CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It came as no surprise to Ben that over the next couple of days, Amelia kept her distance from him. Her responses to his texts had been brief and, to some degree, felt dismissive.
It was a bit discouraging, but at the same time, he understood. He knew she was scared of what her future held, and he didn’t blame her for that.
Ben just wished she understood that she didn’t have to carry her health concerns alone. He would be there for her, and he knew that his family would be too.
On Friday afternoon, he swung by the church as five o’clock neared. It was his hope that Amelia would be willing to hang out for a bit. Maybe have dinner together.
He’d spent the day making some arrangements in the off-chance that Amelia agreed to spend the evening with him. He was very much prepared for her to say no, and he wouldn’t pressure her if that was her response.
There were still three cars in the parking lot when he got there, one of which was Amelia’s. He parked next to it, then got out, leaving Luca in the SUV to wait for him.
He went around to the side door, then stepped into the cool silence of the hallway of the church.
Hearing the distant murmur of voices, Ben headed toward the office. When he got there, he found a man about his age speaking with Amelia.
Ben didn’t recognize him, but the smile on the man’s face as he talked to Amelia sent a swirl of jealousy through him. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and one he didn’t like very much.
As he stepped into the office, Amelia turned to face him. When she saw him, a smile bloomed across her face.
“Well, I guess I understand now,” the man said with a chuckle.
Ben looked at the guy. “What’s that?”
“I understand now why Amelia keeps turning me down,” he said.
Amelia gave a cough, and Ben glanced at her to see a flush of pink on her cheeks.
Focusing back on the stranger, Ben fixed him with a look. “You’ve asked Amelia out on a date?”
The guy grinned as he crossed his arms. “Only once a month for the past few months.”
“Once a month?” Ben said. “You’re not very persistent.”
“And you’ve asked her out more frequently?”
“We used to date in high school,” Ben said. “She’s already said yes to me.”
“Gentlemen?” the pastor said as he came out of his office. “Did I miss the memo about a meeting?”
“No, you didn’t,” Amelia said, getting up from her desk.
“Well, I’m going to head off,” the other man said, then gave Amelia a grin. “See you around.”
“How are you doing, Ben?” the pastor asked, holding out his hand. “It’s been nice having you around this summer.”
“I’m good,” Ben said. “And I’m really enjoying being here, spending more time with my family.”
“I’m sure your parents are happy to have you around. Your mom has frequently mentioned that she wished you lived here.”
“Yes. I hear that a lot from both of them.”
“Was there a reason you stopped by today?” the pastor asked, glancing at Amelia, then back at Ben.
“Yes, I stopped by to chat with Amelia.”
The pastor smiled at Amelia. “You’re a popular one today.”
“Seems that way,” Amelia agreed.
“Well, I’m off,” the pastor said. “Emily is waiting for me to take her out for dinner. It’s our date night.”
“Have a nice time,” Amelia said, then they watched as the pastor headed down the hallway to the side door.
“What really brings you by?” Amelia asked once it was just the two of them.
“I wanted to ask you to come to the lake with me.”
“The lake?”
“Yep. I’ve got a boat at the marina, and I’d like to go out on the water tonight.”
“And you want me to come with you?”
“I’d like that very much,” Ben said. “I’m not planning to swim or anything. Just go out on the water. Have something to eat. Watch the sunset.”
“Who all is going?”
Ben hesitated, not knowing which answer would help her to decide to go with him. However, it wasn’t like he could lie to her. She’d find out soon enough that it was just going to be them, and of course, Luca.
“Just me and Luca,” he said. “And hopefully, you.”
“And no swimming?”
“Nope.”
Ben held his breath as he waited for her to give him her answer. He had the whole evening planned out. He just needed her to say yes.
“I’d have to go home first.”
“Of course,” Ben said quickly. “We can drive over to your place, then take the SUV to the marina.”
Her expression didn’t reveal any of her internal debate, but Ben had no doubt that she was having one.
“Okay.”
He wanted to punch the air in celebration but settled for a smile. “Perfect. It’s supposed to be a beautiful evening, and I think there’s no better place to enjoy it than on the water.”
Amelia picked up her purse and phone. “Do I need to bring anything for supper?”
Ben shook his head. “It’s all taken care of.”
They left the office together, with Amelia pausing to turn off the lights, and then setting the alarm as they left through the side door.
Once they reached her car, Ben again offered to drive, while Luca drove the SUV.
The trip to Amelia's apartment was quiet, with just the soft hum of the radio between them.
Ben glanced over at her profile, noticing how she gazed out the window, lost in her thoughts. Her hair caught the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the window, highlighting the golden strands mixed with the darker blonde.
When they reached her building, he parked and turned to her. "I'll wait here while you change."
"I won't be long," she promised before getting out of the car.
Ben watched her walk to the building entrance, her steps measured but steady as she disappeared into the building.
He leaned back against the headrest, a small smile tugging at his lips. The fact that she'd said yes to spending the evening with him felt like a tiny victory.
Luca tapped on the window, startling Ben from his thoughts.
"Everything okay?" Ben asked as he opened the door and climbed out.
"Just checking our timeline," Luca said. "Connie texted to confirm everything's ready at the marina."
Ben had asked Connie, their cook, to prepare a basket of food for them. There was a barbecue on the boat, so he’d requested something that he could prepare on it. He didn’t do a lot of cooking, but he’d been known to man a barbecue on occasion.
"Perfect. We just need to wait for Amelia to change, then we'll head over."
Ben and Luca leaned against the SUV as they waited. The day had been sunny and warm, presenting a perfect opportunity for him to plan an evening on the water.
When Amelia appeared a few minutes later, she’d changed into a pair of light denim shorts that reached mid-thigh and a gauzy-looking shirt that hung open over a black tank top.
She had on a pair of flat sandals, and she’d pulled her hair up into a high ponytail.
A pair of large sunglasses were perched on the top of her head.
Ben pushed away from the SUV as she approached. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.”
This time, he let Luca drive while he and Amelia climbed into the middle seat. He wanted to be sure he spent as much time focused on her as possible. This evening was for her, and he was beyond grateful that she’d agreed to it.
The drive to the private marina didn’t take long, and once Luca had found a parking spot, they left the SUV and headed for the boat.
“Wow,” Amelia said, her steps slowing as they neared the boat. “Did you rent this?”
Ben hesitated for a moment, then said, “No. I own it.” When she came to a stop, Ben turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” She gave her head a shake. “Nothing. It looks beautiful.”
As they started to walk again, he said, “When I realized I’d be spending the summer here, I wanted a boat that I could use whenever I wanted, and that wasn’t as big as Cole’s. It arrived a couple of days ago. This is the first time I’m taking it out other than the day it was delivered.”
When they reached the boat, Luca boarded first, then Ben followed him, turning back to offer his hand to Amelia. She took it without hesitation, and Ben held her hand firmly until she was safely aboard.
After doing a quick check of the food that Connie had delivered, Ben gave Luca the go-ahead to steer the boat out. They’d already agreed that Luca would pilot the boat so that Ben could focus on Amelia.
The thrum of the engine vibrated through the boat as Ben guided Amelia to the bow. There was a seating area that he thought would be a good place to relax as Luca guided the boat out of the marina.
“Do you want a drink?” Ben asked as Amelia sat down on one of the cushioned benches.
“Sure.” She slid her sunglasses down over her eyes. “What are my options?”
“I have diet and regular pop, sparkling flavored water, and plain water.”
“Sparkling water would be nice.”
Ben opened the cover of the refrigerated cooler and pulled out a bottle of sparkling raspberry water, cracked the cap, and handed it to her. She took it from him, looked at it, then peered at him over the top of her sunglasses.
“Raspberry?”
“Is it not still your favorite?” he asked as he settled down next to her with a bottle of pop in his hand.
“It is,” she said. “I’m just surprised you remembered.”
He wanted to tell her that he didn’t think he’d forgotten much about her, but his goal was to get her to relax and enjoy the evening. Not put her on edge if she was still uncertain about things between them.
Once they were past the marina, Luca increased the speed a little bit, but Ben had already told him that he wanted to keep things on the slower side. He was hoping for a leisurely evening, not a speedy one.
The boat he’d bought was more of a cruiser than a speedboat. It even had a small kitchen, bedroom, and a bathroom on its lower level. He could probably spend the night there if he ever needed a break from the main house.
The gentle breeze off the lake played with the loose strands of Amelia's ponytail as she took a sip of her raspberry water. Ben settled back against the cushions, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease as the boat cut smoothly through the water.