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I want to groan out loud because it’s the very same joke I bombed with on my first night.
“Boo who?” Theodore looks slightly confused.
“There’s no need to cry. It’s only a joke,” Brett says, and he throws his head back, laughing. “Sorry, folks. I couldn’t resist. My girlfriend told that joke once, and I wanted to pay homage to her and her set.”
“Really, Brett?” I call out, and he blows me a kiss.
“Okay, let’s start the set again,” he says. “I want to begin by saying I’m a man without a plan. And a man without a plan is like a pilot without a plane.”
The crowd stares up at him, and I press my lips together.
He lets out a loud groan. “Okay, I didn’t think that one was going to hit, but I expected at least one laugh.” He looks over at me. “Darling, if you love me, laugh.”
I laugh loudly.
“And, folks, that’s how I know she loves me. She laughs on cue. Find yourself a Rosie.”
I shake my head at him.
“So, I want to apologize to my girlfriend because she always gets nervous before her sets, and I always tell her she has nothing to be nervous about, and that even if she bombs, it’s not such a bad thing. But as I stand here, bombing joke after joke, I realize I was wrong. So, I’m going to ask Rosie to come back up and give us some of her jokes before everyone leaves. The festivities haven’t even started so I don’t want that to happen.”
“Darling,” I say, walking over to him.
His eyes twinkle. “I told you I’m not a comedian.”
“You can say that again.”
“What? It’s the best I had.”
I turn to the crowd. “Well, folks, I love this man, and as most of you have now realized, it isn’t for his jokes. We will not be taking the comedy circuit by storm as a duo. Unless people pay us to stay off the stage.”
The crowd laughs, and Brett looks over at me.
“You see, folks, this is why she’s the paid comedian, and I’m the guy who opens nonprofits.”
I grab his hand and squeeze. “You know what? You are the funniest man in the world to me, and I don’t care if anyone else in this room agrees because every joke you tell is sincere and well meant.”
“I think you’re telling me you love me, Rosie.”
“I think I am.”
“Folks, my girlfriend just told me she loves me. This may be the happiest moment of my life.”
“I thought I said that to you last night,” I say, and he claps his hand over my mouth.
“Folks, she’s letting all our secrets out.”
The crowd erupts with laughter, and I can’t help but feel like this is one of the best days of my life.
“I told you it would work,” I whisper. “You pretend to bomb, and we do this together.”
“I always knew my life would be better with a partner,” he says.
“No, you didn’t.” I roll my eyes at him.
“Okay, true. Not always. But when I fell in love with you, that’s when I knew.”
“Oh, Brett. Sometimes, I don’t know what to do with you.”
