Chapter 35
“Boy oh boy! Caramel apples!” Max shouted, tugging Benjamin toward a table covered in the golden goodies.
Benjamin tightened his other hand around Summer’s so he wouldn’t lose her in the crowd of people enjoying the September Daze festival at Founder’s Park. He had always thought it was an oddly named celebration, but this year it felt appropriate. He seemed to have spent the past week and a half in a happy daze. He and Summer had both had to work plenty, but they spent every moment they weren’t at work together—taking Max to the park, hanging out with his family, hosting another princess party, doing chores for her Mama, and—his favorite—kissing. Even though they still slept in separate rooms, he at last had hope that this relationship was blossoming into a real marriage.
They reached the caramel apple table, and Benjamin ordered three of them, grinning as he passed one to Summer. Her pink cheeks and soft smile said that the treat reminded her of the flavor of their first kiss too. Ignoring the crowds around them, Benjamin dropped a quick kiss onto her lips.
“Benjamin,” she protested, but she was laughing.
“What?” He raised his eyebrows. “Can’t a guy kiss his wife in public?” He really loved calling her that.
They walked through the booths of crafts and artwork as they ate their apples, stopping to linger over a display of Ava’s photography.
“Hey, y’all,” Ava greeted them warmly. She bent to hug Max, then hugged Benjamin and Summer, who stepped right into her embrace. Contentment swelled in Benjamin’s heart as he watched the two women chat like sisters. His earlier desire for Summer to experience the real love of a family was being fulfilled right in front of him.
A loudspeaker announced that there would be a magic show on the stage in thirty minutes.
“Oh boy!” Max waved his half-gnawed caramel apple in the air. “Can we go?”
“You and Summer can, Maxerooni. But I have to get to work,” Benjamin said regretfully. They’d driven two cars over for exactly this reason, but he was still sorely tempted to call in sick. But he would never do that to Chloe.
“Chef Benjamin.” An older woman whose voice could have been heard three counties away bustled into the booth. “Don’t tell me you’re not working today. I was counting on one of your delicious porterhouses tonight.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Simmons. I’m on my way now. I haven’t seen you at The Depot in so long that I thought maybe you didn’t like my food anymore,” he teased.
“Don’t be silly. Didn’t the other ladies tell you? I’ve been in Europe for the past seven weeks. My son and his family live there. I told the ladies to tell you.”
“Oh yes, I remember now.” Benjamin grinned, and Mrs. Simmons smacked his arm.
“Always a joker, aren’t you?’
“You know me well.” Benjamin smiled at Summer over Mrs. Simmons’s shoulder. His wife looked thoroughly amused by the conversation.
“And how is that girlfriend of yours?” Mrs. Simmons’s voice seemed to echo off of the stands holding Ava’s pictures. “The nice real estate lady. Jasmine, right?”
Benjamin’s eyes were still on Summer’s face, so he saw the moment her smile wilted and all the color drained out of her cheeks.
“Actually,” Benjamin choked, stepping past Mrs. Simmons to take Summer’s arm. He half dragged her the two steps to Mrs. Simmons’s side. “I’d like you to meet my wife. Summer.”
Mrs. Simmons squinted between them. “Summer? Is that some kind of nickname?”
“No.” Summer’s voice was faint. “It’s my name.”
“Why did I think it was Jasmine?” Mrs. Simmons looked perplexed. “Getting too old to trust my own memory. But you are in real estate?”
“Mrs. Simmons,” Ava jumped in smoothly. “Is your daughter here? I have a picture I think she’s going to want to see.” She shot Benjamin a look that said, Go, and he didn’t have to be told twice.
“We’d better get going,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight at The Depot, Mrs. Simmons.”
As he ushered Max and Summer away from the booth, he could hear Mrs. Simmons say to Ava, “I’m usually so good with names. But whatever her name is, they sure did get married fast, didn’t they?”
Judging from Summer’s stiff walk, she heard it too.
“Summer,” he started, but she shook her head.
“It’s fine, Benjamin. You need to get to work.”
“I know.” He caught her arm and pulled her to a stop. “But I don’t want to leave you like this.”
“Like what?” She shrugged and maneuvered her arm out of his grasp. “Everything is fine.”
He sighed. Everything clearly was not fine. “I should have told you Jasmine was—”
“I don’t want Max to miss the magic show,” she cut him off. “We’ll see you when you get home.
“Summer,” he tried again. But she had already grabbed Max’s hand and was marching him toward the stage.
Benjamin let out a long breath, his happy daze draining away with it.
Slowly, he made his way toward his car. It looked like he was going to have to start from square one again.
“How did he do that?” Max cheered wildly as the magician stood on the stage with a bird perched on his finger.
Summer shook herself and tried to focus on her nephew. But she could no more explain where the bird had come from than how Benjamin had made her drop her guard. Made her forget that he had only married her for Max’s sake. That he had been dating someone else right up until they got married. Not just someone else. Jasmine. Sweet, perky, upbeat Jasmine—his perfect counterpart.
Summer had never had the courage to ask who he’d been dating before. And he had never volunteered the information—even when she’d hired Jasmine as her realtor. The surprise she’d sensed from Jasmine when she’d learned Summer and Benjamin were married suddenly made perfect sense. What must the other woman think of her? Would she let it affect the job she did for Summer?
And what about Benjamin? Why hadn’t he mentioned that he and Jasmine had dated? Was it possible that he was still seeing her on the side?
The thought made Summer queasy, but she quickly dismissed it. She knew Benjamin well enough to know he wasn’t that kind of guy. Most likely, he hadn’t told Summer because he didn’t want her to feel bad about what he’d had to give up to marry her.
Well, he wouldn’t have to give it up for much longer. The guardianship hearing was in a week, and after that, whatever the outcome, she could let him off the hook, and he could go back to the woman he really wanted.
A fresh wave of nausea went through her. Well, that was what came of letting herself want him to want her.
“Aunt Sunny.” Max was tapping her shoulder impatiently. “I’m hungry.”
Summer nodded, noticing dully that the magic show was done, and people were scattering in every direction. She led Max to a hot dog cart.
They were still in line when Ava rushed over. “I’m so glad you’re still here. I’m so sorry about Mrs. Simmons.” She looked around and lowered her voice. “She can be a bit of a busybody.”
It took every muscle in her face, but somehow Summer managed a smile that she hoped didn’t look as painful as it felt. “It’s really fine,” she reassured Ava. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Do you want to eat with us, Aunt Ava?” Max asked eagerly. “I’m going to get a chili dog.”
“Yum.” Ava patted Max’s head. “I’d love to.”
“Actually, we have to get ours to go,” Summer said quickly. As much as she liked Ava, she had to get out of here.
“Oh, well, next time,” Ava said cheerfully. She chatted with Max about school as they waited for their turn in line, but Summer noticed the concerned glances Ava kept shooting in her direction. Thankfully, all of Summer’s experience at smiling for hours on end at princess parties had trained her well, and she kept her smile cemented in place.
When they finally reached the front of the line, Summer ordered a chili dog for Max and a plain hot dog for herself, even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat it.
They said goodbye to Ava and headed for the parking lot. Halfway there, Summer’s phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket, steeling herself for whatever sweet words Benjamin was going to say. She couldn’t let herself be lulled by them again.
But when she tapped on the screen, she was staring at Jasmine’s name. She shook her head, making an ironic huff at the back of her throat. She stuffed the phone back in her pocket. But after another two steps, she pulled it out again. Whatever the history between Jasmine and Benjamin, she was still Summer’s realtor, and she might need something for the house.
Summer opened the notification, her feet jerking to a stop as she read it.
We have an offer!!!! $10,000 over asking! Do you have time to meet so we can discuss it?
Summer could only stare at that number. She hadn’t expected to even get asking price for the house. And now someone wanted to give her $10,000 more? That would be enough to pay off the mortgage, cover TJ’s debts, and have a little left over for Max.
She looked up to find Max still loping toward the parking lot.
“Max,” she called. “Hold up a second.”
The boy stopped, and she sent off a quick text agreeing to meet Jasmine at TJ’s house in ten minutes.
When they got there, Jasmine’s car was already in the driveway. Summer let out a long, slow breath as she pulled in behind her. She couldn’t let what she had learned this morning bother her. In fact, it would probably be best to pretend she still didn’t know. It would make things less awkward for both of them.
Satisfied with her decision, she grabbed the hot dog bag, got out of the car, and unbuckled Max, who raced ahead of her to the front door.
Anxiety tightened her stomach as Max knocked and Jasmine opened the door with a smile. All she could think was that it could have been Benjamin’s door Jasmine was opening if Summer hadn’t gotten in the way of their relationship.
“It’s great news, isn’t it?” Jasmine said, her smile perking up even more.
“Yes,” Summer managed to croak. “It happened so fast. Is there— I mean, is it for real?”
Jasmine’s smile turned to understanding. “It’s for real. We’ve had a lot of interest, so the buyer wanted to put in a strong offer. They’re moving from out of state, and they really love the house.”
Summer nodded numbly and stepped inside. Jasmine led her to the kitchen counter, where several papers were spread.
“Did you want to wait for Benjamin?” Jasmine’s smile didn’t falter even a little, but Summer felt like the other woman had kicked her in the gut.
“He’s at work,” she managed. “I’ll take care of everything.”
“Okay. Great.” Jasmine didn’t flinch, but Summer wondered if she meant she thought it was great because it meant she wouldn’t have to be reminded of what Summer had stolen from her.
While Max ate his chili dog, Jasmine went over everything with Summer, pointing out the various places she needed to sign to accept the offer.
When they were done, Jasmine turned to Summer with an outstretched hand and an enormous smile. “Congratulations. You’ve just sold your house.”
“Thank you.” The words felt inadequate. “You don’t know what a huge burden this is off my mind.”
“I’m glad I could help.” Jasmine squeezed her arm. “I’m sure this has been a hard time.”
She looked so sincere, so sympathetic, so nice that Summer couldn’t pretend any longer. “I’m sorry about everything with Benjamin,” she blurted.
Jasmine looked at her in surprise.
“It must have been a shock to find out that we were married,” Summer rushed on. “I know you two had been dating, and I never meant to get in the way of that.”
Jasmine’s kind expression didn’t change. “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she said easily. “Benjamin explained everything. I think it’s really great what he did. Very noble. The world could use more men like him.” She gathered her paperwork. “I’m going to get all of this to the buyer’s realtor, and we’ll get things rolling for the appraisal and inspection. I’ll be in touch as we get things scheduled.” She called goodbye to Max on her way to the front door, pausing to wave cheerfully to Summer before she disappeared outside.
Summer let out a long breath, the word noble echoing in her head. That was exactly what Benjamin was. Exactly why he had married her.
And exactly why she couldn’t let herself give in to the illusion that he wanted her.