41. Trouble in Paradise
Two days later,Gia parked and made her way to Charmed to Table, where she was to meet Ben for a business lunch, followed by a non-business date. He wouldn’t tell her the latter”s details but expressed that it was to remain strictly business-free. Gia couldn’t help but wonder what he had in mind, especially since Carla had been scarce since Ben returned her and Matt—and Gia’s car—following their free lunch at the restaurant. Come to think of it, she realized, they’d all been acting weird and distant.
As she approached the restaurant’s doors, she was startled by an unexpected female voice. There, hovering near the entrance to Charmed to Table, was Jen, the woman Ben had been with the day he’d run into Carla, Matt, and her. “I hope you aren’t going in to see Ben,” the woman purred, batting her heavily lined eyes. “Oh, he didn’t tell you?” A smug smile crossed her lips.
“Hello, Jen. Uh, lovely to see you again,” Gia was able to muster despite the disdain she felt over seeing this woman again. “Tell me what?”
“Oh, how positively cruel of him to leave you hanging like this. You must have misinterpreted something. As it turns out, Ben and I are giving it another go. In fact, we’re about to leave for our date right now to—you know,” she said, winking, “rekindle our brief connection behind closed doors.” Gia’s jaw dropped. How could he do this? And after meeting Aiden?
“I-I-I—” Gia stuttered, unable to put her feelings into words.
“Yes, I know. It came as a surprise to me, too, when Ben called me out of the blue and asked me to meet him here,” Jen continued, but her words seemed rushed. “I’ll certainly tell him you stopped by to see him, but maybe it’s better if you leave now.”
Gia didn’t know what to say or do. She was stunned. “We—uhm, we had a meeting. For work,” she managed, blinking back tears that threatened to pour like a torrent down her face.
“Yes, yes. Of course. It probably slipped his mind. He can give you a call to reschedule for another time. He probably just forgot to call and cancel after we spoke. He was a little distracted, and—how do I say this? Hot and bothered,” Jen whispered. “Bye, now!” Jen said, waving as a cue for Gia to leave.
Gia was shaking from head to toe and could no longer hold back the tears. She turned on her heel and walked away in the direction of her car. As soon as she reached it, she climbed in, clutched the steering wheel and started sobbing.
Ben
Where is she? Ben asked himself, glancing out the front doors as he moved to the front of the restaurant. She should be here by now. She’s always early.
Ben glanced at his phone, checking the time, before peering out the doors again. Yep. Late. He pulled up her phone number, and it began to ring, but there was no answer. As he walked toward the front of the restaurant, a woman sitting alone at the bar with a familiar face and striking features caught his eye.
“Jen!” Ben exclaimed, surprised to see her there. “What—what are you doing here?”
“Oh, Benji!” she said, feigning surprise at seeing him there. “Fancy meeting you here. It must be fate,” she purred.
“That, or you’re still following me,” Ben said, rolling his eyes. “Jen, I told you... If you keep this up, I will have to get the police involved. I’m not interested. You keep showing up, and I keep telling you I’m not interested. You’re not even supposed to be in this restaurant.”
Jen stood up from her seat at the bar and folded her arms across her chest. “It’s because of that dirty little garden ho, Gia, isn’t it? What does she have that I don’t?” Hearing those words, Ben glared at Jen, holding her gaze.
“Listen, you don’t say another word about Gia—ever. She’s more of a woman than you’ll ever be. She loved me without knowing I owned this restaurant. Without knowing that the fancy car out front belongs to me. She loved me before any of that existed, with no strings attached. I know she did. Now, when she arrives, I will continue proving to her how much I love her back—and how I’ll never hurt her or her family again. Now, leave. Leave before I make you leave.”
Taken aback, Jen rolled her eyes at Ben. “You’ll be sorry,” she muttered beneath her breath.
“What was that?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing. But I don’t think you’ll be seeing much of your little garden friend again. I just saw her leaving not so long ago—and she didn’t look pleased.”
Ben glared. “Jen, what did you do?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing that impacts me, anyway.” She smirked. “Good luck, Benji.” Jen strutted toward the doors and exited the restaurant without another word, leaving Ben staring at her in shock.
“Shit,” Ben said. “Shit, shit, shit!” He gazed out the window, watching Jen climb into her car and drive off, knowing she’d said something to Gia to keep her from their meeting and Ben in general. Without another thought, he ran to the back of the restaurant, grabbed his briefcase, then rushed out the door and ran to his car while dialing his phone.
“Hello? Ben? Why are you calling me? Why aren’t you with Gia?” Carla asked as she picked up the call.
“I can’t explain now. Jen told her something—I’m not exactly sure what—but she isn’t here. I don’t think she’s coming. I need you and Matt to help me find her. I can’t lose her again before I even have her.” Ben sounded frantic as he explained the situation to Carla as best he could without knowing many of the details himself.
“Okay, okay, you’ve got it. Where should we look?”
“I’m checking the parking areas. Our meeting wasn’t supposed to be too long ago, so maybe she hasn’t left downtown yet. You know her better than anyone. Check the places she loves. Check the places she’d go to think. I don’t know. Just—wait—never mind. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll call you back.”
As Ben pulled into the municipal parking lot, he saw her car first, then looked more closely to see her crouched over the steering wheel, her body making the telltale lurching motions to indicate one thing—she was crying. Sobbing, actually. He parked in an available space and ran to her car, knocking on the driver’s side window to get her attention.
Gia looked up, red-faced, tears streaming down her face. Upon realizing it was Ben, she turned the key in the ignition, starting the car and mouthed the word “NO” at him. He knocked again, this time more desperately, and Gia noticed the terrified look on his face. She tilted her head, taking in his expression, then rolled the window down just a crack.
“What do you want?” she asked, wiping tears away with her sleeve.
“You, Gia. I want you. God, you know I want you.”
“What about Jen?” A pained look crossed Gia’s face as she sniffled.
“Jen is nothing to me. She has been following me around. Somehow, she discovered that I’m worth more than she originally thought—not as a person, though, only financially. She hasn’t left me alone since, but I swear there’s nothing there. She’s awful.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think it mattered. After a bit more time being ignored, I thought she’d just get bored and go away. I never thought she’d involve you. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what she told you, but I’m sorry it hurt you.”
Gia’s eyes threatened another torrential downpour as Ben gazed into them. “Gia, let me get in. I want to take you somewhere. And I have something to show you. In a way, we’re about to combine the business meeting with the date, which I swore I wouldn’t do, but… this hasn’t exactly gone how I’d planned today.”
Gia nodded slowly and hit the unlock button on the car door, causing it to make a clicking sound she’d expected would prompt Ben to get in—but he didn’t move.
“Let me drive. You’re upset… And, this part was supposed to be a surprise, anyway,” Ben said, gripping the door handle, pulling it open, and gesturing for Gia to move to the other side.