Mark frowned and said, “Well, if you don’t mind having supper with the two of us, then why don’t you join us?”
Helen’s heart fell as he said it, even though she knew he didn't have much of a choice. If he sent her away, it might be considered the epitome of rudeness as far as their friendship was concerned. Besides, it wasn’t like Helen and Mark were in the middle of a hot date.
“I don’t want to interrupt,” she said mildly, but still not budging from her place.
“You’re not interrupting,” Mark said smoothly.
“Well… if you’re sure,” Laura said as she stepped into the entryway and took off her shoes.
Helen followed the two of them back to the kitchen and bit her lip. Biting her lip as a reaction was mild. She wanted to roll her eyes back into her head in aggravation. She did not want to have dinner with Mark and Laura.
“Hey Helen,” Mark said, trying to include her. “Would you mind setting the table?”
“I can do that,” Helen said, feigning cheerfulness. She opened one of the kitchen cupboards to find the plates, but she opened the wrong cabinet and instead found rolls of paper towels.
“I’ll do it,” Laura said when she noticed Helen’s blunder. “It’ll be faster. I already know how the kitchen is laid out. Why don’t you go sit down in the living room, Helen?”
Helen glanced at Mark before moving. She wanted to see if he was going to let Laura order her around like that.
He didn’t say anything. He didn't even look at her.
“Okay then,” Helen mumbled and went into the living room. When she got there, she saw her bra inserts lying on the floor and said a little thankful prayer in her heart that she got the chance to get them out of sight before Laura came in and saw them. With nothing else to do, Helen decided she might as well start gathering up her stuff. She had left her wig and other accessories on the living room couch. Charming! Mark's living room wasn’t her bedroom.
Finally, Helen set her backpack by the door. It was an action Laura’s watchful eyes didn’t miss. Maybe she thought Helen had been planning to stay the night but had changed her mind because of Laura’s appearance. Helen didn’t care what she thought.
Helen was slowly getting an idea of the kind of person Laura truly was. She looked so regular and sensible that Helen had thought she and Laura must have a lot in common, things like common sense and regular female understanding. But the truth was that she and Laura had nothing in common. Helen would never have barged in on someone's date and demanded to be included. She also would never have asked her own brother to distract the girl her crush liked so that she could move in on the other girl’s territory. The more she thought about what was going on, the more she felt her blood pumping irritably. What a sticky mess!
Helen sat down at the table and waited for Mark and Laura to finish up in the kitchen when she heard a ringing sound. It wasn’t her ringtone, so she didn’t even blink. It wasn’t her responsibility to answer it.
It rang twice before Mark pointed out that Laura’s pocket was ringing.
“Hello,” she said cheerfully as she put the phone up to her ear. “Yes, she’s here,” Laura said, glancing over at Helen. “Do you want to talk to her?" Laura covered the distance between them and handed the phone to Helen. “It’s for you,” she said.
Helen took the phone. Who could be calling her on Laura’s cell phone?
“Hello?” Helen asked confusedly.
“Hey Babe,” a mellow voice drawled plainly. “It’s Dominic. How are things going? Having fun on your date with Mark?”
Helen turned around on her seat and pointed herself away from the kitchen. “Why are you calling me?” Helen asked nervously.
“Well, I thought maybe you might not want to hang out with Mark and Laura tonight.
I wouldn’t.”
“So? What’s it to you?”
“I’m waiting in my car outside Mark’s apartment right now. If you feel like taking a job as Vera, I’ll pay you five hundred dollars just to walk out of that apartment and get into my car,” he drawled.
“What?”
“You don’t even have to date me. I’ll take you home if you want. Just let me offer you a little job that is clearly more profitable than staying there.”
Helen bit her lip again. She never would have imagined that the devil would offer her an easy-out at such a convenient time. Yeah, she wanted to take him up on it. Five hundred dollars and a ride home? Did it get any sweeter? But what would she say to Mark? She’d think of something.
“Can you wait ten minutes?” she whispered.
“I’d wait hours,” Dominic said suggestively.
“Great,” Helen said and disconnected the phone. She turned around to see Mark and Laura standing on the other side of the table waiting eagerly to hear what her phone call had been about. Helen felt a sudden gush of dislike toward Laura and glared at her openly. “Mark, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Mark set the frying pan he was holding on a hot pad and nodded for Helen to follow him down the hall. “Sorry, hang on a minute,” he said to Laura.
With that, he led Helen into a room beyond the bathroom and closed the door. Before the door clicked shut, Helen saw that it was a bedroom. It was Mark’s bedroom. Was it okay for her to be here? She’d never been in a man’s bedroom before.
The room was full of books and there was a desk with a laptop on it. His bedspread was light brown and the bed was sort of made. Maybe no one had ever taught him the proper way to make the bed, but the covers were smooth at the least.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hands together. “What was that all about?” Mark asked, referring to the phone call.
Helen didn’t answer his question at first, but instead started by asking, “Mark, are you aware of the awkward, awful situation you have put me in tonight?”
“What?”
“You said that you wanted to get to know me and I thought that this night was all about wiping the fairy dust off our eyes and honestly learning about one another. Now that you invited Laura, I have been completely knocked off balance. I left myself very vulnerable taking off my makeup in front of you and since you’ve placed me in this weird situation, I don’t think you appreciate my sacrifice.”
“What do you mean?”
“With Laura here, I don’t know how to act. If you purchased me as an escort I would know exactly what to do. I’d just crawl all over you with my pretenses and phony flirting until she got frustrated and backed off, but since I’m here as myself, I am not confident or poised enough to compete with her for your attention. I thought part of the reason you brought me here was to give me the chance to be myself without the charade. Now that chance is spoiled.”
Mark looked regretful and said quietly, “It’s too late to send her away.”
“Maybe,” Helen said boldly. “But it’s not too late for me to leave.”
“What?” Mark scowled. “You wouldn’t seriously leave before dinner, would you?”
“Of course I would. I don’t have your feelings about social etiquette and unending politeness as far as the company is concerned. I’m not experienced in public relations yet. I have no problem walking out your front door and relaxing at home with a bubble bath and a glass of tonic water. In fact, I know I’d enjoy that more than watching Laura compete with me for your attention. Besides, Laura wants me to leave so she can have you to herself.”
Apparently, Mark had no response to that. Helen thought he must know it to be true.
“Please don’t go,” he said at last.
“Do you know who called me just now?”
“I can guess it was either Alexander or Dominic.”
“Dominic,” Helen answered unflinchingly. “I don’t think he would have called if Laura hadn’t told him I was here.”
“I don’t think—”
“Don’t be stupid,” Helen interrupted. “Are you so dense that you can’t see she is dead serious about getting you? Dominic has gallantly offered to remove me from this awkward mess and I’m going to let him.”
Mark’s eyes bugged open.
“I don’t think he’ll be so interested in me once he sees me without any of my frills and flounces. Do you?” Helen asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
Mark frowned. “I don’t think it will make any difference to him.”
“We’ll see,” Helen said, turning to leave the room.
“Wait!” Mark exclaimed getting up and grabbing Helen by the arm. “Is this the last chance I’ll have with you?”
Helen didn’t want it to be the end of their ‘relationship’ either, but at the same time, dinner with Laura? Not likely. “I'll give you my number. You can give me a call the next time you have some spare time.”
“I already have your number,” Mark said, still holding onto her arm.
“Then, I’m telling you it would be nice if we could do something together sometime. I’d like it if you called me. Regardless, I’ll see you at work on Monday.”
With that, Helen smiled and left the bedroom. She was pretty proud of herself. She’d done a good job telling him what she really thought.
“See you later, Laura,” Helen called into the kitchen cheerfully as she went into the entryway and put her shoes on. “I can’t stay for supper after all. Bye.”
Helen had one last look at Mark before she closed the door. She wasn’t sure, but she thought he looked frustrated. Well, he could be frustrated. That wasn’t a bad way to leave things at all.
But as a direct result, she had to deal with Dominic. Oh! Goody!