I refuse to let her fluster me. I have stared in the face of way more foreboding characters than Mimi, and most of the time, I’ve come out on top. Except when facing off with my grandmother, of course. Who, now that I think about it, does bear a slight resemblance to Mimi herself.
But none of that matters. I pull back my shoulders. “Look, Mimi, if we approach this whole situation logically, you’ll see that really, I’ve done exactly what was asked of me. I found a job I’m passionate about—look what we accomplished with the fundraiser last night!” I inject cheer into my voice, but Mimi’s face doesn’t give me even an inch. “Everyone has been super nice to me lately, and they don’t even seem to be pretending!”
Mimi offers me a mere grunt of assent, but doesn’t bother to expand beyond that.
“And…” I look to my left again. This time Ben meets my eyes and the softness in his gaze bolsters me. He pulls a hand from his pocket, taking mine in his and squeezing gently. “And you told me to fall in love, Mimi. And I did.”
I sort of hate that the first time I’m saying the words outloud, it’s not just to Ben. But on the other hand, it makes it easier having a buffer here. In case he’s wised up since last night and changed his mind about me.
Mimi sits back in her chair, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two of us. “You’re in this then. Both of you? For real?”
I hold my breath, waiting to hear Ben’s answer.
His grip on my hand tightens and for a second, fear sinks my stomach. But then he lifts our joined hands, kissing mine before looking right at Mimi and saying, “I couldn’t be more in this, Mimi.” Ben hesitates for a minute before speaking again. “I’ve waited a long time to find someone who felt like a match for me. I’ve watched so many of my friends and colleagues find their partners, and for years I thought I was doomed to never find one of my own. But I knew from the moment I first saw Cam that she was different. Even if she was a complete jerk that night.” He shoots me a grin. “Getting stuck here together seemed like it might be the worst thing to ever happen to me, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that Cam is the one I’ve been waiting for, that being here was really just bringing us together. She’s my best friend.”
I know the man himself told me to be prepared for more sap, but good god, could he at least break me in gently? Is there anything worse than tearing up in front of Mimi as he makes a declaration of love so grand even Hallmark would call it cheesy?
Mimi’s eyes soften as she listens to Ben’s speech. She leans forward, resting her arms on the table between us. Then her entire face changes, going from soft to smug.
And a realization dawns on me. “This was your plan the whole time, wasn’t it?”
Mimi shrugs, tossing her gray curls over her shoulder. “I admit nothing.”
“You are the one who brought us here.” I point a finger at her. “You assigned me men you knew I wouldn’t fall for and told Ben his only task was to help me.”
A smile pulls on Ben’s lips. “Ensuring Cam and I would spend plenty of time together.”
I cross my arms over my chest, not nearly as amused as he is. “This was your plan from the beginning. Fess up, Meem.”
She sighs, smiling. “All right, fine. I knew when I saw the two of you at that café that there was something between you. You were both just too stubborn to see it. So, I decided to give you the push you needed to bring you together.” She gestures to the table, where our joined hands rest. “Don’t pretend to be mad when it clearly worked.”
She has a point there, but I’m not ready to hand it to her yet. “Why didn’t you just tell us that from the beginning? Save us the trouble?”
Mimi snorts. “Like that would have worked. When in your life have you not done things your own way, Campbell?” She turns her all-too-observant eyes on Ben. “And you. You say you’ve been looking for love, but being in love requires vulnerability. It requires opening up to people and letting them see who you really are.”
It took a long time for Ben to open up to me. I mostly thought that was because it took me forever to ask him questions about himself, but maybe that wasn’t the only reason.
“It’s been hard to let people in,” Ben admits. “Sometimes my job requires me to compartmentalize. Maybe I was doing it so much, I forgot to turn that part of my brain off.”
“Why do you think it was different with me?”
His eyes meet mine, and his whole heart is reflected in his gaze. “Everything is different with you, Cam.”
“Just as I expected, you two were made for each other.”
Okay, fine. Another point for Mimi.
“So what happens now?” Ben asks, his grip on my hand tightening.
Mimi hesitates before answering. “When the tasks have been completed, then you’ll both go home.”
Ben and I exchange a look. “So I haven’t completed the tasks yet?”
“Not yet.”
“And what happens when we get home?” Just asking the question makes my stomach spin, but if Ben and I aren’t going to come out on the other side of this together, I think I need to know now.
Mimi’s face softens, but her eyes betray nothing. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
