Chubby Girl’s Wedding
by
Michelle Fawkes
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Chubby Girl’s Wedding
Copyright 2012 by Michelle Fawkes
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Cover photograph by Fred Link Photography
http://www.fredlinkphotography.com/
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Cover design: Willsin Rowe
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Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Visit my blog at: http://michellefawkes.blogspot.com
Chapter 1
Katie sat in her office cubicle and pointed a trembling finger at her computer screen. “This is the third one this week.”
Her gay best friend, Bibi from accounting, stared wide-eyed and whispered, “Oh, my god.”
The subject said, ‘YOU’ and the message repeated the subject in a larger font above a picture of a cow.
Bibi frowned. “Who sent that piece of crap?”
Katie squinted at the screen. “cutegurl at anonymail dot net.”
“I’ll bet it’s from that bitch, Angela. Maybe someone in IT can prove where it came from. Don’t delete it.”
Katie frowned at the mention of their former marketing manager. Just as Bibi was the office lesbian, and she was the office chubby girl, Angela had been the office cougar, and had always been the office bitch. No one in the company had liked her two-faced backstabbing and no had been sorry to see her fired. She’d become obsessed with Brad Winslow the day he arrived, but he hadn’t been interested. His rejections fueled her obsession and in a failed attempt to ruin his budding relationship with Katie, had phoned the TSA and the airline claiming Brad was a terrorist, when he was merely going on vacation with Katie. The feds came to the office and arrested her. The company had fired her. No one had heard from her, but several people reported getting strange, insulting email messages from anonymous senders. Bibi had received several.
Katie hit the Delete button anyway. “No. I don’t want anyone to see it.” Her eyes brimmed tears. “Especially Brad.”
Bib patted her shoulder. “Aw, honey. He would understand.”
Bibi’s attempt at comfort and the mention of the handsome IT manager only made her feel worse. “No. I don’t want him to see it.” They had been dating for weeks and had even taken a mini-vacation together that she would never forget, but her fears and doubts and insecurities warred inside her. She looked plaintively at Bibi. “It’s just…, just…, I have such a hard time…, believing a gorgeous guy like him could love a fat girl like me. Every hot girl around drools over him and it’s like…, how could I ever be good enough?”
Bibi bristled. “You are not fat. You’re Rubenesque. You have curves.” She put her arms around her friend’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “You know that.”
Katie sniffled and blew her nose and wiped her eyes. “Yeah, short and curvy, but…”
“No buts. He likes you. A lot. I can tell. And you said so yourself.” Bibi grinned. “And I know how you feel about him… and his package.”
Katie clicked her tongue. “Tck. Stop. I know, but…”
Katie poked her arm. “But don’t be so negative over a picture from a crazy bitch with an obsession. Besides, she’s gone now and won’t be back.”
Katie nodded and sighed. “You’re right.”
“Good. Now what do you guys have planned for the weekend? You can come over for dinner on Saturday night and meet my latest girl.”
Katie grinned. “We can’t this Saturday. He said we’re going out, because he has a surprise for me.”
Bibi snorted. “Another surprise? Like another vacation?”
Katie laughed. “I don’t know, but he’s just full of them.”
***
Saturday arrived, and with it, a trip to their favorite restaurant, Chez Paul’s. Katie took a bite of chocolate mousse and said, “Ummmm.”
Brad chuckled, his bright blue eyes sparkling with humor. “Good, huh?”
Katie took another bite, savoring the taste and texture, then froze as Brad slid a small, square box across the white table cloth toward her.
Slowly, she set her spoon aside, then placed her trembling hands in her lap as she stared at the box.
“Open it.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. She could barely breathe and she couldn’t think at all. All she could manage was to shake her head, as she stared at the little black box.
“Oh, go on. Open it.”
Katie couldn’t move. The ambient sounds of the restaurant faded and all she heard was the beating of her heart. Her vision narrowed, focusing only on the box and she finally managed to swallow the remains of the chocolate mousse melting in her mouth and take a small breath.
Brad reached across the table for the box. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Katie’s eyes followed the box as he opened it, and withdrew another box, this one covered in soft red velvet.
He opened it and held it toward her. “Katie, will you marry me?”
Katie burst into tears and covered her face with her hands.
Brad got up, then knelt beside her.
Katie sobbed.
He reached up and took her hands in his. “Is that a NO?”
Katie’s breathing returned and she laughed at the absurdity. “No.”
“So it’s a YES?”
Katie nodded.
Applause broke from several of the adjacent diners and he pulled the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. It fit perfectly.
She lurched forward to hug him, but lost her balance and tipped forward too far and they both sprawled onto the carpet as laughter and applause again erupted from the other diners.
Brad helped her up and they hurriedly re-seated themselves, both of them grinning from ear to ear.
***
Back at Brad’s condo, Katie grabbed him in a bear hug as soon as he closed the door, then nestled her check against his broad chest. “Thank you.”
He wrapped one arm around her and with his other hand, reached up and stroked her hair. “For what?”
“Being you.” She leaned back and looked up into his big blue eyes. “When you said you had a surprise for me, I thought you might do something crazy like the picnic at the pyramid.”