Page 89 of The Plus Ones
His dimple pops out to make an unscheduled appearance. “Is that so surprising?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I call bullshit.”
“Okay, I came by when they opened and gave the hostess twenty bucks to greet me by name when I came back at lunch.”
I punch his bicep, very meekly, because I’m laughing so hard. “You went to all that trouble in the middle of your first morning back to work?”
“Worth it.” He claps his hands together once. “Let’s do this!”
“Right this way, Mr. Bridges,” the hostess says.
“She’s on to us, Shari,” he says. “You did great, though.”
When Shari shows us to our table, he helps me off with my coat and then places it on the back of a chair for me. Wow. Nanny Rey did a really good job raising this one. When Shari hands him the menu, he looks at me and says, “I already know what I want. I checked out the menu online.”
“I know what I want—I get the same thing every time.”
Shari sends our waitress right over. I order the spinach & artichoke dip, a bacon cheeseburger, and a margarita.
“That’s my girl,” he says. “I would like to try your mozzarella sticks, the filet mignon, medium-rare, topped with whiskey glaze, an Oreo Madness to share for dessert, and—what do you recommend as a cocktail pairing, Rachel? What’s your favorite?” he asks the waitress.
“I mean, you can’t go wrong with the Ultimate Long Island Tea.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, Rachel! One of those for me, and you know what? I’d like to order a round of drinks for all the other guests here today!” he says very loudly. “It’s Friday, and we’re celebrating!”
The table full of office workers next to us cheers.
“TGI Fridays!” he says, raising his hands in the air.
“You’re insane,” I say, covering my face. “What are you celebrating?”
“Us, dummy.” He takes my hand from my face and kisses it. “We’re celebrating us.” He holds his phone up and leans in closer to me. “Stop looking all misty-eyed and smile. You need to send a picture of us to your parents.”
* * *
When he was halfway done with his Ultimate Long Island Tea, Keaton decided to send the picture of us at TGI Fridays to his parents too.
He said that a few hours later, his mother wrote back:What fun! You look very tan and fit. Dad agrees. The girl is very pretty.
Our friends’ responses on our group text were somewhat more amusing.
AIMEE MCKAY: Aww. You guys are adorable, and I miss that place. Say hi to the margaritas for me.
CHASE MCKAY: Did she kidnap you, Bridges? Is this a cry for help?
NINA DEVLIN: I am so jealous of your tans. And how cute you guys are. And that you’re getting drunk while I teach kids about fractions.
VINCE DEVLIN: Hey Rox, when he agreed to meet you there, did you explain to him that a slider was an appetizer and not a sex thing?
BERNADETTE FARMER: Can you guys bring me a bucket of ribs? I’m starving.
BERNADETTE FARMER: Also #ROXTON4EVA
MATT MCGOVERN:
MATT MCGOVERN: Also #ROXTON4EVA
Keaton was so upbeat and polite while we were at the restaurant, but I could tell he didn’t really like the food and that he didn’t feel great once we were finally done eating and drinking. His delicate little rich boy’s digestive system isn’t used to handling so many calories and so much saturated fat all at once. Instead of letting him take me to SoHo for dinner like he was planning to, I insisted on bringing him peppermint tea and the ingredients for a chicken and rice soup that my mom always makes when a loved one has an upset tummy.
