McDonald_TWT_GENVers_Feb2014 (18 page)

She had wanted to look like a sexy older woman with her life on the mend.

The tall heels she was wearing helped maintain the illusion of lean as she walked, and Sabine glanced up to see several people in the audience smiling and waving at her. The thumbs up signs she got from several women made her laugh, but she got the gist of their support. They had obviously seen Koka hugging and kissing her. Rather than the envy she’d felt from the auction bidders, the fans in his audience seemed warm and accepting.

Smiling and thinking she might just manage this high profile relationship after all, she sat in the chair and turned her legs to one side, crossing her ankles in a way that emphasized the length of her legs. When she got herself adjusted, she looked up to find Koka’s eyes following her every movement. Ducking her head, she smiled at how completely feminine she felt.

So maybe she wasn’t his typical sleek woman, but when that sexy man looked at her that way, she always felt like one. Almost from the first moment, Koka had made her feel sexy and vital and worthwhile to him. With someone less demonstrative or less romantic, it might have taken her years to get over the damage Martin and his affairs had done to her. But her damage simply wasn’t there with Koka. Lust and laughter and love overrode it.

Halia’s visit had given her a lot to think about. Koka had made himself into both the father he wanted to be and the man he wanted to be. Skillet fetish be damned, she wanted to be the woman in his life. Now the messy room—well, that would have to change eventually—but she could save reality for another day. No man was perfect, no matter how many muscles he had.

Music queued up and the intro played. Then Koka started introducing the woman that the assistant director had walked to the set.

“I’d like to introduce my special guest for today’s show. This is Dr. Ellen Lighthouse, author of
Sandwiches Can’t Hug You Bac
k,” Koka said with a flourish.

He stopped and raised his eyebrows when the audience laughed. He waited a few seconds for it to die down before continuing.

“I know. I had the same reaction when I first saw the title, but it’s actually a very insightful book about how many of us use food to feed more than just our bodies. I read it last night. Welcome, Ellen.”

“Thanks for having me on your show, Chef Lake. It’s my pleasure to be here,” Ellen said.

Sabine snorted when Koka smiled as he addressed the attractive, smiling woman.
Look at him
, she thought.
He’s such a big flirt when he wants to be.
She pulled her attention back to the conversation, just as Koka addressed the audience.

“As I was preparing for today, I discovered Ellen and I have something in common. If you read her book or visit her website, you’ll find that her personal story is very inspiring. I only wish I had known about her when I was starting my own fitness journey. She’s agreed to let me show you a picture of her past, but what she doesn’t know is that I am including a picture of myself as well in this reveal. Can we get the handheld camera in for a close shot on these please?”

Koka reached under the counter and pulled out a giant double frame with two photos, as the camera zoomed in for a shot.

“Believe or not. This is us,” he said simply.

He pointed to the overweight man on one side and the overweight woman on the other. The audience groaned in dismay and shook their heads in disbelief at the images projected on the giant screen across from them. Sabine noticed that even the grip holding the audience prompt cards was staring. It was a very real moment, one that took a lot of courage from both the woman and Koka. She sniffed a little, feeling proud.

Koka let his gaze rise to the audience and then go back to the counter and photo. “This is me at age nineteen, overweight from all my bad habits. The woman is Ellen at age twenty. But look at us both now. Proper diet, exercise, and perseverance have transformed us. What do you think? We’ve really made some changes, haven’t we?”

The audience broke out in cheers and Sabine saw Ellen Lighthouse reach out to touch Koka’s arm. He nodded at something she said as the audience clapped and cheered. When they quieted, he went on.

“I lost over two hundred pounds. It took me a decade of my life to do it. The reason I did it was to give my daughter a healthier, more fit example to follow as she made her choices about life and food. How about you Ellen? Want to tell them a little of your story?”

“I lost just over a hundred pounds. I spent most of my teen years and my early twenties feeling bad about myself. It took me five years to lose the weight and some serious internal reflection to kick that emotional baggage that went with it. I think women especially have a hard time,” Ellen said.

Koka nodded. “I know what you mean. My new girlfriend is a sexy woman with a healthy body, but she’s not skinny. And truthfully, I don’t want her to be. I like her like she is. Do you think as a society we’re ever going to ease up on comparing everyone to some ideal of thin that only a small percentage of people ever achieve?”

Ellen smiled and nodded. “I’m certainly trying my best to make it happen. As a fitness specialist, I tell my clients to work toward their happiest, healthiest selves. For many, that is not going to be a body like they see in magazines. But toned and fit is achievable for everyone. I think you can get to a place where your inner voice will stop responding so dramatically to the negative opinions of others. Or at least you can dial them down to a tolerable level.”

“Well, I’m no fitness guru, but I do know a thing or two about cooking healthy. My daughter is in college now and I worry sometimes about what she’s eating. She tells me she watches my show, so I hope she’s watching this one. Want to help me fix a mouthwatering, vegetarian meal?” Koka asked.

“Can I also help you eat it afterwards? I love to eat,” Ellen said.

“Excellent. I like to eat also. Let’s do this then,” Koka said.

As Koka and Ellen Lighthouse cooked, Sabine sat in her chair and studied him. Though she hadn’t been his guest for this show, she felt like she’d made an appearance. Everything he had said or done, including showing the unflattering photo, had been for her. Koka really knew how to put action behind all those romantic words of his.

She laughed, glad the audience chattering above her drowned it out. Now that he had bared his soul to the world, it was going to be a long time before she was going to be able to complain about his underwear and shoes all over the bedroom floor.
Damn the man
.

Jarred out of her daydreaming, she realized Edwina was lifting her arm and trying to get her to stand.

“What do you want me to do?” Sabine asked.

“He wants to show you off to Ellen,” she whispered.

Swallowing her shock, Sabine lifted her chin and walked toward Koka. Applause rose in the air behind her. She walked slowly and carefully toward his smile of welcome, taking the hand he offered as he came out of the small set to greet her.

“Ellen, this is Sabine Blakeman, my personal sunshine,” Koka said.

Sabine felt him pull her behind the counter with a firm grip on her hand. His gaze connected with the cameraman’s thumbs-up sign that she was in the frame well enough.

“Wait—I know you,” Ellen said excitedly, jumping up and down. “I saw you bidding on Chef Lake at the bachelor auction. You even argued back with that woman who was yelling at you. You were amazing.”

“That’s the night we met. Our secret is that Sabine was bidding on the wrong man when she won me,” Koka said proudly.

Ellen laughed and looked around him. “Is he kidding, Sabine?”

Sabine winced, forgetting the camera was watching. “No. It’s true. I didn’t know who he was then. I went to bid on Todd Masterson. I got my Todds wrong.”

When Koka turned to grin at her honesty, Ellen Lighthouse shook her head and mouthed “no you didn’t” behind his back and made the audience laugh again. Sabine bit her lip to keep from laughing herself.

“Or maybe you got your Todds right,” Koka declared, making everyone laugh again. “Though I have met Todd Masterson also. He is a very nice man, but I doubt he cooks as well as I do.”

“Oh . . . do you know how to cook?” Sabine asked, pretending shock and getting her own laugh from the audience. “Prove it, Todd. I want a bite of that vegetarian dish. It looks wonderful. I didn’t know you could cook without using pork.”

Koka glared while everyone laughed again. “Maybe you need to come on my show again. Next time I’ll teach you how to make real French toast instead of that soggy bread you like to make.”

“That’s my family recipe.” Forgetting where they were, Sabine whacked his arm. Then mortified, she looked at Ellen. “I’m sorry. His insults always make me want to hurt him.”

“Are you kidding? This is the most fun I’ve had on any show before. Can I come back again too?” she asked.

“Deal,” Koka declared. “And unfortunately extracting a promise of tomorrow is all the time we have left for today. Thanks for stopping by. Come on ladies,
Kiss The Sexy Chef
and we’ll all sign off.”

Giggling, they each took a cheek as the music rose and Koka laughed.

Seconds later, Sabine let out a sigh when Edwina yelled, “Cut. That’s a wrap.”

But she knew the end of the show was just the beginning for her and Koka.

“Oh, dear God. Please, Joe—tell me you’re wearing shorts under that,” Sabine demanded.

Joe laughed at Sabine’s fearful expression while Todd was busy adjusting the grass skirt around his waist. “Koka came in a little while ago and told us how to make it hang correctly. Just remember it wasn’t my idea to have a Hawaiian-themed wedding, or for me to be your
Man of Honor
. You seriously need to get some girlfriends so I can have my dignity back.”

Laughing, Todd turned to look at Sabine. “Nice flowered sarong,” he said, admiring her from head to toe. “Giant red hibiscus suits you.”

Sabine smiled and ran a hand down the front of herself. “Nice and loose too.”

Joe snorted. “What are you worried about after all those workouts? Your boobs have never looked better. No one is going to blame you for wearing a flowered bra instead of real clothes to your wedding. If I had those, I would show them to the world too.”

Sabine shook her finger at him. “This is not a flowered bra. In Hawaii, this is the top of my dress. You’re just mad because I refused to wear the plastic coconuts. I wore them at my bachelorette party and they fell off twice. That was enough humiliation for a lifetime.”

Todd laughed as he deftly shifted the conversation away from a party they were all better off forgetting. “Okay, I don’t care if this is your wedding. I’ve been waiting two whole days to ask this. What did Anthony say about the Rundgren contract?”

Sabine stepped back and flicked her fluffy blonde locks over her lightly tanned shoulders. “You are now looking at Anthony’s latest partner—thank you very much. My promotion is effective immediately following my honeymoon. Since Anthony has a terrible man-crush on
my Todd
, he’s holding out to make sure I go through with the marriage.”

Todd clapped his hands. “Excellent. My boss adores you, by the way. He said you were the most upbeat, no-nonsense public relations specialist he’d ever met.”

“A woman can never hear enough sweet flattery,” Sabine said with a smile.

Three giggling girls dressed similarly to her rushed into the room. Her youngest was vibrating. “Mom, there are at least twenty nearly-naked guys at your wedding. Before the music started they were dancing in grass skirts and tossing fire staffs around. One of them was Koka. But don’t worry, he’s not wearing a skirt anymore. Halia fussed at him. Now he’s wearing the shorts and shirt you wanted, but he was twirling a fire staff too—a lit one.”

“Any of the skirted guys look better than your Uncle Joe here?” Sabine asked.

“Only like all of them . . .” Sabine heard her oldest say, making everyone laugh, including her. Grinning, she looked at Joe, who was sporting as much of a tan as he could for the occasion.

“Hey now. Be careful with those insults. You might hurt my sensitive
Man Of Honor
feelings,” Joe exclaimed. He yelled mild obscenities and sent his grass skirt swishing madly as his two nieces attacked and tickled his naked chest and belly.

“Now is not the time for hula practice, Joe,” Todd said sternly. “Maybe after the wedding.”

Sabine shook her head as Todd’s laughing gaze met hers. Halia looked on, blinking quietly as her soon-to-be stepsisters acted too crazy for her to join in. Sabine could only hope they didn’t embarrass the more conservative girl too much. The three had gotten along almost too well since they first met. It was so hard to believe that almost a year had passed.

“Todd, you’re going to have to fix me. It’s twisted again,” Joe ordered. He sighed in relief when the girls finally let him alone and rushed out to go take their seats. “You will owe me forever for this, Sabine.”

“What are you complaining about? I made sure there was no chance of you burning off your skirt. Only the groomsmen will be fire dancing at the luau afterward. The rest of us get to watch and admire the show,” Sabine said.

And she’d seen the nearly naked version of Koka’s fire dance during his practice in the backyard of his house. Grateful for the seclusion of a tall privacy fence, she had enjoyed the show immensely.

Denise suddenly appeared in the doorway pushing a wheelchair.

“Aren’t you ready yet, Sunshine?” Pekala demanded. “You need to hurry before Koka and his cousins burn the house down with their practicing.”

“I’m ready,” Sabine said, walking to her.

Pekala lifted the bouquet of white orchids, jasmine, and assorted colorful flowers. “These are not completely traditional, but they suit you. Come now. He waits impatiently.”

Sabine buried her face in the fragrant bouquet. “These are beautiful and they smell amazing.”

“Boys—it’s show time,” Sabine called when she lifted her head.

Rolling his eyes, Joe gave a head nod to a still laughing Todd. “If we ever decide to do this, and I use the word ‘theme’ in a sentence, remind me of Sabine’s wedding.”