Page 58 of Just Not That Into Billionaires

“I think you’re a wonderful asset,” Tabitha says.

“You’re an asset to this group,stellina mia!” Antonio says.

“Fine,” I say, savoring the last delicious bite. “But I’m not convenient!”

Tabitha tilts her head, thinking hard about this.

“I’m not,” I assure her. She looks like she wants to argue, but right then, Kelsey and Mia and their “Anything Goes” gang all arrive. There are hugs all around, and the sound level rises dramatically like it always does with an influx of theater people. They crowd around the bar; a few of them still have dramatic stage makeup on, a few just have intense eyebrows. The crowd at The Wilder Club is used to that kind of thing.

Max is suddenly there—he’s telling some funny and highly entertaining story, and more drinks are ordered. Somehow I end up with a fresh drink, too, and I’m drinking it and losing myself in the scene. Kelsey can’t believe I’m drinking more than one drink, and I’m telling Kelsey that maybe my punishing and spartan training regimen will benefit from some variation. She thinks I won’t think that tomorrow, and I disagree.

“Dynamite” comes on and she screams that we have to dance. There’s no dance floor, but that doesn’t stop somebody like Kelsey—or Max or Mia, for that matter, and suddenly we’re all dancing in the middle of the bar, all wild and free. Even in my drunken state, I know how to dance with mostly upper body movements, to have fun and protect my knee. Years of living with this knee pain on and off has settled that knowledge into my bones. Everybody is always telling me not to do this and that, but they are looking at the outside in. They don’t see how I can make things work.

I take a break and grab some water and share a bubbly drink with Noelle while informing her that I really,reallyneed to go. Instead I pull her back out into the dance area.

Two songs later, I feel Mia’s grip on my arm. And people have stopped dancing even though the music is still playing.

“What?” I say.

“He’s here,” she says.

“What?” I ask, even though I heard her perfectly well.

“He’s here,” she repeats.

I don’t need to look around. I can feel him. And then he’s in my line of sight, pushing past people wearing his Wolf Benny face, coming in all hardass. My heart beats happily.

My friends let him through, but stay hovering.

“Francine,” he says.

I narrow my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be out dressed as people’s grandmothers delivering things in baskets?”

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Drinking, dancing. Tater tots were recently involved,” I say.

He scowls, and it just makes me happy. I link arms with him and turn to my friends. “My husband is here!” I say it as a joke, but it feels nice—to the same idiot part of me that thought the kiss in the park was nice, anyway.

I introduce him to my friends as we all head off of the dance floor.

Antonio is acting especially chummy. “We’re brainstorming strange collections to start,” he says. “Do you have a favorite thing to collect, Benny? I bet a man like you has a collection of some sort.”

Benny frowns. “Not really.”

“Some people collect products that have been discontinued,” Antonio says. “I know a guy who collects Smartwater!”

Benny nods. “Uh-huh.”

I laugh, keeping his arm locked up in mine.

Antonio puts on a stormy and tragic expression, brow furrowed, very Shakespearean. “If they ever discontinued Barnabus light hair texture hair cream, I don’t know what I’d do,” he growls darkly. “I would want to buy it all.”

“You must really love that hair gel,” Benny says politely, mystified by Antonio’s strange passion.

“I do,” Antonio says. “And if it were to be discontinued…” He stares intently at Benny.

Benny nods.

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