Page 9 of Third Time is the Charm
“And just two waters, please.” Col nodded at the waiter before setting his sights on Beth. “Is everything ok?”
No. Nope. Definitely not.
“Yes, of course,” she squeaked out.
Col rolled his eyes. “That’s a lie. I know you better than that.”
Beth let out a deep sigh. The waiter gave her a moment of reprieve as he returned with the bottle of wine, opened it and allowed Colin a taste before filling their glasses.
No, she was not ok. First, she was not dressed nearly as nice as she should be for this place. Even though her jeans were dark and fitted and her shirt nice enough for work… it wasn’t nice enough forhere.No, she should have been wearing a skirt or dress or even dress pants – none of which she owned.
Because why would she think she would ever be in this situation?
She sighed at the thought, watching as the waiter filled her glass with wine; at least the alcohol would dull the sting of embarrassment in her mind.Mistral was one of the best restaurants in the city. There weren’t that many people there when they walked in, although the tables were starting to fill up now. The restaurant was on the smaller side, with large classical-style artwork gracing the walls. The room dimly lit with French-country chandeliers giving it a very homey feeling. Their table was in the very far back corner of the restaurant secluded from the growing number of people.
That was only the first problem.
The second source of her idiocy was Col. No, not Col.Colin Dempsey.
What had she been thinking?
The man was practically famous – especially around here – and most people usually mistook him for his movie-star brother anyway. And he wanted to takeherto dinner?! A laugh escaped her at the thought. Sometimes, to her detriment, she forgot that he was famous. Sure, Darcy was incredibly rich – wealthier than Col, no doubt, and well-known in certain circles (probably to his dismay). But Colin was quasi-famous – his brother’s strikingly similar face plastered all over Hollywood and the internet, with paparazzi and rumors and gossip. They would probably use photos of Colin and her to say that Pat had been spotted with a woman out in Boston; that’s how the paparazzi worked – anything for a juicy story.
Here she’d been, already anxious about going on a date, only now to connect the dots that this wasn’t just a date; this was news. People could wake up tomorrow and be seeing this all over the internet.
“Beth,” Col addressed her again as soon as the waiter left. “Please, tell me what’s wrong?”
She picked up her glass, taking a long sip of the sweeter wine and a longer moment to collect her thoughts. “I’m sorry, Col,” she began. “I just didn’t think… didn’t realize…”That you’re kind of famous? That this is normal for you?
“About the paparazzi?” He inferred. “Don’t let them bother you. They probably won’t even use the photos. With the Contest coming up and the release of Pat’s latest movie, I’m just higher on the priority list at the moment, but it’s not always like this for me, I promise.”
Beth smiled at his attempt to reassure her, the irony of his nonchalant tone when he spoke about dealing with paparazzi like it was just a normal everyday occurrence, like getting stuck behind a school bus on the way to work. “It’s not that, really, although I can’t imagine being able to get used to people following you around and wanting to take pictures of you.”
“You can ignore anything that you set your mind to, trust me. Especially when there are so many other, important things in life to focus on,” Col responded, taking a sip of his wine. “But what’s the real reason?”
He asked, but from the look on his face, he had an idea what she was about to say and he didn’t like it.
Beth blushed before forcing the words from her mouth. “This whole situation is surreal. I mean, I’m your friend… and your employee, but I think that has sheltered me from the larger reality of who you are. Col, your brother is famous, you’re practically famous – and unattached. Women would kill to be on a date with you – and they’d probably dress to kill too, and yet, you’re here with me?” The words sounded just as incredulous as the thoughts that had preceded them.
Now, his face darkened with a frown. “Why would you think that? Why would that be so inconceivable to you?” he asked softly. “I’m just a normal person, Beth. Yes, parts of my job and my life happen to be more visible to the general population, but that doesn’t change who I am, you should know that by now.”
“I do!” She exclaimed, worried that he thought she was blaming her discomfort on him. “It’s not you, it’s me. I don’t understand why you would want me. I don’t fit into that world. I mean just look at me,” she paused to laugh at herself. “I don’t even look like I belong in this restaurant, let alone on the arm of a local celebrity. I’m not nearly—” Col stopped her before she could continue.
“Beth Bennet, you are beautiful.” His voice was hard and determined. The frustration he felt hearing how she saw herself was written across his face. Her face flushed at the compliment, her mouth opened to deny it again so he spoke before she could. “You. Are. Beautiful.” Sincerity punctuating each word.
Beth just bit her lip, holding back her doubts and her response.
“You belong here just as much as I do or any of these other lovely people. You belong here because I wanted to bring you here on a date. That is the first thing. Now, why would I want you? Maybe because you are smart and kind and caring. Maybe because you push me to be better, to think outside the box and stretch my limits. Maybe because you seemeandnotmy movie star brother or my own local celebrity… You look past what the rest of the world wants to focus on. Maybe because you are beautiful inside and out.”
Well, that was not what she was expecting. Had she really gotten so bad at reading situations and people?
Beth felt her mouth drop open a little, her eyes widening at his emotional confession, locked onto his gaze that only emphasized just how much he cared for her. If the situation didn’t feel surreal before, it definitely did now. She didn’t know how to respond. Hell, she didn’t know how she even felt, how could she possibly respond?
She didn’t have to. The waiter returned asking if they were ready to order; his question effectively breaking the trance that was between them.
Colin looked at her to go first, but she’d barely glanced at the menu. “Umm… what do you recommend?” she asked him.
“I usually get one of the fish meals – they are excellent.”
