40. For the Kids
Ben reachedout and held Gia’s hand for a moment. “Thank you,” he repeated.
Gia’s eyes began to well up with tears, so she looked away and muttered a quick “You’re welcome” before taking a step away from the car to allow Ben access. “They seem to like you—and your car,” she added as Ben reached around her for a hug.
“Can I see you again soon?”
Gia lingered in the hug, pressing the side of her cheek against his chest. “I mean, we’re going to be trial partners in a business, so I imagine you’ll be seeing a lot of me,” Gia added, a smile creeping across her features as she teased.
“You know that isn’t what I meant. I want to see you again under strictly non-business circumstances.” As Ben spoke, he walked his fingers downward until his hand lingered on the lower portion of Gia’s back, resting just above her behind.
“Benjamin, are you trying to torture me?” Gia rolled her eyes and referencing his wandering hand.
“That depends. Is it working?”
“Maybe,” Gia said breathlessly.
“Good.” Ben brushed his lips across the top of her ear before pulling away suddenly, giving Gia a quick peck on the cheek and climbing into his car. “We can finish this up another time,” he said, winking.
Gia huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “That was mean. You’re mean.” She realized he remembered that her ears were sensitive to his kiss and that he knew exactly what he was doing with that move.
“Business lunch at Charmed the day after tomorrow?” Ben asked through the driver’s side window.
“Mmmhmm,” Gia responded, spinning on her heel and walking toward the house.
“I’ll text you later,” Ben yelled.
Without turning to face him, Gia gave a quick side wave, then pulled open the front door to greet the chaos of her children.
Ben
I love that woman. God, do I love that woman! Ben thought, tuning the satellite radio station to fit his mood. Having planned to be out with Gia most of the day, Ben had completed all the most critical business items and, for the first time in a while, had a bit of “free time” he wasn’t about to waste.
Before pulling away, he pulled out his phone and scanned his contact list, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Bingo!” he said aloud, pushing to dial a number and listening to the phone ring.
“Hey, man!” a male voice answered. “You still with Gia?”
“Hey, Matt. I’m just leaving. Listen, are you and Carla still at the restaurant? I may need your help with something…”
“Yeah, we are. We may, uh, we may need your help, too,” Matt said, a plea which was met by a squeal of laughter from Carla in the background. “We might need you—or someone—to drive Gia’s car—and us—home.”
“How come? What’s wrong—oh,” Ben cut himself off, realizing the two were likely drunk from one too many complimentary beverages at Charmed to Table. “I see how it is. Drinking me right out of business, are we?” A grin crept across Ben’s face as he turned his car on with the touch of a button, switching the call to Bluetooth.
“It was a celebration,” Matt said. “You said so yourself! By the way, are we celebrating anything else? How’d it go with the kids?”
“Just fine. That’s part of what I need your help with. I’ll explain when I get there in a few… and stop drinking! I need you both at least minimally coherent.” Ben pulled the car back onto the street and headed in the direction of the downtown area toward Charmed. He had an idea, but he’d need guidance from the people who knew Gia’s children best—her best friends.