“Why is that such a bad thing?” he wanted to know. “So you have feelings for Molly—she’s single, and so are you.”
“Apparently, she’s not single,” I pointed out.
“She’s dating,” Ben clarified. “It’s different. If she were seen every night with one man, then you would have cause to worry. That means she’s getting serious with a guy. But until then, you may have a chance.”
“I know I have a chance,” I snapped. “That’s not the point.”
“I can’t believe I want to know what the point is, but I do.”
I gave him a short glare. “The point is she’s Jason’s sister.”
“You do get repetitive, you know.”
“Would you sleep with a friend’s sister?” I demanded.
Ben raised his eyebrows. “Is that it, then?” he asked. “You just want to sleep with her?”
“I…no…yes… I… Fuck!” I cursed. “You don’t know my track record, okay?”
Ben looked at me incredulously for a moment. “Debbie, Annette, Tiffany, Brooke, Laura, Tanya, Tiffany again, Sandra, Mona, Alison, Mona again, Ti—”
“Okay, okay,” I said, holding up my hands to stop him. “So you know my track record. My point is that I don’t stick with one woman for long. I move on, in favor of work or another woman. And if I were to get involved with Molly…”
“You won’t be able to treat her like crap because her brother would kill you?”
“Well…yeah.”
“So, you’re scared of Jason?”
“I’m scared of hurting Molly,” I said. “But the Jason thing, too.”
Ben smiled. “And you don’t think you can change?”
“Meaning, do I think I’m capable of commitment?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know.”
“Then maybe it’s best you stay away from Molly.”
I sighed. “This honesty thing sucks.”
“And our hour is up,” Ben said, standing up and heading for the door. “You really should give me a second salary for moonlighting as your shrink.”
“You’re an ass,” I muttered.
He actually looked pleased with himself. “Shall I make you a reservation at the Lagoon, or perhaps Mosaic?”
“What?” I asked, in confusion. “I always eat at Albero.”
“And, Molly is always at Albero,” he pointed out. “Don’t you think you’d better avoid that restaurant for now?”
I was contemplating the sense in that, but as much as I hated seeing Molly with all her dates, I also wanted to see her. Ben seemed to realize this simply from the expression on my face.
“Have fun at Albero’s,” he said, with a smirk, before heading down.
Sighing at my weakness, I made my way to Albero’s determined to be an adult and simply allow Molly to do her thing while I did mine. The moment I entered the restaurant, however, my eyes searched for her.