“Well, I get to have dinner with Dex, his mom, and Theo. Lucky me.”
“Want me to come with? I really have no plans. I can run interference for you.” She smiled and winked and I thought about her idea.
“Yes, come.”
I ran through the motions of getting ready as Margo added her two cents in about everything, and together we left after I texted Dex to inform him of the additional guest.
We drove together, racing to get to dinner on time. Dex was very punctual and didn’t like anyone being late, ever.
It was something I hoped I never needed to get used to. When we arrived at the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant, Margo parked her little Mercedes and we hopped out.
“This should be fun,” she said, giggling like a schoolgirl as we rushed inside.
“Yeah, loads.” I said a silent prayer all went well tonight and Theo’s P.I. would be able to help.
Walking into the restaurant, I was met with Dex’s furious blue eyes.
“You’re late.” He rested his hand on the small of my back and leaned in to peck his lips on my cheek.
“Only by a few minutes,” Margo said, brushing past him.
“Don’t let it happen again. My mother and Theo are already seated.” He escorted me through the crowded waiting area and my heart sped up.
The moment my eyes met Theo’s from across the restaurant, I tried my hardest to contain my smile.
His mother stared between us as we all said our hellos. Seated next to Dex, and across from Theo, I worried I wouldn’t make it through this dinner in one piece. All I wanted to do was wrap myself in Theo’s arms.
The atmosphere was loud and boisterous, and I could barely hear our server when he came to the table and explained the menu. My mind yelled at me to just leave, run away. It wasn’t until Margo nudged me with her shoe, giving me a stern look, that I ordered my drink.
June laughed as she went over wedding details, and I couldn’t do this again. My mind was lost in another world, a world where Theo and I lived happily ever after.
“What do you think, Penny?” June asked.
Everyone at the table stared at me waiting for my answer. “I’m sorry. What was the question again?”
“My mother wants to know if you’d like to have bougainvilleas at the wedding,” Theo said with a smirk.
Theo ran a hand across his beard, and this was all wrong. I couldn’t sit here and discuss wedding plans to the dickface beside me while Theo sat and listened. “I don’t think flowers are necessary,” I said before taking a sip of water.
June eyed me curiously. “Well you can think on it,” she said.
“I think if I ever get married, I’d have marigolds and zinnias. The same color as my bride-to-be’s eyes.” Theo said, smiling to his mother.
“Nobody wants crap flowers at a wedding,” Dex barked out. “You would say that.”
The fact Theo remembered the exact flowers my mother and I used to plant touched my heart. Ugh. Dex was such a snob, so uppity. You would think he came out with a silver spoon in his mouth. I would like to shove it up his ass. I wanted to get under his skin, like he was getting under mine. I waved the waiter over.
“Excuse me, would you recommend the fried shramp, boiled shramp, steamed shramp, coconut shramp, or popcorn shramp?” I said in my best Bubba voice. I drew out all the words as if I was Bubba reincarnated. Pretty impressive, too.
Theo let out a loud laugh. “Or barbecue shramp,” he added before winking at me.
“Shramp Gumbo,” I giggled.
Dex stiffened beside me. “Why are you talking like that, Penny? This isn’t the movie for god sakes.”
“I am talking like this, because this is Bubba Gumps Shramp Restaurant, and why wouldn’t I?” I tried to keep a straight face.
Theo laughed again as Margo joined in.