Chapter 12 #2
Our eyes met, the smiles from our lips gone. My heart seemed to shift upward, blocking my airway from functioning normally and causing my chest to rise and fall in exaggerated motions.
Without warning, Finn gave a big shake, sending water flying through the small space. Ben and I turned away from the onslaught, which was thankfully enough to force us from the unfortunate slip into old habits.
Ben glanced around the kitchen. “What a mess.”
As eager to move on as he seemed to be, my gaze followed his to assess the damage. Not only were Ben and I both drenched, along with Finn, but the floor was puddled, and no surface in the kitchen seemed to have made it through untouched. “Yeah. Good luck cleaning it up.”
“You’re bailing on me?”
“I did tell you not to turn on the faucet.” I took a backward step.
There was a definite correlation between my brain’s ability to function properly and my proximity to Ben.
And a wet Ben, whose shirt clung to every fiber of muscle on his torso, was even more dangerous.
“Besides, my mom will be here soon to grab me, and I now need to change.” I ran my fingers through my wet, tangled hair, holding out a section. “And do something about this.”
“Where are you two headed tonight?”
“The three of us—my mom, Penny, and I—are having a girls’ night out. We’ll catch a movie in Burlington, then get a treat after.” I paused, uncertain I wanted to know the answer to the question circling in my mind. “How about you? Do you have plans?”
Ben didn’t respond but checked a few of the cabinets before he found the stack of dish towels he’d apparently been searching for. He was going to need a lot more than that.
“See, that’s not how this works,” I said. “What’s supposed to happen is that I share something with you, then you share something with me. It’s called a conversation.”
“Interesting.” He tossed me a dish towel, gesturing to my face and hair, then started wiping the water from the counters.
“So…” Wiping the towel across my face, I then began to dry my hair with it. “Back to those plans. Do you know how late you’ll be out?”
That annoying smile of his started to curve the corners of his lips upward. “Does it matter?”
“Yes. Because if you’re planning to come stomping in here in the middle of the night again and waking me up, I’m going to find somewhere quieter to sleep.”
He sent me a hopeful look. “Like your mom’s?”
“No. Like your bed.”
“Go ahead.” His grin was out in full force. “I don’t mind sharing.”
That cocky, overly confident—
“Hey there, you two.” My mom’s voice was so unexpected at this moment, I placed a hand over my heart to keep it in my chest. She was standing at the screen door with Penny at her side. “Sorry we’re a little early.”
Ben and I shared an uncertain glance before Ben nodded, and I hurried to the door. “That’s totally fine. Come on in.”
Mom’s gaze moved from my damp hair to my saturated clothes.
“Why are you all wet?” Penny asked, beating my mom to the punch.
I threw a thumb over my shoulder. “We had a little situation with the sink.”
Mom glanced behind me to where Ben was standing, wiping off the ceiling.
“Hey, Sharon. Hey, Penny.”
“Could you use a hand?” Mom asked. “We’ve got four.”
I was already shaking my head. “You don’t have to—”
“That’s so kind of you.” Ben sent me a pointed sideways glance when he stepped up beside me. “I would love some help, but only if you have time.”
“We have plenty of time.” Mom gestured Penny inside first, then climbed up behind her. “Especially since Maven will need to change.”
“Perfect. I’ll go grab a few more towels.”
“Look at all the water,” Penny said, her eyes wide as she appraised the damage. “Did the sink explode?”
I tugged lightly on her braid, glad the air was no longer hazy with smoke. “Something like that.”
Mom’s gaze remained on me, but I didn’t meet it.
“I’m going to change. I’ll be quick.” I had no desire to explain the situation further. Not that I’d done anything wrong. I just didn’t want my mom to draw an incorrect conclusion. And with the vibes she was putting off, she was clearly leaning in that direction.
Gathering my things from the drawer beneath the couch, I waited for Ben to bring down the towels before heading up to the bathroom.
Not wanting to leave Penny and my mom alone with Ben for too long, I was ready in record time.
But when I got downstairs, all evidence of our water fight, besides a pile of towels on the floor near Ben’s feet, was gone.
Not that I was surprised, with Nurse Sharon on the scene.
That woman had cleaned up a lot more with a lot less over her years at the hospital.
“That was fast,” Mom said.
“I was going to say the same about you guys.” I looked around the kitchen. “One would never guess the sink exploded.”
Penny, who sat on her knees rubbing Finn’s belly, glanced up at me. “Ben said you put a rubber band on the sprayer handle.”
I sent him an accusatory look. “Well, did Ben mention he was the one who opted to turn the faucet back on after I’d advised him not to?”
Ben grinned. “I can now see how that detail was probably important.”
Mom’s smiling gaze shifted between us, and I knew it was time for the three of us to be on our way.
“You two ready?” I asked.
“Is there somewhere I can throw this away first?” Mom held up a dampened paper towel she must have used to finish wiping up any lingering water.
Ben opened the cabinet with the garbage for her when his gaze caught on something inside the bin. He reached down and pulled out a crumbled brown bag with the words Maple Bar and Grill printed across it. Then his gaze met mine. “You already ate, huh?”
I pulled my lips inward, trying not to start into another laughing fit. “It was really good too. The french fries were extra salty, and the burger—oh, my heavens—cooked to perfection.”
Ben shook his head, fighting a smile. “Well, you missed out.”
“I don’t think I did.”
Again, my mom’s gaze shifted between us.
“Well, we’d better get going.” I took Penny’s hand, starting our migration toward the door. “We still need to buy tickets for the movie.”
“Is Ben coming with us?” Penny asked, glancing over her shoulder as I started down the stairs outside. “Because he can if he wants to.”
I gave a small grimace at Penny’s impromptu invite. “I think he has plans.”
His gaze flicked to me ever so briefly. “Unfortunately, I do. But maybe another time? I’m usually down to crash a girls’ night.”
Mom laughed. Penny nodded her head, like he was actually agreeing to hang out with us in the future.
And I started toward the door again, attempting not to be irritated.
I didn’t care that he had plans, not really, but it was annoying that he refused to tell me what they were.
Which likely meant he was going to be out networking.
An image of his realtor friend popped into my mind completely uninvited. I let it remain there to push out the thought of Ben’s arms around me earlier.
On the way to the car, after Penny pointed out that Ben and I still hadn’t carved the pumpkins she’d picked out for us, Mom linked her arm through mine. “It’s good to see you and Ben talking again.”
“We’re only talking because we have to, so please stop looking at us like…” I waved a hand, not sure how to describe it “…how you were looking at us.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Hey, Maven!” Ben’s voice had all three of us pausing to glance behind us. “I thought you might want this.” He held his fisted hand out toward me.
“What is it?” I asked suspiciously.
“A key.” He laid out his hand, palm up. “To the trailer. In case I’m not here when you get home.”
At the reminder of his late night out, I swiped the key from him. “Thanks,” I muttered.
Mom nudged her elbow into me, reminding me I had a young, impressionable mind present.
I cleared my throat, tucking the key into the pocket of my jeans. “That was kind of you. I appreciate it.”
With one last amused grin thrown my way, he started back toward the trailer.
Penny took my hand again. “If he gave you a key, does that mean you’re staying in Autumn Ridge longer?”
Honestly, after tonight, it would probably be best to reassess my entire plan.
Ben was proving more difficult to crack than I’d originally planned.
I was supposed to be in and out of Autumn Ridge by the week’s end, not getting a key to his place.
Either I needed to up the ante quickly and efficiently or I needed to bail and accept the terms of our reconciliation order.
But that would mean I would have lost to Ben.
“I’ll stay a little longer,” I said, mostly resolved.