Chapter Two #2
Ben shrugged. “Of course I like her. She’s good people. She works hard. She knows what she’s doing. She’s more than capable and she has a lot of great ideas. She’s been in this business her whole life, she gets it. She gets me!”
Smoke nodded thoughtfully.
“What?”
“She gets you?”
Ben nodded. “Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I think it’s great. She sounds perfect for you.”
Ben sucked in a deep breath. “On paper, she is.”
“But she’s not Charlotte.”
Ben shook his head.
“But Charlotte still hasn’t gotten in touch with you. She still isn’t ready to come back here and you’re wondering if she ever will be, right?”
Ben nodded.
“And even if she does, she’s not as perfect for you as Angel, is she? At least not on paper.”
Ben closed his eyes. “Life doesn’t happen on paper. I’ve waited my whole life for Charlie.”
“And how much more of your life are you going to keep waiting for her? And are you going to let an opportunity for something real—something good—slip through your fingers while you wait? And how will you feel if you do, and then Charlotte doesn’t come back anyway?”
Ben shook his head. “It’s not like that, Smoke. I’d wait for Charlie till the day I die.”
Smoke nodded. “And how many regrets will you have on that day if you’re still waiting?”
Ben met his gaze, but didn’t speak.
Smoke grasped his shoulder. “I’m not saying I know what’s right. I’m not saying I know what you should do. I just hate seeing you this screwed up.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you want to do a whiskey night, tonight?”
Ben nodded. “Yeah. I’d love to. It’s been a while, huh?”
“It sure has. You helped me through my tough times. You helped me see sense. I want to be able to help you.”
Ben smiled. “Well, right now, you can help by bringing another pot of coffee out. I reckon we’ll need at least three.”
Smoke picked up a coffee pot and followed him back out onto the deck.
When he saw the look Emma was giving him, Ben almost veered away from their table and went to serve the coffee to other customers.
Smoke chuckled behind him. “You’re going to have to face it.”
Ben nodded and carried on. He greeted everyone with a smile. Gabe and Renée and Nate and Lily had arrived while he and Smoke had been inside. Emma was glowering at Angel and only broke her death stare to turn it on Ben.
He gave her an apologetic smile, even though he had nothing to apologize for. She was overreacting. Angel worked for him. No matter what Smoke might have said about her being perfect for him, she worked for him and that was all.
“Hey, Ben.” Jack smiled at him, no doubt hoping to head Emma off before she started.
“Hey, Jack.”
“I’m glad you finally invited Angel to join us,” said Pete with a grin.
Ben groaned inwardly. Trust Pete.
“It’s lovely to be able to join you all,” said Angel with a bright smile.
Was she really oblivious to all the undercurrents swirling around her? She was a smart woman, Ben knew that much.
An awkward silence descended around the table. Ben looked to Missy for help. She grinned. “So, who’s got any news? I do, but I want to save mine for last.”
Jack seemed eager to get the conversation flowing again. He put an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “We’re hoping to have some news very soon.”
“When’s your due date?” Missy asked Emma.
“Wednesday.” Emma was tight-lipped and still eyeing Angel suspiciously.
“So you’re only a couple of weeks ahead of Megan?” asked Gabe.
Jack smiled at him. “Yep.”
Angel smiled at Emma and Ben held his breath, wishing that she’d just stay quiet. “Wow, you’re so brave! Are you the first one of your friends to have a baby?”
Emma frowned at her, and Missy stepped in quickly. “No, I beat them all to it by about fifteen years,” she said with a laugh. “And April, she’s got Marcus who’s ten, and Michael has Ethan who’s eleven now.”
Ben’s phone rang in his pocket and he pulled it out. “Excuse me, guys.”
He walked to the edge of the deck.
“Hi, Ben. It’s Dean. We’ve got a big delivery arrived early over here. I’ve been trying to reach Angel, but she’s not picking up. What do you want me to do about it?”
Ben smiled. “I’ll be right over.”
“Okay, great. Do you know where Angel is?”
Ben looked over at the table where everyone was sitting staring at each other and no one was speaking. “Yeah. She’s on her way.”
~ ~ ~
After Ben and Angel had left to go and deal with some problem over at Four Mile, Missy looked around at her friends.
“I do not like that woman!” said Emma.
Pete laughed. “It doesn’t matter if you like her or not, Mouse. It’s whether Ben likes her that matters.”
“Of course he doesn’t!” Emma scowled at him. “He’s just waiting for Charlotte to be free, and I wish that woman would back off! I want to get Charlie here.”
Missy sighed. “We can’t interfere, Em.”
“I’m not interfering! I’m being selfish! This baby’s going to be here soon, and I want Charlie to be her godmother—or at least one of them. I thought they’d be all sorted out by now.”
Missy nodded. “Yeah, you’d just found out about the baby when we got married. After they saw each other at the airport, I sure as hell didn’t think it’d take them nine months to figure it out.”
“Do you think she’s changed her mind?” asked Gabe.
Emma glared at him. “No! Of course she hasn’t.”
Gabe held his hands up. “Sorry! It just seems odd to me that it’s taken her so long.”
Missy shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to her in months myself.
It didn’t seem right for me to know what was going on with her when Ben didn’t, but the last time we talked she said she was getting herself completely straightened out.
She and Alastair had filed for divorce, and she was working on herself too. ”
“Maybe she’s left it too long,” said Pete.
Missy put a hand on Emma’s arm; she looked like she was about to explode. “I doubt it. I think we’re all just getting anxious because of Angel.
“Why though?” asked Dan.
Missy looked at him. He really didn’t get it.
He shrugged. “She’s just a woman who works for him.
Yes, they seem to have a lot in common, and yes, she’s good-looking, but Ben must have met a lot of women like that over the years.
Why would Angel be different? Especially now when it looks like there’s hope for him and Charlotte. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Missy shook her head. “You don’t get it, because you’re oblivious to the devious ways of some women, hon.” As she spoke she remembered his ex-girlfriend, Olivia. That was a devious woman if ever she’d met one.
“But she doesn’t seem devious, she seems very nice.”
“Exactly! The devious ones always do.”
Jack nodded. “It’s true, Danny.”
“And how would you know?” Emma looked up at him.
Pete laughed. “Give him a break, Em. He’s just agreeing. We all know it’s true. Even I will admit that Angel does seem a little too perfect, and a little too sweet, to be true.”
“But what if he likes her?” asked Smoke. “Would that be so wrong?”
Missy looked at him and considered his words for a long moment.
“No. It wouldn’t be wrong at all. We’d just have to get used to it.
What matters most is that Ben’s happy. We’ve just all believed for years that Charlotte was the only one who could ever make him happy.
If it turns out that she can’t and that Angel can then we’ll accept it. ” She shot a look at Emma. “Won’t we?”
Emma stared back her and then nodded slowly.
“Of course. I only want to see him happy and he’s the only one who knows what—and who—will make him happy, but,” her bottom lip quivered, then she took a deep breath, “like I said, I’m being selfish I suppose.
If he decides he wants Angel, then I’ll have to give up on the dream I’ve had for him all these years.
” She looked around at them all. “I know that’s silly, but it’s true.
My picture of how we all end up, has always included Ben and Charlotte being together.
How could they throw it all away now when they have the chance of getting it back? ”
Missy patted her hand. “They’ll do what’s right for them. And we’ll support it.”
Emma nodded and snuggled into Jack’s side.
“Anyway, I thought you had some news to share?” Pete asked.
Missy smiled, she’d almost forgotten with all the talk about Ben and Angel. “I do! Chance is coming.”
“That’s great, when?” Renée smiled at her. “I’ve been hoping he’d come visit again soon.”
“I don’t know for sure yet, but sometime in the next few weeks. He’s got things under control at the ranch and he wants a break.”
Jack smiled at Emma. “That should cheer you up.”
Missy had to laugh at the way Emma’s cheeks turned pink. “I don’t know what you mean!”
They all laughed. Emma’s crush on Missy’s big brother still seemed to be going strong after all these years.