CHAPTER EIGHT
ABIGAIL
“Hey, you,” Kirby said, coming into my office and plopping down in the chair across from me. “I've been meaning to ask you what happened the other night? With John? He said you were a no show, so I assumed you changed your mind about that whole ridiculous plan?”
“No, I was there,” I said. “We just happened to miss each other, I guess. I'm not sure what happened exactly.”
“Bummer, I'm sorry,” Kirby said. “What did your parents say?”
I leaned back in my seat and sighed. How was I going to explain this?
“Well, even though I missed John,” I said slowly, “I did end up running into a guy named Harry who made me think he was John.. And because I thought he was John, I had him sit down with us and have dinner. I had no idea it wasn't John because he played along with it all. I only found out after dinner that he wasn't . And worst of all, my parents loved him.”
The look on my best friend's face was priceless. Her jaw was on the floor, her eyes wide and she looked completely and utterly confused. She looked much like I felt, to be honest.
“This is a joke, right?” she asked. “A guy you met at the bar played along and made you think he was John? But why?”
“Because apparently, he thinks I'm hot, he was bored, and thought it would be fun,” I said. I felt a twinge of a smile on my lips as I remembered the way Harry looked at me. “Oh yeah, and he had so much fun that he invited us all – me and my parents – over to his place on Wednesday for dinner. He's going to cook..”
“No freaking way!” she said, laughing hysterically and shaking her head.
“Yep. So now I have a second date with my pretend boyfriend and my parents,” I said. “Fun, huh?”
“It's awesome. And a little bit of karma coming back on you,” she giggled. “How long do you intend to keep up the charade?”
“As long as I can, I guess,” I said. “The longer I can keep my mom off my back, the better. Without her calling me every five minutes to see if I've met the man of my dreams yet, maybe I can actually start getting some work done.”
Kirby looked lost in thought, and then finally turned her eyes to me and asked, “Is he good-looking?”
“Very much so,” I said. “Like movie star handsome even. Which is why my mom couldn't stop fawning over him.”
“And what's he do for a living?”
“He's a cardiac surgeon over at Cedars Sinai,” I said. “Another little factoid that nearly made my mother faint. I'm half sure she's thinking about divorcing my dad and trying to hook up with him herself.”
She shrugged. “That would really get her off your back.”
“Dare to dream.”
The more Kirby asked, the more excited she became. I knew what she was thinking and wanted to nip it in the bud before her line of thinking went too far.
“But before you get too excited, no – I am not dating him for real. He's a total player,” I muttered. “He just wants to sleep with me, nothing more.”
“Then why not sleep with him?”
I looked at the open door to my office, and even though it was usually just Kirby and myself there, a couple of our volunteers were flitting around. I pitched my voice low because I really didn't want or need my personal life – or lack thereof – becoming the latest juicy office gossip.
“Because that makes things complicated,” I said. “I'm not one of those girls who can have that kind of relationship and not have it get messy.”
She shrugged again. “It doesn't have to go that way.”
“I haven't ever had it go any other way.”
“Because you set unrealistic expectations on people. Mostly, you set them on yourself,” she said. “You don't know how to just let go and have a little fun, Abigail. Sometimes, you just need to cut loose and have a good time with no strings or emotional commitments attached. There's nothing wrong with it. And you deserve a little fun in your life. More than most anybody I know, you not only deserve, but you need some fun – not to mention a ton of mind-blowing sex.”
“Wow,” I said. “And how long have you been waiting to deliver that little sermon?”
A small grin touched her mouth. “A little while, I suppose.”
“Practice it in front of the mirror and everything?”
The grin on her face grew larger. “Maybe a time or two.”
“Well, flawless delivery,” I said.
“Look, Abigail,” she said. “Nobody is saying you have to marry this guy – Harry, was it?”
I nod. “Yeah, Harry.”
“Nobody is saying you have to marry Harry, the gorgeous cardiac surgeon,” she said. “But why not just indulge in a little fun and pleasure with Harry, the gorgeous cardiac surgeon?”
I sighed and twirled a piece of my hair around my fingers. I hadn't had the best luck with men in my life, but I'd never been the type to have a casual fling. It had never really been my style. But maybe Kirby had a point. Maybe I did need to lighten up a bit. Maybe I did deserve a little fun.
“Honestly, I don't even know if I'd know how to do that,” I admitted.
She gave me a sympathetic grin as her cell phone rang. She looked at the display and she looked up at me.
“I have to take this,” she said.
I nodded as she got to her feet. She stopped in the doorway to my office, looked at me and smiled.
“It's never too late to learn something new.”
I laughed and waved her away. She walked off, leaving me alone with my thoughts . Very, very dirty thoughts.