“Live music?!” Holly shrieks. “Who did you find?”
“Yeah, who did you find?” Ben asks. “Bands around here are very hard to book.”
“Well, lucky for you, your old man knows a guy. And it’s a surprise,” I say, digging the hole deep enough to just camp for the night.
“Oh my God I can’t wait!” Holly exclaims. “Speaking of surprises, we have one for you.”
Lovely.
“What kind of surprise?” Charlotte asks with the same apprehension I’m feeling.
“We want you to plan our honeymoon,” she smiles, hooking her arm around Ben’s waist.
“The honeymoon?” Charlotte stutters.
“Yes,” Holly says. “So far, the two of you have done such an amazing job at coming up with the most unconventional andoriginal ideas. We figured, why hire a travel agent when we have the two of you?”
“Uh, because they’re professionals?” I ask.
“They’d be better at planning a romantic getaway for the two of you than we would.” Charlotte adds.
“Exactly,” I nod. “I don’t know anything about romance. Do you?” I ask her.
“Not at all,” she answers.
“I can’t even remember the last time I did anything romantic,” I add.
“Me neither,” Charlotte says. “I don’t even watch romance movies.”
Holly just giggles. “You two are hilarious. But for real, we don’t trust anyone else. I’m sure the two of you will come up with the best honeymoon ever.”
Before we can say anything else, we have been hired as travel agents for the honeymoon of my son and his fiancée. Ben and Holly take off to meet up with friends; I pay the check, and Charlotte packs up her things.
“Well,” I say as I shove my credit card back in my pocket. “This oughta be fun.”
Charlotte snorts. “Clearly you and I have different ideas of the definition of fun.”
“Well, it’s not like they left us a choice,” I say. “We might as well make the best of it. You should try it sometime.”
Charlotte stands up straight. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, everything about that lunch was awkward. All your side comments, and what’s with you and Ben?” I ask.
“What do you mean? Nothing is with me and Ben. Why would you ask about me and Ben?” she rambles. My eyes narrow and I smirk.
“I just meant you two act like you’ve met before. Or…something,” I say.
“What kind of something?” she asks.
“I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it,” I say. “It’s just some kind of tension.”
“There is no tension between me and your son,” she says defensively, and my eyes narrow further.
“Are you attracted to him?” I ask.
“What?” Charlotte blurts out, her voice about three octaves higher than before. “That’s crazy! He’s engaged. He’s your son, and he’s too much like you for me to be interested in him.”
I don’t know why I care what she thinks. I have no reason to. She was supposed to be a one-night stand, but for some reason, that last sentence stung.
