Lori Wilde - It Happened in L.A.

Love, Autumn

Damn. He’d been putting it off, but that had to end. He’d make lunch plans with her. That couldn’t end up too badly, right? Besides, he didn’t think it would break her heart not to have him chasing after her. Her ego, maybe, but nothing more.

He needed to tell her what was going on with him and Gwen. Or maybe he should break it off with her first, then tell her about Gwen another time. Knowing Autumn, that seemed the best route.

He placed the Venus, which didn’t match the decor in his office or his house, and was pretty shabby in fact, back into the box. Then he hit Gwen’s speed-dial number on his phone.

“Gwen Christopher.”

“It’s me.”

“Hey,” she said, and he could hear her smile.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Book club,” she said, her voice low and intimate.

They hadn’t done more than kiss since that night. He hadn’t pressed, she hadn’t brought it up. All the same there was a whole lot of simmering going on. “Tonight?”

“Yes, tonight.”

“Oh.”

She laughed. “I completely understand why you haven’t finished the book. It’s okay. You’ve been incredibly busy.”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts. Besides, I don’t think you’d love book club. Especially my book club. We tend to go off on tangents. Long ones. Many involve cooking.”

“Cooking?”

“Seriously, Paul. Finish the book if you like, but don’t think twice about these little meetings. Use tonight to catch up on some sleep. You need it.”

“I know what would make me sleep better.”

She snorted. “That’s such a lie I can’t even stand it. Drink some warm milk. Read. Sleep.”

He sighed. “I’ll try, but I’ve been putting off a couple things I need to handle. Save tomorrow night for me. I’ve got a dinner to go to at The Ivy. No big deal…it would be nicer if you were there.”

There was a pause, which he figured was work related. Finally, she came back to him. “I wish I could. I don’t think that’s gonna work for me, though. Anyway, my three o’clock is here. Talk to you later.”

With that, she was gone. What had happened? How had a woman he shouldn’t even know become so important to him?

CHILI’S WAS BUSY, as usual, and the dinner crowd was noisy, still Gwen and Holly had scored a relatively quiet corner booth. It had been too long since the two of them had spent any quality time together. No games, no movies, no work to discuss. Just Gwen’s best friend and some good chow.

“I’m having the ribs.” Holly put down her menu and shoved it to the middle of the table. “I shouldn’t have ribs, but I am. With fries. And a beer.”

“I understand completely.” Gwen looked for their waitress, who was nowhere to be seen. “I’ve had too much popcorn and beer lately. So it’s a salad and water for me.”

“Well, I don’t have a man to get naked for.” Holly sighed. “I’d totally have salad if it would mean I could order someone like Paul off the menu.”

“I’m not getting naked.”

Holly’s look of shock was like something from a cartoon. “You’re not? What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong. We’re just taking it slowly.”

“Excuse me, but you’re completely insane. Have you looked at him?”

Gwen nodded, wishing they’d at least gotten their beverages before this subject had come up. “I have. Quite a lot, actually.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“That’s just it. There is no problem that I can see, except for the very obvious. It’s a doozy, so, I’m taking my time.”

“Obvious to whom? What the hell are you talking about?”

Only one thing was more uncomfortable for Gwen than talking about her sex life, and that was talking about the glaring disparity between her and Paul. “Despite his love of baseball and horror flicks, his world and mine are in different universes. Remember, right after the anniversary party? We talked about this? You said, if I’m remembering correctly, which I am, that it must be nice to live in the world of plastic surgery and paparazzi, as long as one didn’t have many brain cells?”

“That was before I knew him. He’s not the airhead I thought he’d be.”

“Yeah, I know. But the world he lives in is filled with them. It’s a place I have no interest in.”

The waitress showed up and they ordered.

Holly shifted in her seat.

It struck Gwen how attractive her friend was. Her curly hair framed her face perfectly, her lips were full and her wide eyes sparked with intelligence and humor. But Gwen would bet a paycheck that no one at The Ivy would look twice at her because she wasn’t a traditional beauty.

“Paul doesn’t seem to have a problem coming to you. He’s loving it. You’re exactly what the man needed. Even I can see he looks happier.”

“He asked me to go with him tonight, to a dinner at The Ivy. He was meeting some clients. Show business people. He hated that I said no, but what would I do there? I have nothing in common with those people.” And yet, she was jealous. She assumed he’d taken someone else. Someone who fit right in. Someone like Autumn. Or maybe it was Autumn. She shivered.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She would not go there. Not ever again.

“You have Paul,” Holly said.

It took a moment for Gwen to remember the flow of the conversation.

“You admire his business sense, so there’s that. And who knows. He surprised us both. Who’s to say we haven’t been the ones who have it all wrong? What if there are other terrific, smart, insightful people who just happen to be gorgeous?”

“I don’t believe many of them just happen to be gorgeous. I think they work very, very hard at it. I know my sisters do.” She thought again about Autumn, but refused to dwell. “Good God, it’s practically all they can talk about. Working out obsessively, spending all their money on spas and clothes. The only reason they work at all is to finance their addictions.”

Holly snorted just as their drinks arrived. She poured her beer, all the while shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but your family can’t be representative. I’ve never met people more obsessed with looks. God, they’re impossible.”

“That’s just it. They are. Between them all, they’ve injected enough collagen to float a ship.”

“Honey, none of them hold a candle to you. You know that, right? Kudos to Paul for being smart enough to see who you are. A man like that isn’t to be sneezed at. He clearly wants more in his life than Malibu Barbie.”

Gwen wanted to believe it was that simple. “I agree. It’s great when he’s with us. It won’t be like that if I go to his world. They’ll all wonder what he’s doing with a woman like me. They won’t care about what we have in common, or that we have such fun together. They’ll judge him, and he won’t come out favorably. How can I do that to him? His work is all about keeping up appearances.”

“Why do you think he’d give a rat’s ass?”

“Even if he doesn’t now, he will eventually. He’s been that beautiful all his life, Holly. That’s what he knows. I just don’t think I could stand to watch him be humiliated. It would kill me.”

Holly put her hand on Gwen’s. “Look, I’m not discounting what you said, or even denying there’s some truth in it. Still, I don’t think you’re giving the man the credit he deserves. You’re projecting like mad.”

Gwen’s first instinct was to dismiss Holly’s words. She was a friend and a romantic. Of course she wanted a happy ending. Maybe, though, Gwen was underestimating Paul’s strength. She had to admit, he’d surprised her in a hundred ways, why not this?