That reminded Tracy of her conversation with Henrietta. “I have to call Henrietta and tell her to have his suitcases waiting on the dock.”
“Will she not want to know why?” Janya asked.
“Let’s just say I think she’ll trust me on this.”
chapter thirty-two
Tracy wasn’t given to self-pity, but she wondered if the entire summer would pass before she finally caught a break. First Marsh. Then CJ, followed all too closely by Dana and Pete. And now, the final weigh-in for Losing to Win. So, of course, who was the very last loser to step on the scale? Not just the last from the Naughty Nibblers, but the last of the entire competition? The one who would vault the Nibblers to a successful first place or cement the deal for Staff Affection?
“Tracy?” Kitty repeated, with a big smile. “Everybody’s waiting.”
“I have really, really been trying,” Tracy said. “No fast food, no chocolate. I work out every single day.”
“So get on the scale,” Mr. Moustache said from the sidelines. “Put those lost pounds where your mouth is.”
Tracy had neglected to mention a few second helpings, and an extra spoonful of dressing here and there for the boring salads she’d been consuming. And cheese. Cheese was too good to give up entirely, and who wanted the anemic, rubbery, low-fat version?
“Okay,” she said, resigned, “but call off the lynch mob, okay? Because whatever this says, it’s going to be bad news for somebody.”
Kitty ignored her. “So, if Tracy has lost a grand total of ten pounds over the weeks of Losing to Win, then the Naughty Nibblers have a morning at the spa. Anybody taking bets?”
Tracy had to forestall that. She stepped up to the scale and refused, as usual, to look. Kitty waited until the digital display had finalized its verdict. Then she did her calculations.
“A total of eight pounds, folks. Tracy that’s very, very good work, and you should be proud. But that does give the victory to Staff Affection, our proud winners!”
Everybody cheered, even the Nibblers.
Tracy stepped off the scale and wondered where she could go to quietly hang her head. In the past three weeks she had tried so hard. Her clothes fit comfortably again, zippers zipping with ease. She no longer resorted to loose-fitting tops, and she even liked the way she looked in a bikini.
The problem was, she had won the battle but lost the war.
Lillian came up and put her arm around Tracy’s shoulders. “We’re really proud of you. You did so well overall, and it’s nobody’s fault we didn’t win first prize.”
“Do you suppose that’s what they tell the silver medalists at the Olympics?”
“I mean it. Those weren’t your two pounds to lose. Any one of us could have lost more and made the difference.”
“I’m thinking of every mouthful I ate that I shouldn’t have.”
Mr. Moustache approached, and Tracy steeled herself.
“You look good,” he said. “Do you feel good?”
“I’d feel better if we’d won.”
“You always show up. That’s half the battle. Take it from an old man. You just keep showing up, you’ll be fine.” He nodded before he walked away.
“That’s a huge compliment, coming from Roger,” Lillian said.
She went off to join some of the others, and Tracy gathered herself to congratulate the winners. That was when she saw Sylvia standing in the gym doorway. Looking right at her.
It really had been that kind of summer.
Tracy considered ignoring her, but in the end, she started in Sylvia’s direction.
“Something up with Bay?” Tracy asked. She couldn’t imagine any other reason the woman would be here.
“I want to talk to you.”
Tracy considered a short lesson in manners, but she supposed that if Sylvia hadn’t learned to ask politely for a favor by now, she never would.
She glanced at the clock. “I have some time right now.”
“Not here. Why don’t you walk me to my car?” Sylvia suggested.
Tracy liked that. Car meant Sylvia was leaving.
“Sure,” she said. “If you don’t mind waiting one minute.”
She took off before Sylvia could answer and burrowed into the crowd around Gladys. “You did great! I’m proud of you.”
Gladys gave her a quick hug. Tracy congratulated the others. When she turned, she half expected to see that the impatient Sylvia had left, but the other woman was still waiting.
They walked through the building in silence and out into heat shimmering in waves off the asphalt parking lot. Sylvia stopped on the sidewalk that ran in front of the center.
“I’m leaving town.”
Tracy waited for a rush of joy that didn’t come. And the reason was