“Are you okay? Where’s Doug?”
“Sleeping.”
She blinked. “This early on a Saturday night?” Doug became a night owl on the weekends.
Benny sighed. “We had a fight.”
“Uh-oh. Lay it on me.” They hadn’t had one of these conversations in a while. Maggie was often a sounding board for the couple, and since she loved them both, she never took sides.
“It’s not my fault,” he said, defensive. “But I might have overreacted when some guy at the zoo started flirting with Doug.”
“Tell me.”
Benny groaned. A former semipro wrestler turned piano teacher, he’d lived a varied and exciting life. Not so popular as the wrestlers on television, but he’d traveled and performed all over the world, making a decent living achieving a low level of fame, especially in the Pacific Northwest. He’d had his share of groupies. But from the first moment he’d laid eyes on Doug, he’d fallen in love.
Maggie still thought their relationship one to aspire to. Despite their differences, they’d managed to find something special. They had committed to each other so fully, they gave her hope that someday she too might have a love as lasting as theirs.
“We had just taken a tour around the place and returned for the snakes. Emily’s fascinated with them. And Doug wanted to see the alligators again.”
“He’s got a predatory kind of nature, you know?”
“I know.” Benny sounded glum.
She patted his knee.
“Emily and I were checking out the salamanders, and the zoo guy came out and let her hold one. She was thrilled, let me tell you.”
Maggie smiled.
“I realized Doug wasn’t with us, and I saw him talking to some tall, good-looking blond. Just his type.”
“I thoughtyouwere just his type.”
“Nah. For some reason he and I clicked right away. But he typically likes the blond, streamlined ones. Not hulky bears.” He sighed.
“You mean hunky beasts,” she corrected. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” She knew this song and dance, but considering how pathetic she’d been feeling with Reggie moments ago, she could give Benny his due. “If you weren’t gay and happily in love with Doug, I’d have made a play for you the first time I saw you.”
“Really?” Benny perked up, his dark-blue eyes hopeful.
“Of course. I like my men handsome, strong, and smart. And let’s face it. You play the piano like you were born with ivory keys. You’re huge, you still lift weights and keep trim just for fun, and you’re gorgeous.”
“Well, I don’t know about gorgeous.” He stroked his bristled chin. “And trim is way out.” He slapped his belly, which, to her bemusement, seemed flatter than it had been the last time she’d given him a good look.
“You’ve lost weight.”
“Not as much as Doug.” He groaned. “Maggie, we’ve been married for four years now, together for six, technically. How am I still so neurotic about my relationship?”
“Because you’re you?”
He glared. “I know I have a tendency to lean toward the dramatic. Why do you think I was so popular during my wrestling days?”
“I can only imagine.”
“Doug has always been a catch. He’s sophisticated and smart. He likes science and learning. He’s great with kids.”
“I know. We teach together.”
Benny rambled on. “Men notice him. A lot. And Doug is always friendly, so sometimes I imagine he doesn’t notice people flirting. But they do.”
