Oughta Be a Movie: a Sugar-&-Spice romantic comedy by Susan Hammond Page A

her over to the bar and motioning to the bartender, he said, “Park yourself. I need about ten minutes, but we might as well start spending your brother’s money. Beer, wine, cocktail?”
    “Beer’s good.”
    He looked at the bartender and asked what they had.
    “All the standards. And we got in a new shipment of Total Domination. An Oregon IPA that’s pretty popular.”
    Ben was trying not to smile. Again. That seemed to be happening a lot tonight. She spoke to the bartender, but looked straight at Ben. “I’ll try Total Domination.”
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bartender nod and walk away. It was Ben who spoke. The small shake of his head and his half smile gave away his amusement, but his voice was deep and firm. “Excellent choice, Miss McKenna.” Running his thumb along her jawline then tipping up her chin, his voice didn’t change when he added, “Try to stay out of trouble. Until I get back.”
    Ali watched Ben walk away, admiring the view before she gave her head a hard shake to clear what must be a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. That was…hot.
    The bartender was pouring peanuts into bowls only three feet from where she was sitting. Just to make polite conversation, she commented, “I wonder what he’s up to.” The bartender’s hand stopped in mid-pour, and his eyes cut to the dark stage and back to her.
    “You’ll have to ask your boyfriend about that.”
    “He’s not…” My boyfriend? She tried to picture what Ben as a boyfriend would mean. She pictured the letter sitting on her desk at home, the one from Caltech that had arrived this week. The one she hadn’t told anyone about. Pictured the last photo she’d seen of Ben in some celebrity spread with a leggy blonde on his arm, arriving at some opening night.
    The bartender was still talking. “…said for you to stay out of trouble. That’s good advice for me, too. Don’t want to lose my job.” In spite of his words, he was smiling.
    Odd. What was Ben up to that could get this guy fired?
    Before she could decide whether to pump him for more information—torn between her curiosity and her love of surprises—the DJ turned up the volume as the rest of the wedding party spilled through the door. Two of the bridesmaids stopped to talk about how perfect the wedding had been, then headed off to join their dates. Chase sauntered over and gestured to the empty barstool to her left. “This taken?”
    “Ben’s on a secret mission. He’ll be gone a few minutes. Where’s your dinner companion?”
    As he sat down, he glanced at his watch. “More than likely still making up with her boyfriend.”
    “Ouch. Poor Chase. You were used?”
    “Seems like it.”
    Ali smiled. “I’m guessing this is a first.”
    He shrugged. “I probably deserved it.”
    “You can’t cry in your beer if you’re not drinking.”
    “I’d better fix that.” He looked at the bottle in front of her, raised one eyebrow, and waved to the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having.”
    Ali muttered to herself. “ When Harry Met Sally , Estelle Reiner as the woman in Katz’s Deli.” Chase didn’t hear her and seemed preoccupied. “What’s on your mind?”
    He shrugged again, looked around at the growing crowd, at Jack standing behind his wife, Hannah, with his arms wrapped around her and his hands on her baby belly. “Awash in a sea of marital bliss here.”
    “Ahh. Your lifestyle’s threatened. You could be the next to fall?”
    “Not much chance of that.”
    Ali had the distinct impression he wasn’t saying he’d do what it takes to avoid that horrible fate. It felt like he was saying he wouldn’t be that lucky. Chase? “And why is that? Maybe you just haven’t met the right woman.”
    “When one of your better known dating skills is sliding out of a woman’s house before the morning-after pancakes hit the griddle, ‘right women’ aren’t really all that interested. Not at our age, anyway.”
    She smiled at the image