Ben shrugged. “Why not? Your grandma needs someone with energy and my grandpa’s got it. He’s looking for someone who’s not a fuddy-duddy and your grandma’s got sass for days, as you told me. Sounds like a match made in heaven.”
“And what type of matchmaking experience do you have?”
“Absolutely none. That’s what makes this exciting.”
“That’s what makes this scary. Don’t be surprised if it’s a train wreck.”
“You just have to believe.” He leaned in closer. “So, here’s what I was thinking. Let’s accidentally run into each other at UTC tomorrow at lunchtime, let’s say eleven thirty in the food court.”
Westfield UTC was a popular outdoor mall in La Jolla.
I nodded, thinking it wasn’t such a bad plan. “Not a bad choice—Grandma Joyce loves the food court there.”
“So does Grandpa Wayne! See? This is going to be amazing.”
“But then what? We run into each other and what happens next?”
“We eat together! Then we’ll figure out a way for them to get together the next day. We’ll work it out. Just improvise. So? Is it a date?”
I nodded, a little more excited about the plan now. “It’s a double date.” I held up my hand. “Well, not a date date. It’s a get-together.”
Ben chuckled. “Sure. Call it what you like. Now, let’s go grab some more appetizers.”
After enjoying smoked salmon with cream cheese crackers and shrimp cocktail shooters, Ben was pulled away from me for a private conversation with the king of mattresses. I took the time to wander around the ship and introduce myself to some of the employees I hadn’t met yet. I met some wonderful people and all of them were very complimentary, saying they absolutely loved the morning show. I had to admit that even though I enjoyed meeting them and chatting, my mind was on Ben.
Where was he?
After I talked with Debbie—where she went on and on about how Ben and I made a beautiful couple—I went back up to the poop deck and leaned against the rail.
It was dark, but the temperature was mild enough that I didn’t need a jacket as I took in the beautiful view again of San Diego Bay. I turned around to admire the illuminated skyline of downtown San Diego when I saw Ben walking in my direction.
“Having fun?” He leaned against the rail next to me.
“This is wonderful. Did you have a good conversation with the mattress king?”
Ben chuckled. “Yeah. They spend a lot of money on advertising with us and he asked me to endorse their beds on the show. He also invited me down to their store to pick out any bed.”
“Wow. Some of those beds are worth over five thousand dollars.”
“True, but like those tasty stuffed mushrooms we had earlier, the bed is only the appetizer. The real deal is in the monthly fee I would receive from them, a thousand bucks a month for just mentioning their name and talking about how much I love my bed for sixty seconds.”
“Wow, that’s easy money. Obviously, you jumped all over that.”
Ben shook his head. “I said no.”
“Why?” I practically yelled.
He shrugged. “Because it wouldn’t be fair to you. We’re a team now and the morning show is half yours. I don’t want to go on and on about a product and gush about it on the air while you just sit there. It doesn’t seem right to me.”
“I don’t want to be the reason why you’re losing money every month.”
“First, I’m not losing that money because I never had it in the first place. Second, I do love to have money, but I’m not obsessed with it. I do what I believe is right in my heart and I know I’ll be rewarded for it sooner or later. You know from my style on the air that I never beat around the bush. So, I told him you and I were a team and that I would like for both of us to endorse the store and both of us to get paid. All or nothing.”
“And did he laugh in your face?”
Ben grinned. “No. He said yes, so you’re also going to get a bed and the money added to your salary. Hey, do you want to go check out the dessert bar? I hear they have cupcakes.”
I held up my hand, shaking. “Wait one minute!” Okay, that time I yelled and I think I actually startled Ben. “Are you telling me you and I are going to plug mattresses on the air and get a thousand dollars a month extra in our paychecks?”
“A thousand dollars each. Plus a bed for each of us. Yes—that’s what I’m saying.”
I stepped forward and hugged him, squeezing him so tight I was afraid I was cutting off his circulation. “Thank you. That was so . . . so kind.”
He pulled away from the hug, still holding onto my waist, and something smoldering in his eyes. “Finally.”
I arched an eyebrow and stepped back to analyze him. “Finally what?”
He opened his mouth and closed it.
“Remember just a minute ago when you told me you don’t beat around the bush?”
Ben blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine.” He looked around to make sure nobody was listening and then leaned closer. “I saw you hugging Debbie and Chris earlier. And . . .” He shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I wanted a hug from you, too. Sounds silly, I know.”
I shook my head. “Not silly. It’s sweet. And a hug is the least I can do considering you got me a raise, plus a free bed.”
“Not just any bed,” Ben said. “You can choose the most expensive bed in the store, if you want.”
I playfully poked him in the chest. “Just don't go bragging to your buddies that you got me into bed.”
He laughed. “Even if it were true, I don’t kiss and tell.” He glanced down at my lips and then cleared his throat. “Maybe we should go check out the dessert bar.” He stepped in front of me and made a move toward the stairs.
I grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “Wait.”
Ben glanced down at my hand on his arm.
“No, I’m not worried about your cooties at the moment, because we need to address something much more important before it gets out of control.”
“This sounds serious.”
“It has the potential to be.”
“Okay . . .” Ben nodded. “I’m all yours.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
He studied me for a moment. “You’ve lost me already.”
I sighed. “Something is happening here between us.”
“I know. And it’s happening alarmingly fast.”
I let go of Ben’s arm and leaned my back against the rail, looking into his eyes. “So . . . what are we going to do about it?”
“That is the million-dollar question.”
“Okay, let’s try this another way. Hi, Dr. Tough Love, thank you for taking my call.”
Ben laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
I ignored him. “I have a problem with a coworker. I’m attracted to him and I’m really not sure what to do.”
He nodded like he was going to play along. “How attracted are you?”
I smiled. “Very, but here lies the problem since we work together. What if things don’t work out? Then it would be so awkward because we would see each other every day.”