24. Charmed to Table
“Hello?”Carla spoke into her phone, which had been ringing for several moments before she could find it. “Gia! What’s up? How’d it go? No, not the doctor”s visit! Ben! How’d it go with Ben?” Carla rolled her eyes. Why would she be telling me about a routine visit to the doctor? For such a smart cookie, sometimes Gia can be a little dense. Then again, it’s more likely she’s probably trying to avoid the topic of Ben.
“What? Oh, that doesn’t sound good,” Carla continued. “Slow down, slow down. Okay, yeah. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Bring the gift card, though—lunch out isn’t in my budget today!”
Carla rose to her feet in record time, leaving Matt staring at her in confusion, having only heard one side of the conversation. “Uh, Carla… Where ya going?”
“Oh, sorry! Charmed to Table. With Gia.She needs me. You can’t come. Girl stuff.”
“No fair. I’m involved in this, too! I want to come!”
“Ugh, fine. Fine! Just get ready fast. We have to go—now!”
Carla and Matt threw their shoes on in record time and made it downtown without incident. By the time they arrived at Charmed to Table, Gia was already there, waiting in her car for them. Carla watched as Gia jumped out of her car and walked over to meet them.
“So?” Carla began. “What happened?”
“Oof.” Gia groaned.
“It went that well, huh?”
“Worse,” Gia said. “Much, much worse.”
“Let’s go inside,” Matt said, interrupting. “We can talk while we eat.”
“Is that all you ever think about?” Carla asked, staring at Matt. “Our friend needs us, and all you can think about is food?”
“Carla, my love, my princess, my baby girl, we are standing outside a restaurant. The plan was to eat at that restaurant. As much as I adore listening to you and Gia discuss her love life, the fact of the matter is that I primarily came along to eat! So, let’s compromise and do both… inside the restaurant. The one that’s literally right there!”
Carla rolled her eyes at Matt. “Pardon my husband, Gia. He doesn’t know how to function if he isn’t stuffing his face with something edible.” Carla poked Matt in the ribs, and he feigned being offended, causing a slight grin to grace Gia’s expression.
“Watch it, or you won’t be experiencing any of my ‘eating’ anytime soon, wifey.”
“Okay, okay. Take it easy, you two. You’re right, Matt. Let’s go eat,” Gia said.
“I’m right? Can I get that in writing? I hear it so infrequently around our place.” Matt smirked.
“Oh, whatever. You big oaf,” Carla said, wrapping her arm around her husband’s waist. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“It’s because you looooove me… and that whole eating thing.”
“Mmhm, something like that, Matty. Something like that.”
“On that note,” Gia interrupted, “let’s go inside before I vomit.” Carla and Matt grinned at each other, trying to contain their flirting. Together, the three walked toward the restaurant, with Matt pulling the door open for the two women he was accompanying.
“A table for three, please,” Gia told the hostess, who grabbed three menus and walked the group to a table near the back of the dining area.
Charmed to Table was comfortable and inviting. The décor focused on natural elements, including plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. However, the breathtaking focal point of the main dining area was a living wall that separated the two sides of the room with paths cut through to allow for entry and exit. The wall featured a variety of herbs and edible plants, and chefs and bartenders would venture out into the main dining area to pick a selection every so often, much to the delight of the restaurant’s patrons. Large windows on every side bathed the restaurant in warmth and natural light.
The group arranged themselves at the table, and a waitress quickly appeared.
“Can I take your drink order now, or do you need a few minutes?”
“Drinks now!” Carla declared, grinning. “I’ll take a margarita on the rocks. Oh, wait…” Carla’s eyes caught the specialty drink menu sitting in the center of the table. “Hang on a sec, let me just—ahh, perfect—make that a pineapple jalapeno margarita!”
“I can tell that gift card isn’t going to get us very far here today,” Gia said, glancing at the drink prices.
“Eh, whatever. I’ll pay the overage,” Matt said. “As long as we can order fast. I’m starving!”
“Matty, you’re always starving. What are you drinking, first?” Carla grinned at her husband, tickling him below the ribcage.
“Hmm, let me see that menu. If you can be fancy, so can I! In honor of our company,” Matt gestured at Gia, “I’ll try the herb-infused ‘old fashioned.’”
“What’s in that?” asked Gia.
“I don’t even know, but it sounded fancy. Rosemary, I think it said?”
Carla stared at Matt with her eyes wide. “I don’t even know who you are anymore. Do you even like old fashioned cocktails?”
“I like whiskey.” He chuckled. “Now, Gia, for the love of all things sacred, just order a drink so we can eat!”
“A mojito, please!” Gia announced quickly. Then, inexplicably, her head disappeared as she ducked under the table.
“Did you drop something?” asked Carla, confused.
“Shh!” Gia pressed her finger to her lips, still beneath the table.
“Uh… why am I shh-ing?” Carla’s words shifted to a whisper as she inched her head closer to the table.
“By the hostess. Look over by the hostess. He’s talking to the hostess.”
Carla turned her head to the left and saw none other than Ben himself standing beside a stunning, jet-black-haired beauty. Just then, Carla eyed the waitress, standing beside Gia, looking lost. “Oh, you can put those drink orders in. As it turns out, we need a little more time for the food order.”
“Why? Why do we need more time?” Matt groaned and face-palmed himself.
“Who’s that woman?” Carla began as she pulled Gia upward. “Come up. You have to come up.”
“No. I don’t. And I don’t know. And I don’t care.”
“Come up right now,” Carla said through gritted teeth, tugging harder at Gia until she finally surfaced just in time to lock eyes with Ben as the hostess led him and the mystery woman past their table to the one directly behind.
“Gia!” Ben blurted out. “I… hi. What are you doing down there?”
Gia coughed. “I, uh, I dropped my fork.” Ben glanced at her still-empty hands. “Couldn’t find it,” she quickly added with an uncomfortable shrug. “What are you doing here?”
Ben nearly forgot about the woman at his side as he spoke to Gia. She had his full attention. “I was, uh, I mean, I was going to?—”
“We were going to be eating lunch. Hi there, nice to meet you. I’m Jen, and you are?” Jen interrupted, batting her eyelashes elegantly as she spoke, which made Carla feel like vomiting. A quick glance at Gia told her that she felt similarly.
“We are,” Carla began, “Carla, Matt, and Gia. Old friends of Ben’s. Actually, Gia and Ben were very close at one time. In fact, hey, why don’t you join us?” Carla smirked. “We’d love to catch up on what good old Benny boy has been doing over the past several years—and hours. Wouldn’t we, Gia? Matt?”
Gia leaned into Carla and whispered, “Carla, what are you doing? No! Are you crazy?”
Ben was at a loss for words and appeared extremely uncomfortable with the entire situation. “Uh, I don’t think that’s a very good?—”
“We would love to!” Jen jumped in, grinning. “The more the merrier, right? Besides, this looks like it could make for an interesting afternoon. We were hoping for a little entertainment,” she said with a chuckle. “I just didn’t think it’d be this easy to find.” She glanced back and forth between Gia and Ben as if she could read their entire past.
Jen strode over to a nearby table, grabbed two additional place settings, and pulled two chairs to the group’s table. “She’s certainly not shy,” Carla whispered to Matt, who scowled at her.
“Yet again, you couldn’t mind your own business?”
Carla groaned as quietly as possible. “I didn’t actually think they’d say yes.”
Jen plopped herself down at one of the newly added chairs and tugged downward on the belt loop of Ben’s jeans, indicating that he should sit. “Seems like you all might have a lot to catch up on if I’m reading the situation correctly,” Jen continued, placing a hand on Ben’s knee where she was sure Gia would see it.
“Now, the question is, where do we start?” Jen’s teasing eyes and tone of voice held a twinge of danger. With each word, she hinted that they were all in trouble—or perhaps only Gia and Ben—without making any actual threats.
“I feel like this was maybe a bad idea,” Carla whispered to Matt as quietly as possible.
“Ya think?” he muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.