Page 10 of Third Time is the Charm
“Ok,” Beth replied, looking down at the menu and picking the first fish that her eyes caught. “I’ll have the halibut then. Thank you.”
“And I’ll take the Branzino, please.” Col smiled as he handed both of their menus to the waiter.
“I’m sorry,” Beth said before Colin could pick up where he left off. “Honestly, it has nothing to do with your situation – or at least not a lot. I just haven’t dated… in a while.” She grimaced at the word ‘date’, but she was calling it like it was; no point in trying to disguise it. “So, this… between us… is a lot for me right now and I’m just not sure that I’m ready for it, let alone even know how to do this properly.”
Because let’s face it, she and Darcy hadn’t really dated; they’d just been consumed.
“Beth.” His face looked tortured. “We can go. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I just… I’ve been waiting. And I’m so tired of seeing you so closed off from everything. I’m sorry, it was selfish of me, we can go.” Col began to raise his hand off of the table in front of them to signal their waiter, but she quickly reached out to grasp it.
“No,” she implored. “I’m sorry. This is overwhelming, I won’t lie, but I need this. I can’t stay… closed off… forever.”
“You sure?” he asked, hopefully. “I mean I can just go back to being the awkward coffee guy.”
Beth laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood. “Yes, I’m sure.” Beth smiled back at him, even though she wasn’t.She wanted to be though.
She wasn’t sure of many things anymore, but she knew that Col wouldn’t have rushed things to hurt her; she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her. He’d been the only one to help her move on with her life, maybe he’d be the one to help her heart move on too.
He adeptly steered them onto lighter topics, sharing stories about the one time he was here with Patrick and Renée and some of the other cast fromBridget Jones; they regularly came up to support the Dempsey Contest so he’d gotten to know his brother’s cast mates pretty well. Beth relaxed as they fell into the comfortable conversation that normally flowed between them.
That was what she needed – to feel safe.
Only the food arriving broke the steady flow of their discussion; Beth relished it – the food and the flow. There were only a few times when her gaze strayed from Col to notice some of the other guests nodding and looking in their direction, realizing who was sitting back with her, even though his back was to most of them.
“So, are you excited for Jane’s wedding?” Col asked, bringing the conversation back to Beth as gently as he could.
She nodded as she finished swallowing the bite of delicious fish and amazing lobster risotto that had accompanied it. “I am,” she replied with a smile, but there was a sadness that touched her eyes. “I miss her a lot. We’ve lived together for so long, she’s been my sidekick for so long, and being up here… Well, let’s just say I lost a lot more than I thought when I left New York.”
“I’m sorry, Beth.”
“Don’t be,” she said, forcing a bigger smile onto her face. “I’m happy I came; I needed to. Life goes on and she’s my sister, she’ll always be a part of me. It’s just a transition period right now I think, and more so after the wedding, to figure out how we’re going to keep our closeness. It’s harder right now, being so far apart, but we’ll get through it.”
“I have no doubt,” Col agreed. “It’s the same with Pat and me – and not just because we are twins. We’re pretty close, especially since we started the Center together; in fact, I think that brought us even closer. I don’t get to see him that much with his other jobs, but even though we go for periods where we see each other a lot, to those where we hardly see each other at all, nothing manages to change between us. Distance can separate bodies, but it can’t separate hearts.”
Beth felt hers squeeze at his words as her eyes rapidly blinked back tears. She couldn’t agree more – she and Jane would always be inseparable; his words spoke what she knew to be true. But for a split second she’d heard them instead as her worst fears being realized – that her distance from Darcy would never be able to stop her heart from loving him.
“Shit, I’m making you cry again, I’m the worst date ever,” he said apologetically. “Feel free to tell the reporters, I deserve it.” And suddenly she was laughing again.
Their conversation continued as the sunlight dimmed; the restaurant grew busier, but for a little while neither recognized that time was moving. Only when the waiter finally brought their check without it being asked for did Colin grin sheepishly at her before checking his watch.
“It’s almost ten – no wonder they are trying to get rid of me; I turn into a pumpkin at ten-oh-five.”
Beth giggled at his joke; his corny attempts to be funny combined with the bottle and a half of Riesling that they had killed, pushed her over the edge.
Shoving cash on top of the check, he stood and reached for her hand. “Alright, c’mon McGiggles, let’s get you home.” He chuckled at her failing attempt to control her laughter.
Oddly enough, in spite of the situation she’d been in when she moved to Boston, she hadn’t really resorted to alcohol to try and dull her heartache. She’d bought a bottle of wine the first day, but by the time Patrick had emailed her back about the job, she’d finished it and hadn’t bought another. Maybe because the thought of drowning out every emotion, numbing the torrents of sadness that threatened to drown her, had been too tempting.
Or maybe it was because, deep down, Beth knew that nothing would be able to touch the pain of her heart breaking.
The limo was out front waiting for them as they left the restaurant, but, thankfully, none of the paparazzi.They must have gotten tired of waiting.Col helped her into the limo first, sliding in beside her.
The energy between them now was much different than it had been on the way there. Beth had been anxious and uncertain. Now, she felt comfortable and relaxed, her head falling to the side using Col’s shoulder as a pillow.
“It’s a good thing I got you out of the house tonight and gave you some wine,” he began. “Otherwise you would have been done for at Jane’s wedding.”
“Pshhhhhh, no,” Beth replied, unsure if she was slurring her words or not. “I will be just fine.”
His head turned to catch her eyes. “Well, I don’t know if you know this about me or not, but I am available as a wedding escort.”
