All the Days of Her Life Read Online Free PDF Page A

break.” He stopped in front of Lacey and allowed his gaze to roam her body. “Tell me about your method. It must be a good one, ’cause I think you have one fine body.”
    Terri snorted. “Get real, Todd. Cars have fine bodies. Girls are people. We often have fine minds.”
    “Excuse me for appreciating Lacey.” Todd’s tone wasn’t kind.
    Flattered by his attention but uncomfortable with the tension between Todd and Terri, Lacey interjected, “And I appreciate your appreciation … so how’s the rehearsal coming along? Memorized your lines yet?”
    “Not entirely. Maybe I could use some coaching.” He eyed her again in a suggestive way.
    Before she could respond, Monet came up and hooked her arm through Todd’s. “I’ve been looking for you.”
    Todd turned toward the tall, willowy blonde, and Lacey felt as if she’d been shoved aside. “You found me,” Todd said.
    “And you’re flirting with other girls. Honestly, Todd, what ever am I going to do with you?”
    Lacey saw Terri roll her eyes and make a gagging noise.
    “Since it’s a dinner break,” Todd said to Monet, “why don’t I take you out for pizza?”
    “Love to.” Monet continued to hang on his arm.
    Once they were out of earshot, Terri said, “That girl’s so icky sweet, it’s a wonder he doesn’t catch diabetes from her.”
    “You can’t catch it.” The words were out of Lacey’s mouth before she could stop them.
    “Says who?”
    Lacey would have given anything to take back her statement. How could she have been so stupid to blurt it out? “I—um—just read an article about it. Diabetes isn’t contagious. It’s sort of a hereditary thing.”
    “You mean like your bathroom problem?”
    Fortunately, Terri grinned, so Lacey sidestepped the question by saying, “My real problem around here is Monet.”
    “She does have
moxie
, doesn’t she? She comes right up and interrupts Todd’s conversation withyou and gets an invite to dinner while we have to settle for cardboard hamburgers. And pizza yet! He could afford to treat the whole cast to lobster, you know.”
    “What baffles me is how she never gets fat.”
    “She doesn’t seem to pay calories much mind,” Terri said in agreement. “I’ve seen this girl chow down. Once, she ate a whole quart of chocolate ice cream at one sitting. I wonder how she stays thin enough to land those modeling jobs.”
    Lacey felt a twinge of envy. Such a binge on so much sugar and fat would probably land her in the hospital—especially now that she was manipulating her insulin dose in order to run higher blood sugars to help eliminate weight. “A whole quart? You’re kidding.”
    “I’m not kidding. And because it was chocolate, I almost wrestled the spoon out of her hand.”
    Lacey laughed. “I’ll bet you’d eat that flat if I poured chocolate sauce on it.”
    “Please, I have my standards. I’d eat that flat only if it were
made
of chocolate.”
    Lacey slapped her palm against her forehead. “What was I thinking?”
    Gordon pushed open the backstage door and called, “Chow’s here.”
    “Oh, goody,” Lacey sighed. “Another five thousand calories for only five bucks. What fun.”
    In minutes, the cast and stage crew gathered, sorted out their orders, and shuffled off into smaller groups to eat. Lacey and Terri settled in a far corner of the dusty backstage area, where they satcross-legged on the bare floor. Lacey nibbled on her burger, which had already grown cold.
    “Want some fries?” Terri asked.
    Lacey peered into the unappetizing mound of french fries. “No thanks. I don’t even want this.” She tossed down the burger. “I should have gotten a salad.”
    “Rabbit food?” Terri made a face.
    “Have you ever seen a plump bunny?”
    “Get off the fat routine already. You look fine.”
    With a start, Lacey remembered her shot. That morning, she’d tucked her insulin and a syringe into her purse.
Good thing too
, she told herself. She’d didn’t want to