Chapter 18
Maven
Saturdays in Autumn Ridge were always crowded, but when the town closed off Main Street during the fall festival, it was an absolute madhouse trying to find parking.
My mom, Penny, and I had planned to arrive before the barn raising started, but getting out of bed this morning had proven more difficult than it should have considering how uncomfortable that futon was—parts of my body were sore that I didn’t even know could be sore.
The late night probably hadn’t helped either.
Ben had left my mom’s a little after midnight, but my mind wouldn’t quiet down enough to let me sleep for…
I’m not even sure how long. At least an hour. Probably longer.
“Wow,” Mom said. “Look at this. This can’t all be locals.” Parked cars lined every side street, and there was no way the church lot wasn’t already full. “Maybe I’ll just drop you two off and go see if the library has any parking. I don’t want Penny to miss the barn walls going up.”
“Just park at Dust & Timber,” I said. “I’m sure Ben won’t mind.”
Mom pulled onto First, then into Dust & Timber’s parking lot.
Despite it being nearly full, we snagged a spot on the far end near the workshop.
Apparently, others had made the same conclusion about Ben being fine if they parked there.
I grabbed the fruit salad we’d prepped—our potluck contribution—and waited with Penny on the sidewalk while Mom grabbed the quilt from the trunk.
“Do you have permission to park there?” The familiar voice sent us turning toward a smiling Ben.
He carried an open top toolbox with several hammers, mallets, and at least two drills I could see.
They must have needed extra tools at the building site.
The load enhanced the muscles in his forearm, visible just beneath the rolled-up sleeve of his flannel.
I forced my gaze upward. “We know the owner.”
Ben stopped when he reached us. “Is that so?”
Penny gave a little giggle and nodded her head, clearly picking up on our little game.
“And what do you think of him?” Ben asked, holding my gaze.
I met his stare. “I think he should be over at the barn raising considering he’s in charge of it.”
His smile widened. “That’s a valid point. I’d hate for the walls to go up without me.”
“We’d better hurry, then.”
When my mom joined us on the sidewalk, Penny took hold of her hand, pulling her down First at a determined pace like she hadn’t realized Ben was teasing.
Ben and I fell in behind them. “Here, let me carry that for you.” He reached out for the bowl with his free hand.
“You’ve got enough to carry,” I said, allowing myself another peek at his toned arms. “And this is really light.”
He looked unsure if he should press me or not, but eventually he let it slide. “How’d you sleep on that futon?”
“So great,” I lied, like I had full range of motion in my neck. “Like a lamb on a cloud.”
“Wow. That’s some futon.”
“It is the reason I’m staying at my mom’s.”
Ben shortened his long stride to keep pace with me. “And here I thought it was because you’re afraid of what will happen if we’re alone together.”
I glanced over at him. He hadn’t said what might happen. He’d said what will happen. “Why would you think that?”
Ben’s grin intensified. “You saw Carson’s face last night during the movie.
That was not the face of a man who stuck around for the pure pleasure of watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
” A car was coming down First, and Ben took hold of my arm to make sure I saw it.
When it passed, we crossed. “You asked him to stay.”
My cheeks warmed slightly. It was true. I had asked…
no, I’d begged Carson to stick around until Ben left.
My mom had been struggling to keep her eyes open on the couch next to me, so when she’d offered to take Penny to bed, I knew she meant to go to sleep herself.
Something Ben must have also realized since he’d slipped into her vacant seat a few minutes later.
At that point, I’d had no choice but to send Carson a text of desperation.
With Ben’s bombardment of little touches, lingering glances, and well-aimed smiles all evening, I was near my breaking point.
Carson’s presence was the only thing preventing my reckless desires from getting the better of me, because it was temptingly clear Ben wouldn’t put up a struggle.
“I did,” I said, keeping my gaze ahead. “I think it’s important we take precautions. ”
“That makes sense considering how badly you wanted to kiss me last night.”
I scoffed. “You’d like to think that.”
“I don’t think it.” He leaned toward me, his voice dropping to a husky whisper that sent a wave of pleasure coursing through me. “I know it.”
My gaze flicked toward the sky, though I didn’t deny it.
“Over here,” Penny said, waving us toward them.
Dozens of people were scattered around the empty lot.
Some sat in chairs or on blankets, and others were perusing tables with refreshments, but most of the men and some women were gathered around the large cement pad left behind from the old community barn.
Four massive lumber frames—two squares and two long rectangles of equal height—were lying on the ground, almost entirely assembled.
“Just a heads up,” Ben said, gesturing with his chin toward the large birch tree near the edge of the property, “the Ednas already set up their viewing area for today. They wanted me to let you know you’re welcome to go sit with them anytime.”
“Me? In the VIP section? How’d I get so lucky?”
Ben walked a few backward steps, sending a smile my way. “Some people are just blessed.”
“They only want me for my gossip.”
“Then you’d better make it good.” With one last heart-fluttering smile, he turned and walked toward the waiting group.
I let my gaze linger on Ben a little too long—his thick shoulders, the dark hair peeking out from under his baseball cap, and the fit of his pants. That man knew how to pick a pair of jeans. When I finally pulled my eyes from him, Mom and Penny were at my side, watching me with knowing smiles.
“What?” I asked, booping Penny on her nose.
Penny’s gaze shifted back to Ben. “Do you still love him?”
My heart squeezed at her question. The truth was, I had never stopped loving Ben.
I’d been angry at him and hurt by him leaving, but no matter what I did or tried to tell myself, he’d always held the piece of my heart I’d given him all those years ago.
First loves did something deep and irreversible to a person.
But I was no longer na?ve enough to believe love was the only thing that mattered.
Or even the thing that mattered most. “Ben will always be special to me.”
“But you don’t want to be married to him anymore?”
I ran my hand through her blond hair. “We have very different lives.”
She looked at my mom like she wasn’t sure if that was a confirmation or not.
“How about the three of us figure out where to put this salad”—Mom took the bowl from me, offering a much-needed distraction—“then we go find somewhere to sit to watch the walls go up.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” I sent Mom a grateful smile. “Maybe we can hunt down some hot chocolate too.”
The barn was taking shape. All four walls were up—a feat accomplished through pure man-strength and determination—and now Ben, with a handful of other guys, worked on the roof while the rest of the crew of volunteers concentrated on siding the barn with wooden planks.
It was crazy that only a few hours ago, the only thing on that spot had been a cement pad.
It had been fun catching up with several of the gals from Autumn Ridge, all of us appreciating the yummy treats people had brought to share, though not as much as we appreciated the view of the men hard at work.
My gaze caught on Ben, instructing a group of men on the ground below.
He’d always been a hard worker and extremely capable, but I’d never seen him lead out on something like this.
The ease with which he accomplished it was impressive, not to mention the skills he must have developed to become the point guy on something of this caliber.
An odd sense of pride settled in my chest.
“How’s the reconciliation effort going?” Edna B asked, the two of them finally cornering me at the water table. Clearly, there was no time for niceties and small talk. They just jumped straight to the point.
“Good.” I took a sip from my cup. “We’re almost a third of the way through it.”
“And…?” Edna G asked, refilling her own water cup.
I blinked a few times, like I wasn’t sure what she was talking about.
She blew out an exasperated breath. “Are the two of you still planning to have the divorce finalized?”
“Absolutely.”
Edna B gave an overdone pout. “But we saw the two of you at the game. And the way he keeps looking at you—” She glanced toward the barn, and Ben was climbing down the ladder.
We all stared, them to prove a point, and me because I couldn’t help myself.
As luck would have it, the moment his feet touched the ground, he glanced in our direction. “See?”
I shifted to block Ben from my view. My frequent return glances wouldn’t help my cause. “He’s probably just nervous I’ll share something he’d prefer I didn’t.”
Both women perked up, and Edna B clasped a hand around my wrist. “And what would that be?”
They would take my comment like some sort of secret admission. I needed to get their minds away from all potential scandals. “Only a few harmless pranks I’ve pulled on him.”
They shared a disappointed look.
“What pranks?” Edna B asked.
Well, if she was going to ask that nicely, who was I to refuse her? “I reorganized all the drawers and cupboards in his trailer, redecorated his bathroom in orange pumpkin print, and replaced his entire sock collection with novelty socks. Next time you see him, ask him which pair he’s wearing.”