35. Passion, Plans, and Proposals
The thoughtsin Gia’s head had been swirling ever since the incredible kiss she’d shared with Ben. She could barely focus on the extraordinary plants before her! The distraction of trying to re-live the kiss in her mind overpowered her ability to think clearly. It was as if a fire that had burned out long ago had been re-ignited, shaking her deep down to her very core and sending shockwaves through her entire body. Every part of her, both physical and emotional, wanted to kiss Ben again and again—and again. At the same time, she felt torn. She couldn’t help but think of the complications.
The baggage. There was baggage from the past and the present, and it would exist well into the future. Could we ever get past all that? Gia wondered. Do I have a life he would ever even be interested in having? The house, the kids, it’s chaos. But… if not, then why is he here with me?
Gia’s mind churned out thought after thought, but finally, she managed to calm the flow of questions to a dull roar, enjoying the present moment and company. As Gia and Ben laughed over ghost orchids, everything felt right. She felt comfortable. The only way she could verbalize the feeling that had come over her was the same way Ben had described it—home. She felt at home with Ben. Maybe it was because he knew her past—the good and the bad. She hid so many parts of herself from other people, but Ben knew the real Gia from their time as friends, then more. Still, Gia couldn’t help but acknowledge that he was the reason she’d been so guarded with all of the others who came after.
Together, they walked the rare plant exhibit space. Ben’s arm had remained wrapped around Gia’s waist since their kiss, and Gia wasn’t about to move it. She could no longer deny that she wanted to feel the rest of him wrapped around her as well, limbs tangling in passion. Gia, control yourself. Despite many attempts to push them from her mind, the thoughts remained the backdrop to the morning excursion.
By the time they’d wandered the large, open area several times over, reading the plant plaques and taking mental notes about which interested them most, their uses, and so on, Gia and Ben’s flirting had reached an all-time high. They made jokes about the aphrodisiac flora, laughing and blushing. When they reached the exit to the large, glass building, Ben pushed the door open and held it for Gia.
“So, what now?” Ben asked.
“Hmm,” Gia said, thinking. “What time is it?”
Ben glanced at his watch. “Around lunchtime. When do you need to be home?”
“Well, the kids will be home at around four, but Carla is on-call to get them off the bus. I made sure to have a backup in case we hit traffic or something and I couldn’t get home in time. If I’m a little late, it’s okay. I’ll just have to text Carla.”
“Always the planner.” Ben grinned. “Let’s head back. If you want, we can go to lunch at Charmed to Table. I want to tell you a few things, and I think that’s the best place to do it. We won’t be long, and it’s close to home.”
“Okay, fine,” Gia began, more than pleased to check out the Charmed to Table lunch menu, “but we are not ordering the entire dessert menu this time! I’ll never fit into my pants with you around!”
“Pants are overrated, anyway,” Ben said with a wink.
“That may be so, but I’d like to fit into mine just the same. If they’re coming off, I want to have a say!” Gia chuckled, trying to avoid imagining Ben pantsless, afraid of the effect it’d have on her ability to maintain her composure. “I don’t have an endless clothing budget, y’know?”
Ben
Ben couldn’t help but wince thinking about the absurd amount of money he had just spent on clothes for himself the day before. It was a needed expenditure and far from a financial burden under his circumstances, but still, with the exception of his car, it wasn’t like him to spend money on himself. Oh well, at least I look good, he thought to himself. More importantly, Gia seems to think so.
Ben had noticed Gia’s eyes wandering across his arms, chest, shoulders, and even downward several times throughout their date. It’s not like he could fault her for it. He couldn’t help himself, either. He had been eyeing her up and down as discreetly as possible all morning, trying to keep his eyes from getting stuck on anything that could get him in trouble. To Ben, Gia was the perfectly put-together woman—stunning natural beauty, a breathtakingly curvy figure, and a smile that could knock him off his feet every time. Many years had passed since they’d been together last, but Ben thought she looked even better now than when they were young. Her body had filled out in all the right places, and on a few different occasions over the course of the date, he had to force himself to look the other way to keep his composure in her presence.
Having his arm around her waist was torture enough, but that kiss nearly took him past the point of no return. Ben knew it sounded cheesy, but he saw stars. He had to pull away, breaking from the kiss in the midst of its perfection, not only because he didn’t want to scare Gia away but because he needed to get himself under control. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, to wrap himself around her and feel her pressed against his chest, to feel her body and take in all of its softness and curves, but the timing wasn’t right. Not yet, anyway.
There were still things to discuss and bring to light—big plans. Ben could only hope Gia would be on board with them because he needed her—for himself and his business. Even if Gia wasn’t willing to give their relationship another try, he hoped she’d take him up on the business side of things. If everything went according to plan, their lunch at Charmed to Table would be the perfect time for the revelation, and he hoped Gia would accept his proposal—business proposal, that was. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
Sharing with Gia that he owned Charmed to Table—and Cold Brew—wasn’t a ploy to “get her back” or show off his financial gains abroad. Over a brief period, the café and restaurant had become his pride and joy—each for different reasons. Ben knew he needed Gia’s plant and garden knowledge, creative farm-to-table recipes, marketing ingenuity, and culinary expertise to bring Charmed to Table to the next level. It could be so much more than just a restaurant, and he knew that, together, they could perfect it.
He needed a partner.
Not just any partner, though. He needed someone competent and passionate enough to take the reins of all aspects of the restaurant while he was tied up with logistics for Cold Brew. The global networking involved in Cold Brew’s operations was a full-time job in itself. He needed Gia. His “thing” had always been coffee, whereas he felt Charmed to Table was the perfect creative outlet for Gia—and he trusted her, something he only hoped he could earn back in return over time.
Ben’s primary concern was that Gia would see this as a charity offering or nothing more than him trying to make up for his past transgressions. He supposed, somehow, it was—but the truth was that she was the best person for the role. He didn’t need financial backing; he needed someone who would be as committed to the restaurant as he was, someone who wanted it to succeed. Their first visit to Charmed to Table, however unplanned,had proved her interest.
As Ben and Gia walked to the garden exit, Ben stopped in front of a photo booth near the season ticket sales station. “Come on, Gia. We have to! For old time’s sake, if nothing else.” Ben ducked into the booth, holding his hand out to Gia from behind the curtain. They had taken a photo at that booth practically every time they’d gone to the garden. The booth had been updated to a much more modern model over time, but the overall concept was still the same.
“Tradition is tradition,” Gia agreed, stepping into the booth and sitting on the bench beside Ben. The machine of their youth took only cash, whereas this one accepted several different forms of payment. Ben swiped his credit card through the machine, and the screen before them lit up with a variety of photo and filter options to choose from. The process was much more interactive than it once was and included a variety of prop stickers and more to add to the photos.
Gia and Ben cackled as they tried several different poses with each other, then digitally selected different hats, glasses, backgrounds, and phrases to include on the prints. Ultimately, they settled on a series of photos with Gia grinning, wearing a wide-brimmed garden hat and Ben with a pair of overalls and a sprig of straw between his lips amidst a field of sunflowers in the background. The photo read “Together Again!”
As they awaited the final product to print, Gia turned to Ben. “Do you still have them?” Gia asked.
“Of course. Do you?” Ben said, knowing she was referring to his copies of their previous garden photos.
“Always,” Gia said.
Ben ran a finger down her cheek and across her lips, sending tingles down her spine. Their eyes met, and Ben’s hand shifted to the back of Gia’s head, moving his face toward hers.
“Gia, I can’t not kiss you. I just want to keep kissing you,” he whispered, their lips nearly touching.
“Then do it,” Gia murmured between pursed lips, awaiting his. The request was immediately granted as Ben’s lips pressed against hers. More fireworks. The kiss was passionate, deep, and long. Their hands wandered, shielded from the public by the curtain and less inhibited this time, gripping backs, necks, and faces, lost in each other’s long-forgotten caresses.
Lost in the moment, they would have continued for the rest of the day had they not been interrupted by the photo machine beeping incessantly to announce that their prints were ready. As Gia reached down to grab the sheets, Ben pulled the curtain aside momentarily and glanced out, seeing a family awaiting their turn in the booth. He closed the curtain, rolling his eyes slightly. No one ever uses this booth, and now there’s a line.
“To be continued?” Ben asked, turning to face Gia.
“I hope so,” Gia confessed, raising the photos in front of them so they could share their first look simultaneously. They stared at the picture, then at each other, before erupting into a fit of giggling. Gia in her too-big hat and Ben with his hillbilly overalls were just too much for them to handle. They looked so goofy—yet perfect—together. Gia ripped the print in half, splitting the photos between them to add to their collections, which, apparently, they’d both held onto. Gia and Ben slid out of the booth one after the other and stepped down, nodding to those awaiting their turn, still barely able to hold back their laughter as they headed toward the car.
“Now, we eat,” Ben said, opening the car door for Gia before moving around to the driver”s side.
“Can’t wait!” Gia placed her hand on Ben’s leg just above his knee, sending chills through his body. “That was fun,” she added.
“It was fun. I missed that.”
“Me too.”