Chapter Six
Ben smiled to himself as he hung up. This was it.
She was coming back. He breathed a big sigh.
Finally. He drummed his fingers on the desk.
He didn’t know what to do with himself. Call Austin.
That was something he could do. Austin had a bunch of rental properties.
He’d no doubt have something that would work for Charlotte.
And if he didn’t, then Ben would find something himself.
Hell, he’d give her one of the cabins if he needed to.
He left Austin a voicemail asking him to call back with details of whatever he had available at the moment.
As he hung up, Ben realized that he didn’t really need to know what was available.
It’d be up to Charlotte to choose what she wanted.
He shook his head. So when Austin called back he’d simply put him in touch with her.
He shouldn’t overstep. She’d said she was coming back on equal terms with him.
She wouldn’t want him organizing her life for her.
He’d have to watch himself with that. He’d have to accept that she was more haphazard in her ways than he was, and he’d have to let her get on with it.
He smiled as he remembered the look on Emma’s face when he’d answered his phone. Her eyes had almost popped out when she’d heard him say Charlie. He should go back out there and tell her.
She was bouncing in her seat as he made his way across the deck to the table she shared with Chris. “If I could manage to stand up fast enough I’d jump up and hug you!” she said with a grin. “But you’ll have to make do with a seated inquisition. So, tell me. What’s going on? What did she say?”
Ben smiled. “She’s coming back.”
Emma’s hand flew up to cover her mouth as she let out a little squeal. “Oh, Ben! I’m so happy for you!” Her hand dropped and her smile faded a little. “And what about Alastair?”
“Their divorce is final.” He smiled. “She said they had lunch together yesterday to celebrate.”
Emma brightened at that news. “Aww, that’s nice. I’m glad they’re still friends.”
Ben nodded. “Me too.” It was odd, but he was glad. He felt guilty that Alastair had married a woman who didn’t love him—guilty that he was the one she loved.
“When’s she coming? What are you going to do? Is she moving in with you?”
“No. She’s going to rent a place. I’ve put her in touch with Austin.”
“Oh.”
Ben laughed. “Don’t look like that, Em. We want to do this right. You have to remember that Charlie and I haven’t been around each other for years. We don’t really even know each other anymore. We don’t need to put ourselves under any pressure. We’re going to take our time.”
Emma frowned. “I hope you’re not being too cautious, Ben Walton. You’ve waited years for this. Throw yourself into it. Throw caution to the wind!”
He had to laugh. “That’s rich coming from you. And besides, it’s not me being cautious. It’s what Charlie wants.”
“It is?”
He nodded.
“Wow. I guess she must have changed a lot then.”
Ben nodded again as a shiver of uneasiness ran down his spine. “I guess so.” He just had to hope that she hadn’t changed too much—and that he hadn’t changed too much.
Chris smiled at him. The way she looked at him told him she could see his uncertainty. “Good luck, Ben. I hope the reality lives up to everything you’ve hoped it would all these years.”
“Thanks.” He checked his watch. “I think I’m going to go out and see Joe.”
Emma clapped her hands together. “Oh, he’s going to be so excited! And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone—except Jack, of course. I’ll let you share your good news yourself.”
“Thanks.” He bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
As he drove out to Joe’s place, he wondered what the old guy would have to say. He hoped he’d be happy, but the way Joe had questioned him about Angel the other morning made him wonder.
Joe came out onto the front porch as Ben pulled up in the front yard.
“What are you doing out here? Is everything all right?”
Ben smiled as he climbed the porch steps. “That’s not much of a welcome, is it? Everything’s fine. I just wanted to come see you.”
Joe’s eyebrows knit together. “You don’t usually come out here in the middle of a work day unless you’ve got something to tell me or something to ask me. Which is it?”
Ben laughed. “Nothing gets by you, does it, sparky?”
Joe’s lips twitched up in a smile. “It doesn’t. So, spit it out, already.”
“I just talked to Charlie. She’s coming home.”
Joe nodded slowly.
“She’ll be here by the weekend.”
Joe nodded again, but still didn’t say anything.
Ben stared into his eyes. “What, you’re not going to react at all?”
Joe shrugged. “It’s not my reaction that counts, is it? How do you feel?”
Ben smiled. “How do you think I feel? I’m thrilled.”
“Well, good for you then.”
Ben cocked his head to one side. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you weren’t happy about it.”
“Course I’m happy. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy.” He turned around and went back inside.
Ben followed him, feeling uneasy now. “You always loved Charlotte. You said the other day that you’d been expecting me to turn around one day and tell you she’s coming home tomorrow. What’s changed? What’s wrong?”
Joe turned around to face him. “There’s nothing wrong. What are you getting all uppity about?”
Ben sighed. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”
“I am. I just told you. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy.”
“You don’t look very happy.”
Joe smirked. “Forgive me for not jumping up and down; my knees aren’t up to it.”
Ben gave him a rueful smile. “Sorry.”
“Nah, don’t be son.” Joe sighed and lowered himself into one of the kitchen chairs. “I guess, I’m just a bit surprised is all.”
“But why? I’ve been waiting for this for months.”
Joe nodded. “True. But I heard that last night you were having dinner with Angel.”
Ben stared at him. He shouldn’t be surprised. Word traveled fast around here.
“And I also heard that she went back to your place with you afterward. I hope you’re not leading that girl on.”
Ben let out a laugh. “I’m not! I had dinner with her while we were working. She came back to my place with me to get the safe keys.”
“Really? That’s all? Nothing else?”
Ben looked up at the ceiling and shook his head.
“Yeah, I thought so,” said Joe. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“Nothing happened!” He sighed. “Well, something happened, but it was her, not me. I didn’t do anything.”
Joe waited with raised eyebrows.
“If you must know, she kissed me.”
“And you didn’t do anything?”
“I …” he sighed. “I closed my arms around her before I knew what I was doing. Then I pushed her away and told her to go home.”
“Why?”
Ben gave him a puzzled look. “Why do you think?”
“I want to hear what you think. I want you to think about it. Why did you throw her out?”
“Because. Well, you don’t let someone do that, do you?”
“But apparently, you did let her do that. I’ve never heard of a woman kissing a man who didn’t want her to.
The other way ‘round sometimes, because men can be assholes and we’re stronger.
But if you really didn’t want her to kiss you then I don’t see how she could have.
And kicking her out isn’t like you, is it?
You’d normally sit a person down and talk to them. ”
Ben stared at him. It was true. “So, what are you saying?”
Joe shrugged. “I’m saying I think you like her. I think you’re attracted to her, and I think you’re scared of exploring that because you’ve got blinkers on that will only allow you to see Charlotte.”
Ben frowned. “Isn’t that true of any man in a relationship? He wears blinkers that blind him to all other women?”
Joe laughed. “No. A man in a good relationship doesn’t need blinkers. He can look at and talk to all the women in the world, because he doesn’t see them in the same way he sees his lady.”
Ben thought about that. “What am I doing that makes you and Smoke and everyone else think that I’m interested in Angel? And why is it that after all this time you’re not happy for me that I’m finally going to get back with Charlotte?”
Joe shrugged. “I dunno, son, but I do think you need to figure it out. I like Charlie. I love her. I’d love to see the two of you back together and living the life you thought you were going to have.
At the same time, I’m not sure that life is possible now.
The future you were going to share belonged to the people you were back then.
I don’t know if the people you are now can have that—or if you’d even enjoy it if you did. ”
Ben sighed. “So, what are you saying?”
“That you need to think carefully about what you really do want. You and Charlie both. There’s plenty of times in life when you want something for so long that by the time you finally get it, it just doesn’t suit you anymore.”
Ben nodded. “Okay.”
Joe grasped his shoulder. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Thanks.”
As he drove back into town, Ben wondered what reaction he’d get from Missy.
He was going to stop in to see her and Dan before he went anywhere else.
He was going to call Pete too. Out of all his friends, he expected Pete to be least enthusiastic about his news.
Pete and Charlotte were so different. Charlotte used to tell Pete he wasn’t her favorite—and Pete had always agreed that she wasn’t his either.
They put up with each other for Ben’s sake, but that was all.
He smiled. At least Emma was thrilled for him. He could always count on her.