Author's Note: Thank you for all the love and support!
***
Chapter 9
On Wednesday, Karen called Ben to tell him that she had found a suitable hospice for her father and that they could move him in on Saturday morning.
"Sure. I will come over as soon as I got stuff settled at the diner," Ben said. "What does James think of the place?"
"He's... not thrilled," Karen replied and laughed once. "But Christine and I have talked to him about it this past week. We reminded him of his last stay at the hospital. He had been lucky that a neighbor happened to walk by his house and found him lying on the porch and sent him to the hospital. He won't be so lucky every time and in the end, he agreed to it."
"Does River know his granddad's going to stay at the hospice?"
"He does; somehow he kind of figures things out himself, I think," she said. "He says things along the lines of 'granddaddy's staying at a sick person's home'. It breaks my heart to hear him say that."
"Maybe we should tell him now, Karen, break it to him slowly," he said.
"I know, I just... don't know how to do that," she said. "Maybe later, okay, after we got Dad settled at the hospice?"
"Okay," he agreed. "Text me the address and the time and I'll see you guys then."
Ben disconnected the call and looked down at the pile of papers in front of him. There was a list of stocks that needed to be updated into the accounting system and accounts and bank statements to be reconciled but he couldn't concentrate. It had been three days since he'd seen Elle and he missed her. He shook his head; he went out all but one date with her and he was already in over his head. He wanted to call her badly, but she would be working now, and he didn't want to disturb her. With a sigh, he opened the accounting program on his laptop and settled down to do the mundane but necessary work.
When the last of the accounts had been reconciled, Ben let out a relieved groan and stretched his back. It was already close to five and he shut down his laptop. Happy that he had finished what he had set out to do, he got up and went out of the office to make sure all the electrical appliances except for the necessary ones were switched off and the back door locked. Returning to the office, he picked up his phone to call Elle; she would probably have finished work by now.
"Hello, Ben," Elle said.
"Hi, are you off from work yet?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm just about to head downstairs," she replied.
"Oh, good. Uh, do you have any plans later?" he asked.
"Not really. What's up?"
"I'm just wondering if I can take you to dinner," he said. "I want to see you." He hoped he didn't sound desperate.
"Okay," Elle said. "Where shall we meet?"
"Is it okay for me to pick you up at work?" he asked.
She hesitated for a moment before answering, "I'll wait for you by the security booth next to the employees' parking lot. You'll be able to see the sign clearly."
"I'll see you in a moment," Ben said before clicking off his phone and hurried to lock up the diner. Twenty minutes later he arrived at the designated spot and watched as Elle hurried to his car.
"Hey," he greeted as soon as she was seated beside him.
"Hi," she replied with a shy smile. "Where are we going?"
"I don't have a plan, really. I just wanted to see you," he said.
Elle's smile widened, apparently pleased by his answer. "How about we go to that Indian restaurant we talked about last time? I'd promised it would be my treat."
Ben returned her smile. "I'd like that."
"To tell you the truth, I was pretty surprised when you called," Elle admitted as Ben drove them towards downtown.
Ben grinned, but kept his eyes on the road as he asked, "Is that bad?"
She laughed. "No, it was a good surprise. It's just that I know you'd be busy at work. I thought I'd only be able to see you this weekend."
"I have stuff to do on Saturday and I don't think I'll be able to make it at the diner," he said. "And I didn't want to wait for a whole week to see you again."
Elle smiled and looked down at her hands clasped together on her lap. She was very happy that Ben apparently harbored the same feelings as her. "I missed you too," she said softly. Ben's hand came into her line of sight and settled on top of her hands. She looked up at him to see him grinning and she couldn't help but laugh.
They arrived at the restaurant and placed their order with the server. Ben looked at the colorful artwork on the walls with interest and breathed in the aroma of different spices wafting through the air. He turned to Elle with a smile.
"I'm ashamed to say that even though I'm in the food and beverage business, I've never eaten Indian food before," he said. "I've tried Thai food when I was in college and had spent the rest of the night hugging the toilet. So, I've been quite put off with spicy food ever since."
Elle was startled. "Why hadn't you said anything just now? We could have gone somewhere else."
He shrugged. "I figured it's time I overcome this invalidated fear. I can't let one bad experience ruin my passion for eating delicious food." Elle hoped this dinner wouldn't turn into a disaster later for him. Their food arrived and Ben took a bite of his lamb masala.
"My God, this is good," he moaned.
"Yeah?" she asked with a grin. "Not too spicy for you?"
Ben chewed and swallowed his food before answering. "I like it."
"I'm glad you enjoy it. This is one of my favorite places to eat when I crave spicy food," she said.
"How did you know this place, anyway?" Ben asked.
"My aunt and her family brought me here once," she replied, "To celebrate my graduation."
Ben tilted his head. "Where is your family? I remember you mentioned briefly about your brother."
"My parents are divorced when I turned eighteen and my dad left soon after. My mom still lives in our old family home," she said. "My brother Evan...he died a long time ago." She kept her eyes on her plate, her brain chastising her for ruining the atmosphere. Ben slid his hand across the table to close over hers, making her look up again.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
She nodded. "Thanks."
After giving her hand a squeeze, he released her and they resumed eating. Soon Elle felt relaxed as their conversation steered to lighter topics.
"If you don't mind my asking, why hadn't you gone for a college degree?" Ben asked.
"I'd liked to but not for the time being. It takes a higher level of commitment and I want to save up more money before I attempted it," she said. She caught the questioning look on his face, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he took another bite of food. Elle decided to enlighten him. "When my parents divorced, my dad left all the savings and the cars and the house with my mom. The only thing he kept was his own personal savings. My parents had saved enough for college for both Evan and me, but my mom had made this condition that if I was to use the money for college, I would have to live with her." She sighed. "The situation in our home was... unbearable and I couldn't make myself deal with her alone. It was not a hard choice to make."
Ben was quiet and Elle chanced a glance at him. He was looking at her with a smile and what looked like admiration in his eyes. She smiled back at him.
"I hope I didn't scare you with the deeper insights of my life," she said half-jokingly.
He shook his head. "No, you didn't. I appreciate your honesty. Thank you."
His words made her earlier misgivings talking about Evan's death easier to bear. Even though they were only on their second date, she wanted to open herself to him. And Ben's calmness and lack of judgment assured that she had made the right choice.
"Thanks for bringing me out tonight," Elle said when Ben walked her to the front door of her home later that evening. "I've had a great time."
"The pleasure's all mine. Thank you for going out with me on our second date," he said.
Elle laughed. "Are you counting the dates until we can kiss?" she asked jokingly.
He grinned. "Honestly, yes." He watched as Elle's teasing smile morphed into a pleasant surprise. "I want to kiss you and I want to hold your hand in public."
Elle was stunned by Ben's confession. She never expected that he would want to commit so soon. A sense of elation rushed over her which she quickly tamped down. She didn't want to rush into things just because his feelings were apparently the same as hers.
"Um, so, uh, I hope I'm not coming on too strong," he muttered awkwardly when she didn't say anything.
Elle smiled and shook her head. "No, you're not," she assured. "Honestly, I'd like to kiss you too, very much."
The brilliant smile etched on Ben's face was the answer she wanted. "Can I hold your hands when we kiss?" he asked, his voice light with teasing.
"I don't know, I think you're cutting it a bit too close, buddy," she said, teasing him back.
"What if I ask nicely?" he asked and took a step closer, making her breathing quickened with his proximity. "Please, may I hold your hand, Ms. Bronwyn?"
A giggle escaped past her lips. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I'm not gonna say no." Ben laced his fingers through hers. Her voice trailed off as her breath caught in her throat.
"Thank you," his whisper was warm against her cheeks and Elle closed her eyes as she felt his warm lips brushed lightly over hers. Ben pulled back slightly until the tips of their noses were touching.
"Um... if I ask nicely, will you kiss me again?" she asked breathlessly.
"Just tell me," he murmured.
"Please kiss me," she said, and Ben kissed her once more and ended it too quickly for her liking. "Please," she repeated; her voice stronger now, more demanding. With a knowing grin, Ben gave in and this time, he slid his tongue along the seams of her lips. She opened her mouth and caught his tongue between her teeth as their kiss deepened. Elle caressed his cheek before pulling away.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered. "Good night."
"'Night," Ben said with a smile. Elle unlocked her front door and stepped inside. She gave Ben one last smile before closing the door behind her with a sigh.
"Somebody's got it bad," Zoe said in a singsong voice. Elle turned around to see her best friend seated on the couch with a book on her lap.
"Oh yes, they did," Elle agreed easily as she plopped down on the couch beside her roommate.
