# CHAPTER 11: The Worst Idea in the History of Bad Ideas
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review CHAPTER 11 of "Just for the Plot." Buckle up, because this chapter is an emotional rollercoaster of jealousy, regret, and a plan that might just change everything. Let's dive in!
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Bennett Pace is having the worst night of his entire existence—and that's saying something for a man who's made more than his fair share of questionable decisions. Pacing his living room like a caged animal, he's practically tearing his hair out, consumed by thoughts he wishes he could escape. Every passing minute feels like an eternity as he imagines Bower out on her date with Cougar Vajeen.
In the dress that *he* zipped for her.
The dress that was supposed to make her feel confident and beautiful for her big night out—except now he's realizing that his brilliant plan to show her how great he is by being the "good friend who sets her up" has backfired spectacularly. Because all he can think about is whether Cougar is touching her, laughing with her, checking her out in that dress that *he* helped her into. And worst of all? He might kiss her. Someone else might kiss Bower before Bennett ever gets the chance.
*Fuck. This was the worst fucking idea I've ever had in my entire goddamn existence.*
Setting Bower up with someone else? Stupid idea. Setting her up with Cougar Vajeen? A crime. He should be taken to jail. Right now.
The thoughts are consuming him, eating away at his sanity, and in a moment of pure desperation, he does something he probably shouldn't do—he texts Graydon.
"Does Cougar tend to drink and drive?"
It's a lame excuse, a thin cover for his real anxiety. He's checking the horizon for any potential rescue mission, any reason to swoop in and save Bower from this date gone wrong. But Graydon's responses are frustratingly logical. No, Cougar doesn't drink and drive. If Bennett is worried about his friend, why isn't he texting her instead? Bennett's excuses get weaker and weaker, and his questions become more unhinged by the second:
Does Cougar get drunk often? Is he persuasive when drunk? Does he get his date drunk as well? Does he take advantage? What are his thoughts on consent?
Graydon calls him, and the growl in his voice tells Bennett everything he needs to know about the man's patience level. "What's going on is that you're bothering me and I don't want you bothering me, so fucking stop it."
But Bennett can't stop. He's spiraling, desperate for reassurance that he hasn't made a catastrophic mistake. And Graydon finally gives it to him straight: Cougar isn't dumb. He won't drink and drive. He fucks a lot, sure, but nothing suggests he operates without consent. If Bennett's friend ends up in his bed, it's of her own volition.
*Got it?*
Got it.
The call ends, leaving Bennett feeling profoundly unwell. He's so overheated with anxiety that he opens his freezer and literally sticks his head inside, resting it among the frozen goods. The bag of frozen peas practically mock him as he contemplates giving up entirely. What chance does he really have with Bower anyway? She called him a "great friend" in the truck before her date. A great friend. His chances are as thin as the plastic holding that bag of peas together.
And then—buzz, buzz. A text!
His heart leaps. It has to be her. She needs rescuing. The date must have gone horribly wrong and she's calling for a hero!
But no. It's Gretchen. His PR handler. *Ugh, that was fucking cruel.*
"In the neighborhood, want to talk now?"
It's past ten, but Bennett figures he might as well. Anything to keep his mind occupied. Anything to stop the torture of imagining Bower with someone else.
They agree to meet at Brewers, a twenty-four-hour coffee shop around the corner from his place. He throws on a hat and a shirt that isn't drenched in nervous sweat, then bolts out the door.
Gretchen is already at a table when he arrives, nursing a cup of coffee with that scrutinizing look she's famous for. She's tough. She keeps the whole team in line during this PR nightmare. They even tried to overthrow her in the beginning, but she put them in their place pretty quickly.
"So... you're unhappy."
About a lot of things, but she doesn't need to know that.
Bennett gets straight to the point: he doesn't see how the zoo thing is helping him. It's time-consuming, and there's no return. Maybe there's something else he can do, something more like Graydon's social media thing with Maple.
Gretchen nods. The Bombers' front office hasn't seen much pickup from what Bennett's been doing. She's been thinking about how to remedy that.
"How do you feel about a PR relationship?"
"Not happening."
"Shame. What about a dating show?"
"No."
"You don't have to actually date the person."
"No, nothing to do with my love life."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No," Bennett says wistfully, and his mind betrays him by drifting to Bower. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she pressed her hand to his chest before her date—
"What's that?" Gretchen asks, motioning to his face.
"What's what?"
"That look. When I asked if you have a girlfriend, you said no, but there was this starry-eyed glaze in your expression."
Bennett denies it, of course, but Gretchen isn't buying it. She presses and presses, threatening to extend his zoo time into the next year if he doesn't confess.
"Fine, it's my sister's best friend."
"Interesting."
"She's currently on a date right now with Cougar Vajeen," he blurts, instantly hating himself for it.
Gretchen's eyes narrow. "Cougar Vajeen? As in the running back for the Foghorns?"
"Is there really another person with the name Cougar Vajeen?"
"Don't get lippy with me. I'm trying to help you."
And then the full story comes spilling out. The bad advice from Nolan Hart. The plan to set Bower up with a douchebag so Bennett could swoop in and save the day. The involvement of Graydon, Hutton, and Cougar himself. Gretchen rubs her temples like the information might physically hurt her.
"Who knows about this?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Because I need to know everything so I'm fully prepared."
She lays out a nightmare scenario: What if Cougar does something stupid with this girl, and she goes to the media about how she was mistreated, and names everyone involved in setting her up with him? Bennett insists Bower would never do that. She's a good friend.
"Good friends always turn on the famous. Textbook."
"She won't turn on me," Bennett says with conviction, and that makes Gretchen pause.
"Fine, in the unlikely event that she does turn on you, who was involved in this setup?"
"Just the people I mentioned. Me, Graydon, Hutton, Nolan, and Cougar."
Gretchen types something into her phone. "That's way too many men to be involved in a woman's future."
"She asked to be set up," Bennett defends. "It was initially her idea."
"Well, that's a relief at least."
She asks if there's any chance he'll be dating this girl. Bennett's gut churns at the thought of Bower and Cougar together—married, having kids, a whole life—and admits it's probably a no. But Gretchen sees something. She starts talking about the PR space and doing something that could possibly assist in his endeavors to date Bower. Bennett wants none of it. He doesn't want to expose her to the public or use her to help the Bombers' image.
"No, that's not what I'm thinking. What if we had you participate in something that she likes and that could win her over, while also uplifting the image of the team?"
Bennett scoffs. "And why the hell would we do that? As if you care about my love life."
"You're right, I really don't." Her eyes scan over him. "But I care about your image because that's my job, and the way you're presenting yourself at the moment is one step up from an angry troll under a bridge throwing sticks at people as they pass by."
"I'm not a troll."
"Your shirt is inside out."
Bennett glances down. Sure as shit, it is.
And then, as if the universe has a sick sense of humor, the door to the coffee shop opens—and Bower walks in.
*Holy shit.*
Bennett wants to duck under the table, prays to every god above that Cougar doesn't walk in behind her. But Gretchen sees him staring and turns to follow his gaze. An evil smirk spreads over her lips just before she raises her hand and calls out:
"Bower."
*What the fuck.*
Bower turns toward them, a crease in her brow before she recognizes Bennett. Her face lights up. "Bennett. What are you doing here?"
"Uh..."
"Late-night planning session," Gretchen says smoothly, extending her hand. "Hi, I'm Gretchen. I'm in charge of Bennett's PR right now."
"Oh, the whole zoo thing. It's nice to meet you." Bower glances at Bennett and smiles. "Well, I'll let you get back to what you're talking about. It's late and I don't want to hold you up."
"No, please join us," Gretchen says, and Bennett's cheeks burn because what the hell is she doing? "We could use some help, actually, and since you know Bennett so well, you could be of use."
Bower looks between them uncertainly, but Gretchen insists. Bower heads to the counter to grab a drink, and Bennett's eyes trail after her, watching the sway of her hips against the fabric of that dress, how it clings to her torso and flares out at her waist.
Did he touch her? Kiss her? Slip his hand under the hem of her dress? Did he tell her he'd call later? Set up another date? If she's alone right now, does that mean they didn't get along?
*Fuck, I don't want to get my hopes up.*
"If you stare at her any longer, she might disappear into thin air," Gretchen says.
He whips back around. "What the fuck is your plan, Gretchen?"
"Well, now that I've seen the transparent longing in your eyes, I'm going to attempt to end the agony and just tell her how you feel."
"What?" Bennett's balls shrivel at the suggestion. "No, you can't. Gretchen, it would... it would ruin everything. She's... she's my sister's—"
"I'm kidding, Bennett. I wouldn't do that."
His breath catches from the panic she just put him through. "How do I know that's the truth?"
"Because it seems like the thought of her finding out about your feelings might actually give you a heart attack, and although it would tickle me to see a love connection unfold in front of my eyes, the job comes first, and giving one of my clients a heart attack doesn't necessarily scream 'good press.'"
Bennett sighs. "Good, because she can't know."
"Ever?"
"No, not never, just... not yet. She still sees me as the little brother and I need to show her I'm not that man."
"Fair. So then my plan will work."
Bower joins them, taking a seat right next to him, her shoulder brushing against his. And in that moment, Bennett realizes how much he missed her. How all the agonizing tonight has made him feel like a lovesick puppy looking for any kind of connection. She smells so good, just like her—warm and familiar. He wants to lean into her, run his nose along her neck, check if she smells like anyone else but herself. Instead, he drapes his arm over the back of her chair, and Gretchen tracks the move with calculating eyes.
"So, why are you guys meeting so late?" Bower asks, smirking. "Anything you're not telling me, Bennett?" She wiggles her eyebrows, and Bennett hates that she'd ever suggest he and Gretchen could be together.
"We're not together," he says, maybe too quickly and too high-pitched.
"That doesn't sound innocent at all." Bower laughs and takes a sip of her drink. It smells a lot like chai.
"We're not," Gretchen confirms. "Bennett is not my type."
*Ouch.* Not that he really cares. But still, he's sitting right here.
"Not your type?" Bower asks, shocked. "Is handsome not your type? Muscular? Good at baseball? Abs for days?"
"Abs?" Gretchen's brow lifts. "Sounds to me like you might be the one who should date him."
*Gretchen...*
Bower laughs and shakes her head. "No, Bennett and I have known each other for so long, and I'm practically his grandma. He wants nothing to do with an old lady like me."
"You're not my grandma. You're eight years older. That's nothing."
"It's something, but either way, we're good friends, right, Bennett?"
*So fucking painful.*
"Yup, great friends."
Gretchen looks between them, then folds her arms. "Friends I can work with."
This is where everything starts to shift. Gretchen lays out an idea: Bennett will form a book club. They'll create social media accounts for it. He'll recommend two books a month and discuss them with Bower on video. It'll capture the female audience, especially since Bennett is already such a heartthrob.
Bennett tries to protest—he doesn't want to drag Bower into his PR mess—but Bower is already on board, gripping his arm with genuine excitement. "Oh my God, I'd love that. I've always wanted to start a book club. I thought it would be great to go with my book truck idea that will never happen, but at least I can cling to a book club."
*Book truck idea? What's that?*
"It's settled." Gretchen starts gathering her things. "Come up with a name that I can approve, and the Kim Halpert Book Club is not it. I'd like to see this up and running in a few weeks. Once I see you've committed to this idea, Bennett, then I can reduce your time at the zoo."
And if that wasn't enough, Bower starts getting dangerously enthusiastic about Bennett's marketable assets.
"Any chance we can secure some sort of shirtless campaign for him? He has amazing abs. Go ahead, Bennett, show her your abs."
"I'm not showing her my abs."
"Go ahead. Don't be shy. They're great. A set you can lose a finger in, the divots are so deep. Go on, Bennett, flash her."
"I'm not flashing her," Bennett says, clamping down on his shirt. "We're not doing a shirtless campaign."
"Actually, a shirtless campaign is not a bad idea," Gretchen muses. "Let me talk to some magazines and see what we can do."
Bower claps. "They won't regret it. Oh! Have we considered a dating show?"
Bennett groans, yanks Bower out of her chair, and starts pulling her toward the door. "We're leaving."
Gretchen chuckles as Bower calls over her shoulder, "Consider the dating show. Women will be pleading at his feet to ease the blue balls."
*Jesus. Christ.*
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## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
Oh my goodness, this chapter was *agony* in the best possible way! Watching Bennett completely unravel over Bower's date was both hilarious and heartbreaking. The man literally stuck his head in a freezer to cool his burning anxiety—I couldn't stop laughing, but I also wanted to give him a hug. His jealousy is so raw, so real, and so painfully relatable. And the chemistry between him and Bower? Electric. When she pressed her finger to his lips to shut him up, I literally squealed. The book club idea is brilliant, and I love how Gretchen has become this unexpected ally in his love life—even if she pretends she only cares about image. This chapter was a perfect blend of humor, longing, and the promise of something beautiful to come.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
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## Next Chapter Prediction
The book club is going to be a game-changer for Bennett and Bower! Spending more time together, discussing romance novels (hello, that "horny" book talk), and being captured on video for the world to see—it's only a matter of time before their chemistry becomes undeniable. But I'm guessing Bower's date with Cougar isn't quite over yet. Did something happen at that coffee shop visit she's not telling Bennett about? And what secrets is she keeping? I predict the book club will force them into closer proximity, leading to more stolen glances, lingering touches, and possibly a moment where they're reading a particularly steamy scene and the tension between them becomes too much to resist. But will Bennett ever gather the courage to tell her how he truly feels?
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