Page 19 of Home to Me

She was so happy, in fact, that she felt she could be magnanimous and attend the wrap party at Sue Ann's Café that evening. Every instinct inside of her screamed that she didn't want to go, as she would surely see Ben there, and he was the most frustrating person she’d ever met.

But as Hope Falls' premium real estate agent, the one who had actually found the home that the extended episode was centering on, it would look conspicuous if she didn't attend the wrap party.

Besides, she told herself, everyone in Hope Falls is going to be there. It won't be difficult to keep my distance.

And keeping her distance was precisely what she planned to do. She planned to stay far, far away from Mr. Ben Stevens. She couldn't believe how brazen he was. You smell good enough to eat.

She was by no means a prude, but my Lord. What on earth made him think that that was even in the neighborhood of an appropriate thing to say to her? And a question that was even more frustrating for her to try to answer, why—for the love of God—were those words playing on a constant loop in her head since he’d growled them into her ear? And why did they inspire a visual every time she heard them echo in her mind of him doing precisely that—eating her up? And why did her panties get wet from just thinking about it?

Stop! She had to stop this line of thinking right now. It was ludicrous. It was never going to happen. She was so glad that Ben would be out of her life—and hopefully out of her head—after tonight. She couldn’t be more thrilled to see him go.

Lauren pushed open the front door to Sue Ann's Café, immediately spotting Sam, Karina, and Amanda seated at a four-top with one empty chair across the room. She crossed quickly to them, seeking the comfort of friends, not wanting to be caught out alone if she were to see Ben right away. The three girls looked up at her as she arrived at the table.

“There she is. Just who we’ve been waiting for!” Karina exclaimed. “We've been saving a seat for you, girl.”

They all picked up their purses from the empty chair, and Lauren settled herself into it.

“Hi, girls,” she greeted them. “Am I happy to see you!”

Sam smiled a little mischievously. “Really?” she asked with a false innocence in her voice. “I wouldn't have thought that we were the ones you would be looking forward to seeing here.”

Amanda and Karina cracked up.

Lauren arched her eyebrows. “I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about,” she said airily.

Amanda snorted. “You, my friend, are the worst. Liar. Ever.”

Just then, Bernie, Karina's agent, walked up to their table.

“There she is!” he exclaimed. “Just the tall, leggy blonde I was looking for. I have good news for you, bubeleh. The producers have decided to go forward with the spinoff. They're looking for a female co-host.”

Lauren grimaced. “What does that have to do with me?”

Bernie sighed. “Again. What would any of you do without me? I'm still saying you would be perfect for the job. There will be travel involved, but production will be based in Hope Falls. Ben and his co-host will record the intro and exit for every episode from Hope Falls. They want the town to give the show its personality.”

Lauren swallowed audibly—loudly, even. In fact, she realized that what she’d just done could be most accurately described as a gulp.

She said to Bernie, trying to keep her voice as even as possible, “So this means that Ben won't be leaving Hope Falls?”

“Not for quite a while anyway. Of course, there will still be the original version of Home Sweet Home that will need to be produced, and that tapes out of Los Angeles, so he will definitely be splitting his time. But yes, now that you ask, he will be around for the foreseeable future.”

Lauren refused to look over at the three girls, but she could feel the laser heat of their knowing smiles burning into the back of her head as she continued to look directly at Bernie.

“If the spinoff gets picked up, that is,” he continued, “which, you better hope it does, because that would be very good for you.”

“In what way exactly would that be very good for me?” Lauren asked in genuine puzzlement.

“So, listen,” Bernie said, “and try to pay attention, will you? I pulled some strings and I managed to get you a screen test with Ben tomorrow.”

“Screen test?” Lauren asked, dismayed.

“Right, right. It’s when they film you and Ben doing some lines of dialogue from the show...see what your chemistry's like, see how you come across on camera, et cetera, et cetera.”

“I'm not a television personality. I'm a real estate agent,” Lauren protested.

Bernie threw up his hands. “Does no one listen to me when I tell them that that's where I come in?” he lamented. “Bubeleh, listen...that's where I come in.”

Before Lauren could even process all of the information that was being thrown at her, the woman from the production team who had handled the original lease agreements came up to the group and grabbed her arm urgently.

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