Totally and Completely Fine(43)

“Oh right,” Gabe said. “You guys have been talking.”

He said it with a tone. I glared at him.

“Just a few texts,” I said. “A while ago.”

I looked at Ben. He looked confused.

What would I have done if I knew he was coming?

Probably shaved my legs.

His own leg was pressed up against my unshaven one.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, lowering my voice to a whisper, as if the three people across the table wouldn’t hear me.

Of course they did.

“I told you I had plans tonight,” Gabe said, sounding indignant as he ate more of our nachos. As if I’d been talking to him.

Somehow, he didn’t get any food on his chin, despite the beard he’d been growing.

I rubbed my face, hoping the cheese was gone.

“It was just supposed to be me and Ollie, but Ben surprised us,” Gabe said. “We thought he’d arrive tomorrow.”

I looked over at my brother.

“Tomorrow?”

He was not providing me with any answers. Then again, this was the same brother who had married Jacinda without telling anyone, and then more recently sprung Chani on us with a few hours’ notice.

I reminded myself to throttle him later. And teach him how to use a calendar app.

“He’s here for the theatre,” Ollie said, providing me with much-needed information. “I’m directing these two in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for the theatre’s premiere production.”

“Oh,” I said.

That explained why Ben was here, and yet…

I looked at him. He grinned at me. I felt flustered—and not in a good way.

He put his hand on my thigh.

“Excuse me,” I said. “I need the bathroom.”

I wiggled my way out of the booth and headed immediately to the bathroom where I locked myself in a stall and put my head between my knees.

What. Was. Happening?

There was a knock on the door.

“I know you’re in there,” Allyson said.

I unlocked the door and pushed it open. She was standing with her hands on her hips, as if I’d done something wrong.

“What?” I demanded.

“There’s no Carl, is there?” she asked. “There’s no date. You were just fucking with me.”

“Allyson—”

“You can’t just spring your hot movie star hookup on someone like that,” she continued. “That’s so not fair. I haven’t plucked my eyebrows this week!”

“Allyson.” I came out of the stall and grabbed her shoulders. “I didn’t know.”

“What?”

“I. Didn’t. Know.”

She was silent as I went to the mirror.

My reflection was that of a woman in shock. With unwashed hair. Why, oh why hadn’t I washed my hair today? For a brief moment, I thought about dunking my head in the sink, but I was pretty sure that was a bad idea.

“You didn’t know?” Allyson asked, finally seeming to understand what was happening.

“He sprung himself on me,” I said.

Allyson pressed her lips together as we both heard how that sounded.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” I said.

She mimed buttoning her mouth closed.

“Oh my god,” I said. “What am I going to do?”

I pressed my palm to my forehead.

“Just an idea,” Allyson said. “But we could return to the table and have dinner with him. Them.”

I stared at her.

“Or not,” she said.

“I can’t go back out there,” I said.

“Sure you can.”

“No,” I said. “I can’t.”

I felt hot, my heart racing. I knew it was a ridiculous reaction to what was happening, but I couldn’t help it.

Just as I had started to fully accept that my Philadelphia fling had fizzled out, the man himself showed up. In my town. My small town. Where everyone loved to talk.

No doubt gossip was already spreading about his presence. Most people were used to Gabe, somewhat accustomed to Ollie, but Ben? That was a lot of Hollywood for Cooper to handle.

I really didn’t want to get caught in that spotlight.

Life had just started to feel normal. Well, as normal as one could expect. The store was doing well. Lena and I were communicating better than we had before. Gabe was sober and working and in love.

I did not need this right now.

Allyson regarded me for a moment and then seemed to realize that I was serious about not returning to the table. She shifted into problem-solving mode. It calmed me. If I was the queen of organization, Allyson was the titan of getting shit done.

“Okay,” she said. “If you really want me to, I’ll tell them you felt sick, and you’ll slip out the alleyway exit at the end of the hall.”

It was cowardly and pathetic, but I nodded anyway.

“What about you?”

Allyson gave me a look. “Stuck at dinner with three gorgeous men? I’ll be fine.”

There was one problem. I didn’t have my purse.

“I’ll go get it for you,” Allyson said.

She was a good friend.

But when we opened the door to the bathroom, Ben was standing there.