina’s juicing advice to heart, that night I worked on preparing a scrumptious Italian feast for Daniel and Michelle to thank them for all their help. My discussion with Luke gave me the idea to bake them a lasagna along with a fresh Italian salad and homemade bread sticks. The smell of tomato sauce made me salivate. I love Italian food – and Chinese, and Indian, and Tex-Mex, well basically, any and all food. No, a juice diet just wasn’t for me.
As the lasagna cooked, Michelle returned from work, looking tired. Once the smell of baked cheese and tomato sauce hit her nose, her face perked up.
“Lasagna?” she asked.
“Yep,” I said.
“You need to get laid more often.”
I rolled my eyes.“We just kissed. Once.” I took a quick look in the oven. “I told you, we didn’t sleep together.”
“I was thinking,” she said, “maybe we can leak to the paparazzi that Gina has the clap. Then Luke won’t want to go near her,” she suggested. She tried to snag a piece of breadstick that was cooling on the counter, but I slapped her hand away.
“No,” I said. “I don’t know what’s up with them, but I can’t interfere. My kiss with Luke was probably just a fluke anyway.”
“Luke is no fluke. That kiss was the real deal. I’m sure of it,” Michelle said.
“Well, it sure felt real. I mean, when he held me against him, I felt so comfortable, like my body fit right into his. And it sure was spine-tingling that kiss he gave me. Ooohh, girl. I felt an electric current shoot up my spine.” I looked up, remembering Luke’s lips and hands on me. I wanted that feeling again and again.
“Don’t let those Hollywood phonies get to you. I’m sure Luke likes you because you’re attractive. But you’re also genuine.” Michelle stole a piece of lettuce from the salad bowl before I had a chance to shoo her away.
“I hope you’re right, Michelle.” I sighed. “How’s the studying been going?”
“OK. My last practice test, I raised my score a little.”
“You’ll be ready.” I poured her a glass of cheap wine from a box I picked up earlier that day.
“When’s Daniel coming?” She took a sip. “Umm…fancy,” she said, pointing to the wine glass.
“He’ll be here any minute. Probably when he smells the lasagna.”
Ten minutes later, I pulled the lasagna out of the oven, and the doorbell rang. I threw a knowing glance Michelle’s way. “See? I told you.” I opened the door to find Daniel with a petite blonde under his arm.
“This is Sadie,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind one extra.” I gave Michelle another knowing look and invited them in.
Gathered around our small table, I held up my glass. “I want to thank you both for all you’ve done for me. Not just recently with Luke, but for everything after my dad died and Ryan cheated on me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” We clinked glasses and each took a sip.
Everyone enjoyed the meal. It reminded me of the Sunday dinners I used to have with my parents and Daniel and his mother. And even Sadie didn’t seem so bad. She told us about her job as a dental hygientist, complete with a story about a guy who wanted to dye his teeth blue in support of the Dodgers.
“Hey, Stella. Mind if I turn on the TV to watch the end of the game?” Daniel asked. The Lakers were playing the Heat.
“Yeah, sure. Just don’t think you’re getting out of helping with the dishes,” I said. We were all enjoying each other’s company. Besides my run-in with Gina, my last 24 hours had included a fantastic stay-at-home date and an amazing first kiss with my celebrity crush. At home with my crew, I didn’t think anything could go wrong.
As the Lakers called a time-out and a commercial began to play, I saw Luke’s face on a teaser for an upcoming episode of a celebrity news show. There was a clip of Luke talking.
“I really have to give my trainer, Stella Price, credit for whipping me into shape,” he said. I felt a slight pitter patter in my heart that Luke mentioned me on TV. Then, the camera panned out and my mouth dropped open.
Luke wasn’t the only one in the interview, and his special guest made me want to cry.