Lauren froze at Elle’s calmly uttered inquiry. The shock was evident on her face, her skin paling visibly beneath her makeup, her green eyes wide.

“Elle,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am not having an affair with Ben. Why - ”

“Don’t bother to deny it,” interrupted Elle with a hiss. “I’ve seen the way you keep looking at each other tonight, the way you both looked when you were dancing. And I know you had that – that actor arrange it so that you could have Ben to yourself.”

“No.” Lauren shook her head emphatically. “To both accusations. Carlo had no reason to do something like that. And I assure you that there is absolutely nothing going on between Ben and I.”

“I don’t believe you,” whispered Elle tearfully. “I know what I saw. And it’s not the first time. When I confronted Ben about it, he denied it, too, but I’m not stupid. There is definitely something between the two of you.”

Lauren’s jaw dropped. “You – you asked Ben the same thing? Asked him if we were fooling around? When was this?”

“After that retirement party earlier this year,” sniffed Elle. “You were hanging all over him then, too, just like you were tonight. Ben told me I was wrong, of course, just like you’re trying to do now. But I know what I saw. And I know that both of you are lying to me!”

Lauren winced at the shrill, high pitched tone of Elle’s voice, and seemed startled to see her acting so differently than her usual calm, polite self. But Elle knew she was in real danger now of falling completely apart, and she clung desperately to the tiny bit of control she had left, determined not to let her green-eyed rival witness her breakdown.

But Lauren was uncharacteristically gentle, placing a hand soothingly on Elle’s arm. “No one is lying to you, Elle,” she told her in a soft but firm voice. “Ben’s a good guy, one of the best I’ve ever met, and there is no possible way he would do something shitty like cheat on you. Plus, I don’t poach on other women’s men. Ever. I’ll admit to flirting a little more than I should at times, but that’s as far as it goes if I know a guy is already taken.”

Elle jerked her arm away from Lauren’s comforting touch. “I still don’t believe you,” she declared. “And I’m warning you now, Lauren – keep away from Ben in the future. Brad van Patten is a very old and dear friend of my father’s, and if he thought you were making inappropriate advances towards your boss I have a feeling you’d find yourself looking for employment elsewhere.”

“Jesus.” Lauren shook her head in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding, lady. Are you actually threatening my job because you think I smiled one too many times at your boyfriend? Because that’s starting to cross the border into Delusion-Ville, you know. Maybe you ought to see someone about that little problem. On a professional basis.”

Elle gasped. “Are you implying that I need a psychiatrist? That – that I’ve got mental health issues? How dare you?”

“Oh, fuck this.” Lauren shook her head in disgust. “You know, I just came in here to pee – provided I can figure out to make that happen in this dress. I do not want to have a cat fight with you, Elle. Look, I’m going to say this one more time and whether or not you believe me is up to you. I am not having an affair with Ben, and I wasn’t having one at that retirement party, either. But let me give you a little advice, honey. You need to start trusting him because even a guy as good natured as Ben isn’t going to put up with your jealous little fits forever.” She glanced over at the toilets before throwing up her hands in surrender. “Forget it. I’m just going to have Carlo take me home. God forbid I dare to smile at Ben again tonight and have you think we’re sleeping together. Merry Christmas, Elle. And be damned grateful for the gift you’ve already been given.”

But as Lauren walked out of the lounge, Elle remained unconvinced. She knew, just knew somehow, that Lauren had lied to her. And that Ben continued to lie to her. Or, at the very least, they hadn’t told her the whole truth. And as she repaired her makeup for the second time that night, Elle vowed that one day soon she’d finally figure out the real story.

Chapter Seventeen

February – New York

“Well, I guess this means I owe you a hundred bucks.”

Ben gave his old friend, and former roommate – Levi Morrison– a quizzical look. “For what?”

Levi grinned. “How quickly he forgets. Don’t you remember our bet that you wouldn’t last a year at your new job? That you’d feel the walls closing in on you, and wouldn’t be able to give up the lure of traveling. And yet, here you are, more than a year later, and you’ve stuck with it. So, do you want cash or a check?”

Ben chuckled and shook his head. “Forget it. Just pick up the tab and we’ll call it even. Especially since I almost didn’t make it to my one year anniversary. There were more times than I can remember when I came real close to throwing in the towel.”

Levi sipped his coffee. “So what stopped you?”

“Pride and stubbornness, mostly,” admitted Ben. “As you know, I went years without staying in one place for very long, never putting down roots. I wanted to prove to myself that I could make a commitment and stick to it.” He paused before adding, “To the job as well as to Elle.”

“It’s that serious between the two of you?” asked Levi in surprise. “I mean, are you going to ask her to marry you or something?”

“No.” Ben shook his head firmly. “That’s not in the cards, not for a long time, if ever. But I do feel like I owe her something, especially after all the help she’s given me. And she’s – well, a little fragile at times.”

“Yeah?” Levi arched a brow as he dug into his omelet. “The couple of times I’ve met her she seemed pretty together. I mean, she’s quiet, sort of reserved, but also very in control.”

“Most of the time that’s true,” agreed Ben. “But at other times it doesn’t take much to set her off. She’s got these insecurities – I blame her overbearing parents for most of that – and she can also get real jealous. Not that I’ve ever given her cause to be.”

“Ouch.” Levi winced. “I don’t envy you either of those problems, man. I had a girlfriend just after college with those sort of issues. Cute girl, lots of fun, dynamite in the sack. Turns out she was this nutjob stalker, already had three different restraining orders from previous boyfriends. Fortunately I was already planning to leave town, so when she started going apeshit, I blocked her from my phone and email and got the hell out of Dodge.”

“Elle’s not like that,” reassured Ben. “She’s just – well, she just gets a little emotional every so often. And I can’t help feeling responsible for her, you know?”

“You sure you haven’t given her cause to be jealous?” drawled Levi, as he slathered an English muffin half with grape jelly. “I mean, the whole time I knew you in New Mexico you didn’t even look at a chick, much less bang one – at least not that I know about. And you’re about as far from being an asshole as anyone I’ve ever met, so I can’t imagine that you’d - ”

“I’ve never cheated on Elle,” Ben stated firmly. “I may not be in love with her, but I wouldn’t do something like that to any woman. Not like our old friend Joey.”

Levi shuddered at the mention of their former roommate. “God, he was such a slut, wasn’t he? A different chick every week, usually juggling two or three at a time. I still have no idea how he kept them from finding out about each other. Nah, you’re nothing like old Joey the Gigolo, buddy. I mean, look at how long you were hung up on California Girl. Took you years to get over her.”

‘But have I really done that?’ Ben asked himself as he dug into his huevos rancheros. ‘I mean, I’m living with Elle, trying to work on my relationship with her, but deep down I’m still hung up on Lauren. And thanks to my stupidity, the possibility of ever being with her again is truly dead and buried.’