Friends With Benefits (4 page)

After the movie, she proposed going out for coffee somewhere. Jason suggested a popular, crowded coffee shop near the theater. They managed to find a table, squeezed between two good-looking guys sitting on their left—wow!—and another pair of men on their right.

When they’d ordered, Kerri excused herself to go to the restroom. She brushed her hair and touched up her lip gloss, making sure she looked her best, glumly aware there still were no sparks happening between her and Jason. This date was about as exciting as a dental check up. He seemed to like her and he wasn’t running away, but she would have been happier if there had been a little attraction there. Maybe she’d have better luck with one of the guys at the table next to them.

When she returned to their table, another man sat there with Jason. She took her seat and smiled inquiringly at Jason.

“Hey, Kerri,” he said. “This is Matt. I met him the other day at Starbucks. He just happened to be here too, so I asked him to join us.”

Ooookay. Fine. She supposed if he didn’t know anybody in town, running into a familiar face was nice for him. This kind of reduced the chances of any heat growing between them, though. Oh well.

She sipped her chai tea and listened while Matt and Jason had an animated conversation about a book about someone who was both man and woman they’d just read. Which she hadn’t.

“Oprah picked it this year for her book club,” Matt enthused.

“It’s like Teiresias, in the Greek tragedies,” Jason said. “Since he lived as both a male and a female, the gods asked him to settle an argument about whether males or females get more pleasure from lovemaking.”

Matt grinned. “What was his answer?”

“He said females did, and Hera struck him blind.” They both laughed. Kerri blinked and contemplated the coffee shop. This really wasn’t turning out like she’d hoped. She glanced at her watch and finished her tea.

“Um…Jason…it’s getting late…” she said. His brows rose and he, too, looked at his watch.

“Uh…you want to go?” He glanced at Matt.

“Well…”

“Let’s just stay a little longer.”

She sighed. “Okay. Sure.”

But when they continued to talk and ignore her, she started to get annoyed. He’d seemed so nice, but this was just rude. Then she slowly realized Matt had shifted his chair closer to Jason and the two men sat so close they were almost touching as they talked. In fact…they
were
touching. Jason reached out and put his fingers on the back of Matt’s hand where it lay on the table. The brief gesture spoke volumes as realization suddenly kicked in.

He was gay!

Shit. She was striking out again.

She leaned forward and smiled at Jason to catch his attention. “I really do need to go,” she said apologetically. “But you don’t have to. I’ll just catch a cab home.”

“Are you sure?” he asked perfunctorily. He didn’t want to leave. Well, at least one of them was having a good night.

“Absolutely,” she assured him. “It’s fine.”
I’m getting used to taking a taxi home from dates.

“Thanks a bunch, buddy!”

“Who is this?”

“You know damn well who it is,” she snapped. “And I’m pissed.”

“I take it the date didn’t go very well?”

“Well, not for me. But I think Jason may have got lucky last night.”

“Huh?” He paused. “Jesus, Kerr, I haven’t even had coffee yet. Don’t confuse me.”

“He’s gay, you idiot. We went out for coffee after the movie and he ran into some guy he knew named Matt, and, well, they kind of hit it off…if you know what I mean.”

Mitch was silent for a moment. “I suppose it’s my fault that he’s gay?”

“Yes!” She paused a beat. “Well, okay, no, but you know what I mean. What the hell, Mitch…fixing me up with a guy who’s gay? That is very bad karma.”

“I told you I don’t know him that well. And anyway, why would he go out with you if he’s gay?”

“Actually, I think he wanted to go out with you,” Kerri muttered, twisting a strand of hair.

Mitch made a little choking noise.

“It’s just so disappointing,” she continued. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much this time, but jeez…”

“Okay, so are you finally realizing this isn’t going to work?” He sounded more awake now.

She sighed. “I can’t give up already. I’ve been out with two guys—two! Come on, Mitch.”

“Oh, no,” he said. “I’m not doing very well here. If you’re going to ask me for help and then get mad at me when I do it, I’m not going to play anymore. That’s it.”

She bit her lip and said nothing. She still needed his help even though things hadn’t been working out that well. “Okay, it’s not your fault,” she said reluctantly. “I don’t blame you. Really. I still want you to help.”

He was silent. “I’ll try one more,” he said heavily. “Three strikes and I’m out. Okay?”

“Mitch?”

“What?”

“You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”

“Huh?”

“You know…setting me up with guys you know won’t work out, just so you can be proven right. ’Cause that would be bad karma, Mitch.”

Again, heavy silence. “Is that what you think?”

“You do like to always be right.”

“I
am
always right. I don’t need to play games to be proven right. Especially in this case.”

“Okay.” She was sorry she’d asked that. She trusted Mitch with her life. He was arrogant as hell sometimes, but he didn’t play games. “Sorry.”

“Are you going to Miguel and Hailey’s place tonight?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah. Want me to pick you up?”

“Okay.”

“We can talk more then. When I’m awake.”

Her stomach had been knotted up ever since their conversation earlier. She knew Mitch didn’t want to help, and she was getting worried that this whole plan might damage their friendship. She didn’t want that.

He sighed heavily and put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her in for a hug. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t need any of that bad karma shit. I just don’t know who else to set you up with. Is there anybody here you don’t know?”

“Just that girl.” Kerri nodded at a pretty little redhead sitting on the couch. “Who is she?”

Mitch smirked. “You’re interested in her? Well, no wonder we’re not having any luck…”

She cuffed his shoulder.

Mitch laughed, eyed the girl and shrugged. “I’ll find out who she is.” He grinned, released Kerri, and moved across the room. Kerri watched him approach the girl with his gorgeous smile, and frowned. Hey, he was supposed to be helping her find a man, not trolling for girls for himself. She stood alone for a few moments, watching the pretty redhead succumb to the charm of Mitch’s tousled golden-brown hair, his square jaw, his amber-colored eyes and sexy smile, until Hailey came up to her and started talking about wedding plans.

Miguel and Hailey’s wedding in five weeks was the main focus of their lives. In fact, as one of the bridesmaids, it consumed a lot of Kerri’s life, too, what with bridal showers, dress fittings, visits to the florist and shopping for decorations.

Much as Kerri loved Hailey, her friend’s approaching nuptials just made her feel depressed. She wanted that for herself! Well, she amended, she didn’t just want a wedding. The wedding was fun, but it was just a party, after all. She was always amazed how people got all wrapped up in the wedding plans and forgot that they were entering into a marriage. She, on the other hand, would be perfectly happy to elope. She just wanted a marriage. Someone to love, to spend the rest of her life with, to have a family with. And…as a married woman, and some day even a mother, people would have to take her seriously.

She listened politely to Hailey’s lengthy wedding talk, keeping an eye on Mitch as he flirted shamelessly with the little redhead. Of course, the redhead seemed just as interested in him, and she watched the girl touch Mitch’s arm as she talked, leaning in to hear him over the noise of the music and people talking.

“So what’s new at the White Lotus, Kerri?”

Kerri eyed Mitch and his new friend.

“Kerri?”

Mitch laughed about something and Kerri frowned.

“I’m flying to the moon tomorrow,” Hailey said.

“Who
is
that?” Kerri turned to Hailey.

Hailey rolled her eyes and glanced over. “That’s Allison. She works with Miguel. He invited her tonight.”

“Oh.”

Hailey smiled. “Looks like she and Mitch are hitting it off.”

“Yeah. It does." Kerri scowled.

“Maybe he’ll bring her to the wedding.”

“Ha. They just met. I doubt it.”

Hailey looked at her, then said, “Come help me in the kitchen.”

Kerri was happy to leave the room and help Hailey put food out on the table in the dining room. A while later Mitch appeared in the kitchen.

“Should I take a taxi home tonight, too?” Kerri asked him, just a little snippy. “I’m getting used to doing that.”

He frowned. “Of course not. Why?”

“Just thought you might want to leave with Alice, or whatever her name is.”

He grinned. “Ah. Well, no. I brought you here and my mother always taught me that you leave with the one you brought.”

Kerri couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, thanks. Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

He glanced at his watch. “Any time.”

“This wedding is all-consuming for them,” Kerri remarked during the short drive home.

“No kidding. That’s all Hailey can talk about. Love her, but man, it’s just a wedding. When is it, anyway?”

“Five weeks. You probably should know that, since you’re in the wedding party. Have you gotten a gift for them yet?”

“No. Jesus, haven’t even thought about it.”

“You’re such a guy. You’ll probably be picking out their gift the day before the wedding.”

“Or day of.” He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get something.”

She grinned. “I’ll remind you,” she said, as he pulled up in front of her house. “G’night. And don’t forget…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He waved a hand.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” She turned back to him. “I’m going over to my parents’ for dinner tomorrow night and my mom told me to invite you. Want to come?”

“Hell, yeah. I love your mom’s cooking. What time?”

“Around four.”

“I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay. Bye.” He waited until she got in her front door, as he always did, and accelerated away when she gave him a quick wave.

“Hi.” She popped into the SUV beside him. Her unique scent, exotic and flowery, filled his vehicle.

“What’s that?” Mitch eyed the huge covered bowl she held on her lap as he put the vehicle into gear.

“Pasta salad. My contribution to the dinner.”

“Okay,” he said doubtfully. “Let me have a look at that bowl so I remember not to eat from it.”

“Hey! I make a great pasta salad!”

He grinned. “Didn’t you poison someone with your pasta salad once? On that picnic we had in the mountains?”

“That was not my fault,” she said. “I bought that salad at the deli. I did not make it.”

He still smiled, eyes on the road as he drove to Kerri’s parents’ home. He’d met them often over the years, and he liked visiting them. They made up for his own dysfunctional family, who, thankfully, lived far enough away that he didn’t have to visit very often. His father, the poor sap, in the process of divorcing his fourth wife, lived in San Diego, and his mother had moved to Florida. She had never remarried, instead dated an endless series of boyfriends. Much better.

“Mitchell!” Kerri’s mother, Angela Harris, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

He smiled as he said hello. “You look as gorgeous as ever.”

She grinned. “You charmer, you.”

“Hey, hands off my wife.” Scott Harris walked into the kitchen. He too smiled at Mitch.

Mitch jumped back and lifted his hands in the air, feigning nervousness at being caught with Scott’s wife.

“I’m so glad you could come,” Angela said, taking the big bowl from Kerri. “We haven’t seen you for so long. You must be busy at work.”

“Yeah. It’s crazy.”

“Tell me what you’re working on now,” Scott said. “You were starting to do some mediation work last time you were here. How’s that going?”

“Pretty good, actually.”

Scott handed him a beer without even asking and Mitch accepted it with a smile. The two men moved out the French doors onto the expansive deck that overlooked the swimming pool in the back yard.

“I like him,” Angela said with a sigh. “You should marry him, Kerri.”

Kerri laughed out loud. “Mom, you know we’re just friends.”

“I know.” She sighed again. “But he’s such a nice boy.”

“He’s not exactly a boy. He’s thirty-one. And anyway, he doesn’t believe in marriage.”

“Well, I guess that’s not surprising, with those parents. But he’ll get married one day. Then what will you do? His wife won’t want you inviting her husband over for dinner with us.”

“He can bring his wife.” Kerri shrugged, helping herself to a spiced olive from the bowl on the counter. She frowned a little though, trying to imagine Mitch bringing a girl to her parents’ home. That would be kind of weird. Oh yeah, he’d brought whatshername…with the funny name…Dakotah. They’d gone out for quite a while near the end of college and they’d come to a graduation party Kerri’s parents had hosted. Whatever.

“Need any help in here?” she asked her mother, knowing she’d say no, then wandered out onto the deck to sit with her dad and Mitch.

“Sounds like you’re not getting a lot of satisfaction from your work lately,” Scott commented. Mitch nodded slowly and Kerri frowned again.

She’d been so wrapped up in her own selfish needs she hadn’t really talked to Mitch about his work for weeks. And usually she loved to hear about it. His intelligence and knowledge always impressed her.

“You’re a smart guy,” Scott continued. “Smart enough to figure out what you need to do to change things around.”

Mitch tipped his head to one side, as if considering that.

Both men looked up and smiled at Kerri as she came out onto the deck.

“What are you taking about?” she asked.

Mitch flashed a look at her that she didn’t understand. “Just some work stuff,” he said. “Tell your dad about how things are going with the new studio.”

“Oh, yeah, sweetie,” her dad said. “How’s your business?

“Going great. Things are almost ready. We’re opening on schedule June first. The big grand opening party will be in two weeks. You and Mom are invited, of course.”

“Yeah, Sela already told us that.”

“How come she’s not here today?”

Her dad shrugged. “Some family thing with Doug’s parents. She was stressed because none of the kids wanted to go. They all had plans with friends.”

It was a challenge for Sela, the control freak, to have teenage children who were now making their own plans and wanting a life of their own, and Kerri couldn’t help but smile.

“It will be good for you to have Sela right there,” her dad commented. “She can give you business advice, help out if you need it.”

Kerri’s smile disappeared and her shoulders tightened. “Dad, I’ve been running my own business for seven years now.”

“And doing great,” he replied hastily. “I was just saying, Sela’s got more business experience, so she’ll be a handy resource for you.”

Kerri gritted her teeth and almost growled with frustration. She and Sela had the same education, so why did they always think Sela knew more than her? They never took any of her accomplishments seriously, but Sela could do no wrong.

“Can I have some help in here?” Kerri’s mom stood in the door. “Dinner’s ready, we just need to bring everything out.”

After dinner, when they were getting ready to leave, Kerri’s mom handed her the last of the pasta salad she’d brought.

“You keep it, Mom,” Kerri protested. “I’ll never eat this.”

“No, you take it,” her mother insisted. “You’re single, you need it. And take this bread. And, oh yes, I got some things for you the other day.” She left the room and returned with a big shopping bag from Long Drugs.

Kerri peered in and frowned on seeing bottles of shampoo and conditioner. “Mom?”

“It was on sale, and it’s the kind that’s good for your hair. Moisturizing.”

“Mom! I can buy my own shampoo!” Kerri laughed, but inside, annoyance bubbled up.

“I know, I know, but I saw it and I thought of you. And there are some socks in there, too.

Arms laden with offerings from her mother, Kerri and Mitch headed out to his SUV. They’d just never stop treating her like the baby of the family. She’d bet Sela and her brothers, Justin and Jared, didn’t get all this stuff when they came over. Did they think she was too poor to be able to afford shampoo and socks? Or that she was too spacey to go out and buy necessities? God!

When Mitch drove her home, she struggled to tell him how she’d felt earlier. “I’m really sorry,” she began hesitantly. “When you were talking to my dad, I realized I haven’t paid much attention to your work lately. Is everything okay?”

“Things are great,” he said, eyes on the road. “That’s okay. You’ve been distracted lately.”

“I’ve been a selfish ass, lately. And I’m sorry. We’re friends. If you want to talk about any work stuff, just say. I’m a pretty good listener, most of the time.

“Yeah. You are.”

Guilt about all the things she’d been asking him to do lately without giving anything in return weighed on her shoulders.

“Next week’s the law firm’s golf tournament,” Mitch said. “Wanna come and golf with me?”

“Sure.” Maybe there’d be eligible guys there…