by Jenna Brandt
Her eyes narrowed into slits as she spat out, “That’s not a very nice thing to say about the woman you were planning to marry.”
“Were is the operative word in that sentence. I dodged a bullet by getting free from you.”
“But I need you, Bryce. I can’t live without you.”
“Well, you better find a way because I’ve moved on and you need to do the same.”
She shook her head adamantly. “No, I refuse to believe it. You’re mine, mi amor, and I will make you love me again.”
“You can’t. No matter what you do, it’s over between us.” Not waiting for her to form a rebuttal, Bryce left her standing in the back hallway and entered the main room.
He worked his way to the back of the club where he found Roger sitting with a redheaded woman who looked barely old enough to be in the building, let alone talking to Roger. She had her arm draped across his chest and was laughing at whatever he was saying.
The sight turned Bryce’s stomach. What was wrong with his friend? When was he going to grow up and act like a man rather than a little boy panting after the latest girl to catch his eye?
Bryce made a clearing noise in his throat, causing Roger’s attention to focus on him. “Bryce, you made it. I’m so glad you’re here. Come sit down,” he gestured to a seat across from him. “I see you didn’t bring a date. Is there a reason?”
“Lana couldn’t come tonight. She had to work.”
“At the restaurant?”
He shook his head. “No, she has a catering job she does on the side. They needed her for a special event tonight.”
“I’m glad you came anyway, even if it was alone.” Roger glanced around the room. “But, from all the admiring looks you’re getting from the surrounding ladies, I don’t think you have to leave alone.”
“I’m good, thanks,” Bryce stated. “I’m not interested in being with anyone else.”
“This Lana girl sure has you dancing on a string, doesn’t she?” Roger stated with irritation. “I honestly thought it was just a passing fancy, but you seem taken in by her.”
“She’s unlike any woman I have ever met. I didn’t know it was possible to have such a meaningful relationship with someone.”
“Hold on there, fella. It’s only been like two dates, right?”
“Yes, but I can tell you, I know her better in two dates than I knew Gabrielle in two years.”
“Yes, but you—” but before Roger could finish, the redheaded woman next to him clapped her hands together and shouted, “Yippee, birthday cake. It’s time to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the birthday boy.”
Bryce’s eyes followed to where the woman was looking and settled on a set of cater-waiters bringing in a large birthday cake with Roger’s face on it. It was lit up with one giant sparkling candle. As they brought it closer, the faces of the two waiters came into focus.
Bryce’s eyes grew wide with recognition. Lana. What is she doing here?
As everyone gathered around, Lana couldn’t believe her eyes as they came to rest on Bryce sitting next to the obnoxious man from The Spot. A redheaded woman was next to him, and she got the group to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Roger.
Lana wanted to get away as quickly as possible, but she couldn’t leave Celeste hanging by herself to cut and serve the cake. Instead, she pushed her shoulders back and tried to focus on her job. As soon as I’m finished, I can duck out.
“Isn’t that your girl, Bryce?” she heard Roger inquire. “It seems she’s working as a waitress at my party tonight.”
Her eyes darted over to meet Bryce’s who looked bewildered by what was transpiring. He didn’t seem embarrassed as much as confused.
“Yes, that is Lana,” she heard him confirm. “I didn’t know this was the party she was working at either.”
“Well, when she gets off work, have her come join us,” Roger offered.
The redheaded woman laughed. “Oh, Roger, you’re too funny. Why would you have the staff come socialize with us? She doesn’t belong at your party that way.”
The man from her last date with Bryce showed up with two of the women. He laughed with the other ones. “I can’t believe she is working here tonight. Who would have thought Bryce Montgomery’s charity case would end up serving us at Roger’s party?”
Lana’s hand shook as she handed a piece of cake to a guest. She tried to steady herself, but the room was spinning. She might faint if she didn’t get away.
All the memories of the bullying she sustained in high school came flooding back, causing tears to form in the corners of her eyes.
“Stop it, George. You’re making the poor girl cry,” Roger stated with an admonishing tone. “You don’t want to get on Bryce’s bad side, do you?”
“Oh, my, we hurt the poor little cater-waiter’s feelings," George teased. "It wasn’t my intention. I'm just shocked by the irony of the situation.”
“You need to leave her alone,” Bryce growled out. “She has done nothing to cause you guys to behave this way.”
“Come now, Bryce, don’t get so upset. She’ll be fine, I’m sure,” George stated with a dismissive tone.
“You can’t treat people so harshly and expect it to be okay. You need to shut your mouth now, or I’ll shut it for you,” Bryce threatened.
Lana felt like she would throw up. It was bad enough when they were making fun of her, but now that they were fighting over her, it was even worse. She leaned towards Celeste and whispered, “I can’t stay here. I will go find someone else to take my place.”
Without waiting for a response from her friend, she took off towards the employee area of the nightclub. As soon as she was out of the public view, she crumpled against the wall and let the tears fall. She wanted to be stronger than this, but the words struck like daggers against her heart. What was she doing with Bryce Montgomery? They were from completely different worlds.
“Are you all right, Lana?” the catering company manager, Stan Milt, inquired.
She tried to calm herself down, but the crying wouldn’t subside. She pushed out, “I can’t go back out there.”
“What happened?” he asked defensively. “Did someone hurt you?”
“Not physically, but what they were saying, how they were behaving towards me, I just can’t. If you need to fire me over it, I understand, but I can’t go back out there.”
Stan shook his head. “You’re a good worker. In all the time I’ve had you work for me, you’ve never had a problem.” He patted her shoulder and added, “Why don’t you take the rest of the night off.”
“Thank you,” she said as she pushed herself off the wall and headed down the hall to get her purse.
She could go to a movie to take her mind off what happened. She wondered if Bryce would reach out to her later. They had been texting throughout each day since their last date, but this could make him see her in a different light. Maybe, he wouldn’t want to date her after this.
At the end of the hall, Bryce came from around the corner. He had a concerned look on his face as he approached her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m a bit stunned. I didn’t expect this to happen tonight when I came to work.”
“They can be real jerks. I didn’t realize it until recently, but there it is. I'm sorry they did that to you because of me.”
Lana glanced around. “I need to get out of here and erase tonight from my memory.”
“How about I take you somewhere? I’ve got just the place to take your mind off what happened,” he said as he took her by the hand and led her out the back door.
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’m presuming you like improvisation, right?”
She nodded as they both got into Bryce’s car which had been out back waiting.
“Well, a few of the actors from my play also do improv just a couple of miles from here.” He glanced at his watch. “Their next set will start in a half hour. You feel like having a few laughs?”
“That sounds perfec
t.” A cold chill shot up her arms, causing her to rub them. She realized she left her sweater in the back room of the nightclub. “I need to go get my sweater,” she explained as she put her hand on the handle of the car.
Bryce shook his head. “You don’t need to go back in there. I can go get it for you.”
“Thank you,” she said, settling back into her seat. “I’d much rather stay here.”
From around the corner, Bryce overheard Roger and Gabrielle talking. He stopped moving and listened to what they were discussing.
“I did what you asked, Gabrielle, and hired the company Lana Collins works for, even paying extra to make sure she was the one who brought out the cake. I’m sorry your elaborate plan didn’t work.”
Anger formed in the pit of Bryce’s stomach over the betrayal. How could Roger do this to him? What was worse, how could he do something like that to an innocent woman?
“Roger, we both know Bryce has no business being with that trash. She’s not in his league like I am. I’ve been trying to show him on my own. I mean, I show up wherever he is, and I even tried to get that twit fired.”
“Well, I’ve done my best to end their silly relationship too, but I can’t help it if he doesn’t want to see the truth.”
“You need to try harder,” Gabrielle stated in an irritated tone. “You won’t like what happens if you don’t get it done.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, I promise you if you don’t get them to break up, I will tell everyone your secret.”
Roger let out a throaty growl, then uttered, “You wouldn’t. I told you that when I was drunk back before you were ever even with Bryce. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to tell you.”
“It was your mistake, but if you don’t do what I want, I promise everyone will see all over social media the story about Roger Boswell’s love child with one of New York’s most notorious escorts.”
Bryce rocked back on his heels, reeling from the shocking news. He had no idea Roger had a child he was hiding. They had been friends for years and he had never mentioned it. He wondered what other secrets his friend might be keeping.
“Fine, Gabrielle, you win. I will find another way to get Bryce to break up with Lana. Just give me some time.”
“You’ve got a week. If it’s not done by then, I’m going to the media with your story.”
“I have to get back inside before people notice I’m missing.”
“Good, I need a strong drink to deal with the fact Bryce went chasing after that stupid woman.”
Disgust filled Bryce's heart. What horrible people he had surrounded himself with. It hurt deeply that they were capable of such despicable behavior. He stepped around the corner to find them so he could confront them both when a hand reached out and grabbed him.
“Did you get lost?” Lana asked, looking at his hands expectantly. “I don’t see my sweater.”
“I was just about to get it. Someone stopped me before I made it that far.”
She gave him a warm smile which made him even more upset about what Roger did. He forced himself to return the smile rather than burden her with what he found out.
Lana moved past him as she said, “It’s okay. I can go get it myself. I know right where it is.” She disappeared for a few minutes before returning with her garment.
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked, wanting to distance himself from the people he used to consider friends.
The comedy club on the lower west side of the city was teeming with theatergoers ready to watch the improv actors perform. Lana looked around the small room noticing there was a diverse group of people all waiting to share in the gift of amusement.
A man with long curly blond hair and glasses came to the stage. He smiled out at the audience. “Welcome to The Barrel of Laughs. We’re so glad you guys came. This is an interactive performance so we will ask for your participation throughout the night. Get ready to enjoy a night full of hilarity.”
The room dimmed and the group of five actors took to the black stage. The redheaded female on the far left stated, “It’s time to get all of you involved, so we will start by rehearsing types of applause. We have the ‘polite’ applause when a scene stinks,” she made a small clap that lasted a few seconds, “we have the ‘ooh’ applause where you clap and make that sound for a touching scene. Last, we want a wild roar for a hilarious scene.” The group on stage showed the last one, strutting around like lions, eliciting a small laugh from the crowd.
“I see we got you to laugh, but that was timid,” the blond-haired man observed. “I think we need to rehearse. We will do each type of scene, and you guys will practice your applause.”
The group of performers did three quick scenes, and the crowd responded accordingly.
A third member, a short brown-haired woman, stepped forward and said, “It’s time for our first skit. We will start with doing a backwards scene. In this game, we will start at the end and work our way backwards to the beginning of the event. We need a scenario so please shout out your ideas.”
The people around Lana and Bryce suggested various scenarios. After a few seconds, they settled on a wedding. The improv group started with two members in the middle, one was in front like the officiant, and the other two stood by like the bridesmaid and groomsman. The middle members faked a kiss, then turned to face the officiant who spoke the words of a wedding backwards with the couple responding backwards. They walked off the stage followed by the bridal party and the officiant in reverse. The whole scene was exaggerated and comical, causing Lana’s bad mood to shift into one of ease.
The improv group ran back on to the stage to a cheering audience.
“We’re glad you guys enjoyed that,” a black-haired male stepped forward and stated, “but we also love audience participation. We will need two of you to come up and join in on the fun and games.”
Two of the members moved down the stage steps into the audience and made their way through the audience. Bryce waved his hands and pointed directly at Lana, saying, “She would love to take part.”
The blond man gave him a crooked smile before rolling his eyes. “Ever the gentleman, volunteering your girlfriend to go up on the stage.”
“Oh, she’s an actor and I know she lives for this,” Bryce stated with his own smile.
Lana stiffened, not only from the sudden attention on her but also because the man had mistakenly stated she was Bryce’s girlfriend. What was more surprising was that Bryce didn’t correct him? Did he feel strongly enough about her that he was viewing her as such?
Before she could contemplate the thought further, the redheaded woman was next to the blond man. They were pulling her up on the stage. She kept her head turned towards Bryce as the blond man stated, “Don’t you dare sit down, buster. You’re not getting off that easy. If you volunteer someone, you have to go on stage with them. House rules.”
Bryce shrugged and chuckled. “When in Rome…”
Once on the stage, they directed Lana and Bryce to stand next to each other between the group.
“We need a location and emotion for our couple,” the blond man asked the audience.
The audience shouted ideas out in an avalanche of words, but one woman’s words were louder than the rest. “Hey, isn’t that Manhattan Magazine’s #1 Most Eligible Bachelor? If he’s with her, does that mean he’s off the market?”
The blond man turned to face Lana and Bryce and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “My, my, what an interesting turn of events. Is it true? Do we have Manhattan royalty on our hands?”
Lana watched Bryce avert his eyes as he squirmed under the scrutiny. She could tell he didn’t like the reference. Wanting to protect him, she stepped forward and wrapped her arm through his. “I thought we were here to play games, not declare our relationship status to the world.”
There was a peal of laughter in the audience, then the blond man nodded and said, “Touché.” Crossing his arms, he added, “So someone shouted out first
date, which means the emotion will be nervous attraction. I think we should set the scene in a restaurant. I will play the waiter. The rest of the group will be guests of the establishment.”
Two members brought out a table and two chairs. The blond man gestured to them. “Take a seat, please.”
Both Bryce and Lana did as the improv actors told them. The blond man stood next to their table but facing the audience. “What can I get you both to drink?”
“Just water,” Bryce stated.
“Me too,” Lana echoed while avoiding eye contact with anyone.
“All right, I will be back with your drinks.”
The blond man scurried off, prompting Bryce to turn his attention to Lana. He gave her a tentative smile as he took her hand across the table. “You look lovely tonight.”
She smiled back at him. “Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself.” She needed to move the scene along, so she inquired, “Why did you ask me out?”
“The moment I saw you, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. There was something about you that captivated me.”
Lana felt her heart flutter at the revealing answer. Her eyes locked with Bryce’s and she forgot that other people filled the room, watching them.
"I’m glad you asked me out,” she confessed.
“And I’m so glad you agreed.”
The blond man returned, and he pretended to put two glasses down. He pulled out an imaginary notepad and pen and asked, “What can I get you both to eat?”
They looked up, and both gave random answers to his question before he sauntered off again. The redheaded actor showed up next to their table. She gave a dirty look to Bryce as she said, “Why, if it’s not the most eligible bachelor in all of Manhattan. I have something to give you.” She glanced at Lana with skepticism. “Sweetie, get out now while you can. Don’t you know, men like him are players.” She picked up the fake glass of water and pretended to throw it on him, saying, “From my sister after her miserable date with you last week.”
Bryce pretended to dry himself off from the pretend water before turning his attention back to Lana. “Sorry about that. I’m not sure what that was about. I haven’t been out on a date in six months.”
