Just Another Silly Love Song - Rich Amooi Page 0,36

in an awkward silence, most likely because that had to be the calmest exchange of words we’d had since we had met. It almost felt like a normal conversation, which I didn’t think was possible with a caveman.

Okay, I needed to scratch that word from my brain.

I promised I was going to stop calling him that, and I was going to keep my word.

Maybe he wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought.

There’s more to Ben than meets the eye.

Kyle’s words made me want to dig deeper, to find out more about what made Ben tick, but the waiter returned so that would have to wait.

The waiter grabbed our empty plates and smiled. “Did you save room for dessert?”

Ben rubbed his stomach and smirked. “Probably not, but there’s no way we can pass up the tiramisu.” He held up two fingers. “Two, please.”

The waiter laughed. “Can’t blame you. Coming right up.”

I glanced at Ben and smiled, appreciating him ordering my favorite dessert. “What made you want to get into radio?”

Ben chuckled. “I’m surprised you don’t have that information by now, courtesy of Google.”

“Full disclosure, my grandma did Google you.”

“And did she discover anything interesting?”

I shook my head. “She didn’t find much at all, actually, just your upcoming appearance at the Helen Woodward Animal Center. Although I doubt she knows what she’s doing. I can do some snooping later on to get the real dirt.”

He grinned. “Have at it—I’ve got nothing to hide. As for radio, it wasn’t even part of my long-term plan. I got my degree in psychology and wanted to supersize it. I ended up getting a PhD to boot.”

I arched my eyebrow so high I was sure it almost touched my hairline. “You’re a real doctor?”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t go throwing around the title, but yeah. The radio part came later as a result of being frustrated working within the mental health field.”

“How so?”

He thought about it. “Well, how can I say this without offending you, and then you biting off my head?”

I sighed. “If it’s the truth, you can tell me. And I will save the head removal procedure for our show tomorrow morning.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough. Psychologists are known for being good listeners, because that’s part of our job, obviously. From the get-go, I had decided I wanted to work for a private office and not some big hospital. It felt more intimate and I could have my own office. The management at the medical office complained that I was helping them solve their problems too quickly.”

“What? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Believe me—it’s a thing. They preferred for me to keep asking questions until the patient figured out what they needed on their own. I wasn’t allowed to give straightforward advice, even though almost always I knew what the problem was and how they could resolve it immediately.”

“Why would they ask you to do that?”

“Money. The more patient visits, the more our office got paid.”

“Why didn’t you change employers?”

“I did. And my next employer operated the exact same way. It was horrible because in some cases I would know how to resolve the issue on their very first visit, but since they typically would sign up the patient for a six to ten week program, depending on the issue. I would have to drip-release my questions and thoughts on what they were going through in order for the office to get fully paid. It was dishonest, and I had to find a way out.”

“How did you find it?”

I nodded. “I had a friend who was working in radio at the time at a news-talk station. He called one day and told me they had a new health segment on the morning show and were looking for someone to interview on the subject. They wanted to talk about stress in the workplace and how that could affect relationships. One interview turned into almost fifty, and almost all the questions about relationships. But the best part was I didn’t have to hold back my thoughts. I was able to offer direct advice and be as blunt as I wanted. It was a release for me, honestly. That was my outlet after being held back. I loved it. The problem was, it didn’t pay any money since I was just a guest on their show sharing my expertise. Fortunately, a year later a competing news-talk radio station, the one you are now working for, called me with an idea for a new morning show that was