Totally and Completely Fine(34)

That wish was quickly dashed.

“I know who you are,” Lena said suddenly.

“Lena,” Gabe warned before I could.

“What?” she snapped.

I thought about taking her by the arm and dragging her out of the dining room before she could say anything else. Instead, I glared at her. She ignored me. Ignored all of us, her focus fixed on Chani, who remained frozen, silverware in hand.

“You’re the reporter,” Lena accused.

Chani put her fork down.

“I am,” she said. Her voice was calm. Steady.

“I read the article,” Lena said.

The one that had gone viral. The one that made Mom ask about Chani in the first place. That had Spencer placing bets on what had happened.

The one where Gabe denied anything had.

The one where no one had told the truth, apparently.

“What did you think of it?” Chani asked.

“Lena,” I warned, knowing that her response was not going to be flattering.

“It’s fine,” Chani said. “Gabe didn’t like it either.”

I gave my brother a look. I was pretty sure Mom gave him the same one.

“That’s not true,” he said, but he sank down a little in his seat.

“Trust me,” Chani said. “I’ve heard far worse.”

I was a coward but let Chani handle it. Which she did. With grace.

“You can’t hurt my feelings,” she continued. “And it’s okay if you didn’t like it.”

Her directness seemed to throw Lena off.

“It wasn’t terrible,” she said. “Just, like, whatever, okay?”

She pushed her chair back so hard that it fell to the floor, and then she was gone—heading upstairs on heavy feet—before anyone could say anything.

I took a deep breath, preparing to apologize.

“I’m sorry,” Chani said.

I liked her. Or maybe I was just grateful that I wasn’t being noticeably judged for the shitty behavior of my kid.

My phone buzzed. It was rude to look but I’d do anything to ignore the tension at the table.

It was Ben.

I can’t believe you’ve never mentioned you have something called a Testicle Festival, he’d written. I’m hurt and insulted.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

He was talking about the Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival that used to happen every year in August. It hadn’t been in Montana for a few years, but it was still talked about, usually with the moniker Testicle Festival or Testy Fest.

I’d never gone.

I’m sure Ben would have.

When I looked up from my phone, I saw that Gabe was frowning at me.

There was no possible way he could have known who was texting me, and yet…

“Again?” he asked.

I’d made the mistake of telling him Ben had texted me after our trip to Philadelphia. Gabe then jumped to the conclusion that Ben was harassing me and taking advantage of my cooking knowledge.

It was somewhat humiliating that my brother was convinced that the only reason a handsome man like Ben would be contacting me would be food related.

And although, technically, he was texting me about food at this exact moment, I hadn’t corrected Gabe then.

I’d hoped he’d forgotten.

Apparently not.

“It’s fine,” I said, putting my phone away.

I’d respond later.

“I’ll tell him to stop,” Gabe said.

I knew he was trying to be helpful in his stupid little brother way, but it was time to make it clear that this was none of his fucking business.

“I don’t…mind,” I said.

Gabe crossed his arms. Great.

“I can handle this,” I said. “I am older than you, remember?”

“And he’s younger than you,” Gabe said. “Younger than me. Probably younger than Chani.”

I didn’t need the reminder. Also, who the fuck cared? We were both adults. And most importantly, it was no one’s goddamn business. Especially not my brother’s.

“Who is this?” Chani asked.

“Ben Walsh,” I said.

I was not going to be embarrassed.

And I was extremely gratified at her response. Not shock, necessarily, but definitely some awe.

“He’s…” she said.

“A decent actor,” Gabe said.

His arms were still crossed.

“Very handsome,” Chani said. “Like, painfully handsome. The kind of handsome where you can’t even look at him directly without feeling a little lightheaded.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Not just at her description—which was one hundred percent accurate—but also at Gabe’s reaction.

He crossed his arms even tighter. I was reminded of little-kid Gabe, annoyed whenever someone else got a slice of cake first.

“I’m right here,” he said.

It was official. I liked Chani. I liked her a lot.

“You’re very handsome too,” my mom said.

“So, Ben Walsh…？” Chani prompted.

I liked Chani way more than Gabe at the moment, because at least she didn’t seem to have any judgment on my age and Ben’s age and his fame and my…whatever. Because Gabe would just not. Shut. Up.