AllFreeNovel
Share Us
At ten minutes to six, I walk into Barnaby’s and look around for Ben. I can’t see him at any of the tables or booths, nor at the bar. We never discussed whether to meet inside or outside, and I’m not even sure he booked a table. Considering it’s a Friday night and the place looks full, we might need to think about a back-up plan for dinner.
I walk up to the hostess standing at the podium near the door. “Hello, I was wondering if there was a reservation for Armstrong or Campbell tonight?”
“Let me check for you.” She scans her finger down the list of names in front of her before looking back at me and giving me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I don’t see either of those names on the list.”
“Oh. I don’t suppose you have a table for two, do you? I know it’s short notice, and it’s a Friday night, but...”
She consults her book and then looks behind her. “Let me just check with someone first.”
I keep my fingers crossed as she walks away to talk to one of the waitresses before coming back. “You’re in luck. There’s a booth at the back that’s just being cleared.”
“Fantastic.” I smile at her. “Thank you so much.”
“Come this way.”
She leads me to a booth that would comfortably seat four people and I sit on the side that allows me to see the door.
“Someone will be by with your menu shortly. Feel free to look over the wine list while you wait. We have a great selection.”
As promised, a waitress comes over to read me the specials and ask me for my drink order, but I tell her I’ll wait. Then I divide my time between looking through the menu and watching the door for Ben. Every time someone comes through the door, I’m alert and ready to stand up and wave him over.
Just as I’ve picked out what I want to eat, Ben walks in wearing a white short sleeved collared shirt, black pants, a belt, and dress shoes. There’s a bit of scruff covering his jaw, but the eyebrow piercing is gone today and he’s clearly had a haircut in the two weeks since I last saw him. It isn’t overly short, but it doesn’t look as messy. He’s tall and muscled, and I’m not the only woman who notices his arrival. After seeing me stand and wave, he nods and points me out to the hostess.
I remain standing as he starts walking towards me, but when he gets to the table, I sit down so I don’t reach out and wrap my arms around him. As much as I want to hug him, Ben isn’t big on showing or receiving affection. I remember Amber once telling me that Ben was never hugged as a child and didn’t really know how to handle displays of affection outside the bedroom. Unfortunately, this fact only makes me want to hug him more.
“Thanks for having dinner with me,” I say instead.
He sits down opposite me. “What are friends for? Besides, it sounded like you needed to talk.”
“I do.”
The same waitress who came by earlier walks up to the table. “Can I get you something to drink now?”
“One glass of the house Chardonnay, please,” I say.
“I’ll take a Rooks,” Ben says.
“Are you two ready to order?”
Ben looks at me. “Do you know what you want?”
“Yes, but I’ve had time to look at the menu. Do you need time?”
He shakes his head and then hands his menu to the waitress, motioning for me to give her my order first.
“So, Lucas dropped by to see you?” he asks me after the waitress has taken both of our orders and walked away.
“Yes. You know I quit my job at the magazine to avoid him. But then today he just shows up out of the blue and tells me he missed me. Can you believe it?”
Ben shakes his head. “Reminds me of Amber. She keeps asking Duncan if I’m still mad at her. Of course I’m still pissed. I’ll never be over her. Is it any wonder I’m avoiding their family gatherings?”
“I know what you mean. Lucas says he wants to be friends. That would be fine if he hadn’t broken my heart and I wasn’t still in love with him. He wants to put it all in our past, but it’s not my past yet. Cass has been dragging me out these past couple of weeks and hinting every so often I should start dating again, but I can’t when I’m still hung up on him.”
“I get it, Lainey.”
I know he does. He’s the only person who does.
“Telling me he missed me wasn’t the only thing he said, though.” I look down at my wine, twirling the stem and rotating the glass in front of me.
