they were all in their seats, she extended a hand to Walter. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Cooper.”
“Call me Walter. My son here is the Dr. Cooper in the family. I only have a Ph.D. in biomedical ethics. I’m one of the few non-doctors teaching at the medical school.”
Elaine, no shrinking violet, was quick to take over the conversation. “Ben, we’re going to Marty’s house next weekend. Can’t you make time and come see his little boy? He’s already two months old and you haven’t met him.”
Hannah struggled to pull names from her mind. Ben had me ntioned a sister Abbe something, not Cooper. Had she had a baby?
“I’m so sorry for butting in. Did your daughter Abbe have a baby? I thought…” she trailed off. For someone who was supposed to be his girlfriend, she was feeling woefully ignorant.
“Oh, no dear. We’re talking about Marty’s baby. Marty is Ben’s brother.”
Hannah knew she hadn’t heard of any brother. She was one hundred percent sure he’d talked about having only one sister. Her confusion must have shown on her face.
The waiter chose that moment to get their drink orders. She ordered a glass of wine. Before the waiter left the table, she snagged him and asked for a bottle of seltzer as well. Dinner could go either way. When the drinks got there, she’d decide if she needed lubrication to help with the parents, or water to remain as sober as a judge.
Ben’s now cold eyes penetrated Elaine with a steely gaze Ha nnah had never seen before. His eyes had always held warmth when looking at Hannah. Michael’s eyes, on the other hand could drop from warm sky blue to frozen tundra in a second. “Mom, you know I don’t talk about this. Drop it.”
“I’m not going to drop it Ben. You’re forty years old. Quit acting like a child. I expected this when you were seventeen, not now. If I could get over it, so can you.”
“Ma.” Ben shook his head, a not so subtle warning written all over his stone-like face.
“Little baby Logan hasn’t done a damn thing to you. He’s innocent in all this. So are Marty, and Hallie for that matter,” Elaine said in a voice best suited for a seven year old.
Ben started to rise from the table. “I’m leaving, Ma.”
“Benjamin Aaron Cooper. Sit down.” Her small hand smacked the table with force, the liquid sloshed in their glasses.
Walter finally spoke. “Listen to your mother.” Ben sat back in the chair, though he pushed himself a few inches away from the table like a petulant child.
The waiter came back to a tenser table than before, this time looking for orders. Walter and Ben ordered steak and creamed spinach without looking at the menu. Elaine ordered fish, and Hannah held up two fingers to the waiter, in a gesture indicating she’d have the same as his mom. Sensing the disquiet, their waiter didn’t linger.
“I didn’t think you’d act like this way around Hannah,” his mother said reproachfully.
“Is that why you invited her?” He turned to Hannah. Ben’s eyes had gone from chilly to downright arctic, causing a shiver to run down her body. “If you must know, Marty is my half -brother. My dear father, Dr. Cooper, had an affair with his secretary. That little indiscretion produced a child: Marty.”
Hannah lifted her butt halfway from the chair. Was she going to have to walk out of this restaurant for a second time? “I should go. I’m intruding on a family discussion here.”
Hannah felt like she’d been caught in a bear trap a second time today. All that song and dance from Elaine about her breaking Ben’s heart and his father had been walking the line of duplicity way further back than Samara. He’d grown up being lied to. Why would he want to think the worst of his ex-wife, when he’d already survived one emotional disaster? Ben grabbed her hand. She felt electricity run up and down her arm. Attraction to him felt so inappropriate in this setting. He looked her in the eye, his at once cool and pleading.
“Call me Walter. My son here is the Dr. Cooper in the family. I only have a Ph.D. in biomedical ethics. I’m one of the few non-doctors teaching at the medical school.”
Elaine, no shrinking violet, was quick to take over the conversation. “Ben, we’re going to Marty’s house next weekend. Can’t you make time and come see his little boy? He’s already two months old and you haven’t met him.”
Hannah struggled to pull names from her mind. Ben had me ntioned a sister Abbe something, not Cooper. Had she had a baby?
“I’m so sorry for butting in. Did your daughter Abbe have a baby? I thought…” she trailed off. For someone who was supposed to be his girlfriend, she was feeling woefully ignorant.
“Oh, no dear. We’re talking about Marty’s baby. Marty is Ben’s brother.”
Hannah knew she hadn’t heard of any brother. She was one hundred percent sure he’d talked about having only one sister. Her confusion must have shown on her face.
The waiter chose that moment to get their drink orders. She ordered a glass of wine. Before the waiter left the table, she snagged him and asked for a bottle of seltzer as well. Dinner could go either way. When the drinks got there, she’d decide if she needed lubrication to help with the parents, or water to remain as sober as a judge.
Ben’s now cold eyes penetrated Elaine with a steely gaze Ha nnah had never seen before. His eyes had always held warmth when looking at Hannah. Michael’s eyes, on the other hand could drop from warm sky blue to frozen tundra in a second. “Mom, you know I don’t talk about this. Drop it.”
“I’m not going to drop it Ben. You’re forty years old. Quit acting like a child. I expected this when you were seventeen, not now. If I could get over it, so can you.”
“Ma.” Ben shook his head, a not so subtle warning written all over his stone-like face.
“Little baby Logan hasn’t done a damn thing to you. He’s innocent in all this. So are Marty, and Hallie for that matter,” Elaine said in a voice best suited for a seven year old.
Ben started to rise from the table. “I’m leaving, Ma.”
“Benjamin Aaron Cooper. Sit down.” Her small hand smacked the table with force, the liquid sloshed in their glasses.
Walter finally spoke. “Listen to your mother.” Ben sat back in the chair, though he pushed himself a few inches away from the table like a petulant child.
The waiter came back to a tenser table than before, this time looking for orders. Walter and Ben ordered steak and creamed spinach without looking at the menu. Elaine ordered fish, and Hannah held up two fingers to the waiter, in a gesture indicating she’d have the same as his mom. Sensing the disquiet, their waiter didn’t linger.
“I didn’t think you’d act like this way around Hannah,” his mother said reproachfully.
“Is that why you invited her?” He turned to Hannah. Ben’s eyes had gone from chilly to downright arctic, causing a shiver to run down her body. “If you must know, Marty is my half -brother. My dear father, Dr. Cooper, had an affair with his secretary. That little indiscretion produced a child: Marty.”
Hannah lifted her butt halfway from the chair. Was she going to have to walk out of this restaurant for a second time? “I should go. I’m intruding on a family discussion here.”
Hannah felt like she’d been caught in a bear trap a second time today. All that song and dance from Elaine about her breaking Ben’s heart and his father had been walking the line of duplicity way further back than Samara. He’d grown up being lied to. Why would he want to think the worst of his ex-wife, when he’d already survived one emotional disaster? Ben grabbed her hand. She felt electricity run up and down her arm. Attraction to him felt so inappropriate in this setting. He looked her in the eye, his at once cool and pleading.
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