Page 55 of The Golden Scoop

We’d been waiting ten minutes for the waitress to take our drink and appetizer order, but the second the actor joins us, she’s suddenly available.

“Are you ready to order?”

She’s literally only looking at Matt.

“Would you like some red wine?” Tom asks me.

I’m about to answer when Matt interrupts.

“Oh, Mills is more of a beer girl.”

Deep breath, I think to myself, closing my eyes for half a second.

I wince. He’s right. And I’d love nothing more than to prove him wrong, but I can’t stand wine.

“I’ll stick to water,” I mutter. “Thank you, though.”

Tom deserves credit. He handles it like a champ and goes on to order appetizers for the table.

The waitress brings a plate of golden, crispy calamari with spicy aioli, and stuffed mushrooms with crab filling.

“So,” Tom says, serving me a bit of both, “you up to joining me at the gym tomorrow? If you’re not too busy at work.”

He winks at Matt, but he shakes his head.

“Doesn’t go well with her,” he says. “She needs to be under direct sunlight.”

I’m growing more and more agitated with every word that comes out of his mouth, but I plaster on the fakest smile I can muster.

“Actually, I’d love that,” I say to Tom. “Maybe I’ve never had the right partner.”

“This is delicious,” Stella comments, clearly out the loop. It flies right over Matt’s head. I feel so bad for her. She doesn’t deserve this.

“I don’t know, guys…” Matt continues. “Doesn’t sound like a match.”

That’s it. I’ve had enough of the circus.

I wipe the corners of my mouth, then drop the napkin onto the table.

“I’m suddenly feeling out of sorts,” I tell Tom. “Can we take a rain check?”

He catches on fast and comes over to pull my chair back.

“Of course, Emma. I’ll get you home. Don’t worry about it.” He grabs my clutch. “I’m so sorry, guys. Maybe we can do this a different time. It was lovely to meet you, Stella. Give me a minute to get the bill.”

“Matthew’s got it. Right?”

Matt clears his throat and nods.

“Thank you, man. I’ll get you back some time.”

“Don’t worry.” He brushes him off, his eyes never leaving mine. “Get her home safely. See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll let you know how I’m feeling. I might need to take a day off.”

Yeah, I’m going to need a whole week away from his infuriating self.

“How about some tacos?” Tom asks, holding the restaurant door open for me.