"Ana, just one date. Blake is super nice and cute." Kate practically begs Ana as they sit together at their kitchen island drinking tea.
"Kate, I don't know. I… it's just that…" Ana stammers trying to put her feelings into words but is failing.
Kate looks at Ana with kind, soft eyes, "You can't lock yourself up and be alone forever. You need to get out and meet people. I know you liked that Christian guy, but he was a jerk. There are nice guys out there who won't sleep with you and never call you again."
"I just don't know if I want to go on a date," Ana replies to Kate.
"How about John's restaurant opening? It'll be perfect. You can get to know him, but you'll also have your friends around for support."
"I don't think I have a choice, do I? Because you'll tell Nolan your idea and he'll pest me until I agree to it."
Kate smiles sardonically. "I may have discussed this plan with Nolan."
"I should have known the two of you would gang up on me." Ana rolls her eyes in mock frustration.
"You know we only do it because we love you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Fine. I'll meet Blake. But I'm not going to guarantee anything! He's probably not even my type."
"Good. Now we just have to make sure you have the perfect outfit." Kate beams at Ana, happy she got her way.
"Christian, please!" Mia pleads with her older brother.
"Mia, why don't you go with your friends?" Christian calmly asks his sister.
"Because they aren't into this kind of stuff. They'd rather go shopping or to a club. Plus, it's a very exclusive restaurant, and word is it's already difficult to get in." She gives him her go-to pout which is always successful when she wants to get her way.
He sighs. "What is the name of the restaurant?" He sounds irritated, but Mia knows it's all an act.
Mia squeals with excitement. "Le Beau Jardin."
Christian is intrigued now. There isn't a decent French restaurant in the city so if this place is hall; it will be worth the hassle of the night. He picks up his cell phone and quickly makes a call, "Andrea, good evening. Can you get me and a plus-one on the guest list for the opening of Le Beau Jardin? Great, thank you."
"Christian, you are the best brother ever!" Mia excitedly gives him a hug and a huge kiss on his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah. Look, we'll go to this opening but we're not staying long, and I don't want to hear any complaints. Understand? I have things I need to do and hanging out with desperate foodies isn't on the list."
Mia rolls her eyes at him. He says this now, but she knows she can get him to change his mind if she needs to.
Kate and Ana are sitting in the back of their Uber. They could have driven themselves, but now they don't have to worry about it if they have some wine. "Kate, what time are the guys meeting us there?"
"Zach was going to pick up Blake and meet us there around 8. Don't worry; we have plenty of time." Kate is always so calm and cool. But then, why wouldn't she be? Other women want to be her and men want to date her. She has the world in the palm of her hand. Meanwhile, Ana is fussing with the ruffles from her dress. She let Kate talk her into getting this dress, but now she's worried it's a bit too short. "Stop messing with your dress. You look great." Kate sweetly reprimands her dear friend.
Kate and Ana check in at the door and make their way inside. A waitress makes her way to them with a champagne tray, "Bonjour. Bienvenue Le Beau Jardin." She hands the girls each a glass and leaves to make her way around the restaurant which is quickly becoming crowded.
Kate raises an eyebrow and smiles at Ana before telling her, "Ooh, fancy!" making Ana laugh in return.
"Ana! Kate!" John rushes over to them with his arms open ready to hug them. "Nolan is around here somewhere. You'd think he is the one opening a restaurant."
"Well, Nolan is a social butterfly. Everything looks fantastic, John!" Ana gushes over her friend.
"Thanks, Ana. Wait until you taste the food. I've made mini versions of my menu items as appetizers and small plates so everyone can have a taste of it all." John tells Ana.
Suddenly, Ana feels arms around her shoulders hugging her from behind, "There's my girl. What do you think?" Ana immediately recognizes Nolan's voice and turns around to face him.
"It's amazing. You're lucky to have such a talented boyfriend." Ana winks at John.
"That's why I picked him," Nolan replies. Before he has a chance to say anything else, two guys approach the group.
Kate elbows Ana quickly. "Hey Zach, hey Blake!" Kate greets them flirtatiously. Things aren't serious with Zach, but Kate seems to like him well enough. "Blake, this is my best friend in the whole world, Ana. Ana, I work at the paper with Blake. He's a great sports journalist." Ana smiles shyly at him. He has that all-American look to him with his brown eyes and dirty blonde hair, and when he smiles, he shows off a smile with perfect, white teeth. Blake seems to be the type of guy who would be the quarterback on the high school football team but still talked to all the nerdy kids. He's fit and has muscles but not so it is overbearing.
There's an awkward silence hanging in the air between the four of them. John and Nolan make a quick exit to mingle with some of the other guests.
Ana thinks to herself how painful and awkward this is - she doesn't know Blake at all and Kate hasn't known Zach for long either. Ana hears her name being called and turns to see who the angel is that is saving her from this uncomfortable meeting. She turns around when the smile on her face suddenly dissolves. The angel calling her name is Mia Grey, and she's with Christian. 'It's too late now, she's seen you,' Ana thinks to herself.
Ana quickly plasters a friendly smile on her face and greets Mia who is practically running up to her. "Ana! What are you doing here?" Mia asks, happy to see her.
"Oh, John, the owner is a good friend of mine," Ana explains.
"That is so amazing! I heard about this new place, and I just had to come out and see it. I made my brother get us on the list." Ana looks over Mia's shoulder and makes eye contact with Christian. His glare has cemented her to her spot rendering her unable to move. She feels that same pull of attraction to him she felt when she first met him.
Ana shakes her head as if she is trying to get Christian out of her mind. She smiles pleasantly at Mia trying to ignore Christian. Ana introduces Mia to the group, and once Kate and Mia strike up a conversation, Ana attempts to get a little bit of space. "Guys, if you'll excuse me - I have to find the restroom." Ana lets Kate and Mia know where she is headed and is relieved when they are so engrossed in conversation they don't pay much attention to her.
She makes her escape to the other side of the restaurant and down a dimly lit hallway where the bathrooms are located. She walks to the middle of the hallway and lets out a deep breathe. She takes her phone out to check her messages as an attempt to look inconspicuous. "Anastasia."
Ana looks up to see who is calling her name, but she doesn't need to. She immediately recognized Christian's voice. Ana looks up at him and is greeted by him furiously striding to her. She swallows hard to try and brace herself from whatever onslaught is about to happen. "Hello, Christian." She tries to sound as calm as possible, but her heart is racing about a mile a minute.
"So, he's what you are looking for?" Christian asks her without any preamble.
"What?" Ana is confused. Is he seriously mad that she is here with a date? He's the one who ghosted her!
"What is it about him? Why him?" He ignores her question and continues his inquisition.
"Why him? Why do you care?" Ana plays his game answering his question with another question. She knows this isn't going to turn out well but the hot ball of anger in her stomach is allowing her to keep going.
Christian pauses almost taken aback by Ana's vitriol. "I thought you liked me." He tells her softly.
"I did, Christian. I thought that was obvious, but you're the one who made the ultimate decision. You know, just because you're rich doesn't mean you can treat people like that. You just cut me off like it was nothing." Ana hesitates, feeling herself getting emotional.
He looks at her indignantly, "Cut you off?"
"I thought you were different. If I had known you would ignore my texts and not return my calls, I would have never agreed to date you, let alone sleep with you." Quickly she stops realizing she said that a little loudly and doesn't want her conversation overheard. She needs to get out of here. She's going to start crying any minute, and she doesn't want to give him any satisfaction. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."
She turns around and bolts through the doors behind her without knowing where she would end up. Luckily she is just in a part of the kitchen and the exit to the outside is directly in front of her. She doesn't make contact with any of the staff who are now staring at her and makes her way through the door that is propped open with a bucket.
Christian is left standing there in the hallway trying to figure out what the hell just happened. He's lost in his thoughts when Mia and Kate approach him. Their chipper laughs bring him back to reality. "Christian, what's going on?" Mia asks her older brother. Granted, her older brother isn't the happiest person in the world, but it's evident that something has upset him.
"Where's Ana?" Kate asks. Without saying a word, he points to the door, turns and walks back out to the restaurant. Kate runs through the door Ana went through to see if she's OK. She doesn't know what happened between Ana and Christian but obviously whatever did wasn't good.
Mia turns and runs to try to keep up with her brother. "Christian, what happened?" she asks him.
"Nothing." He replies, his voice is cold and terse. "We're leaving." Christian doesn't break stride and continues walking towards the door. Mia has endured his temper before and knows better than to ask questions, so she says nothing and follows him.