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My eyebrow arched, wondering how dying from capsaicin overload made me lucky.“How so?”
“You have stories.Great memories.My childhood was me being told to sit and not move.Children were meant to not talk or get in the way of the adults.”
“That’s terrible.I’m sorry.”
“It’s why your grandpa made such an impact on me.He didn’t look at me as some child.He saw me as a person who was capable of conversation.”
“He never treated us any differently than the adults.We were always on the same level with him.”I glanced out the window, a sadness washing over me at the loss that would always be a part of me now.“So, are you an only child?”
“I wish.I have two older brothers and a sister-in-law that is a witch with a capital B.They’re ten and twelve years older than me.I guess you can say I was a mistake.Something I’m reminded of constantly.”
“Laurent and Rhone are eight years apart, but they’re still really close.Rhone and Rose being the babies… We joke that they had many sets of parents.”
He pulled into the resort's parking lot and came to a stop in the first available space.Ben held up a finger, jumped out of the vehicle, and hurried to my door, opening it with an extended hand.
“Pulling out all the stops, huh?”I teased, slapping my palm against his.
“Or showing you what you’ve been missing out on.”He shut the door behind me, linked his fingers through mine, and headed into the main entrance or the resort.
Making our way through the main area, toward the softly lit dining room.The lobby was filled with people, hunched over tables, half-finished puzzles in front of them and pieces scattered about the surfaces.
“I didn’t realize so many people like puzzles,” Ben muttered.
“It’s the Annual Poconos Puzzle Enthusiast Club Convention.It lasts three days, and by the end of it, they’ll probably have conquered a twelve-thousand-piece masterpiece and consumed twice that in coffee.Though they also like their wine.The tasting room does very well when they’re in town.”I slipped out my phone and shot a text to Rose to remind her, so she could post to our socials something puzzle related to draw people in.
I barely had time to take in the rest of the warm wood tones and crackling fire before a familiar voice called my name.
“Sherry!”Phoebe, smiling wide, bustled over in a tailored to perfection pant suit and designer heels.
Ben tensed at my side.“So much for lying low.I forgot she practically ran this place.Of course she’d be here.”
“It’s all right,” I said.“I knew she’d be here.I guess I don’t care.”
“Hey Phoebs,” I said as she came to a stop in front of us.Her greenish-blue eyes immediately dropped to mine and Ben’s linked hands.
“Oh,” she said.“Am I the first to know?”she asked with way too much excitement in her tone.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
She clapped to herself, gave a little skip in place, while Ben looked at her as if she lost her damn mind, and honestly, maybe she had.
“I never find out things first, especially before your brother.I can’t wait to rub this in his face.”
“We were hoping to stay out of the gossip mill,” Ben said.
Phoebe laughed, loud and unapologetic.“If you think you can hide here from the local gossip, I fear you are sadly mistaken.There are eyes and ears everywhere.Sherry knows that.”Phoebe darted her gaze to me, her head tilting as if understanding had dawned on her.She stared as if she was waiting for me to admit that this was exactly what I had hoped, but it wasn’t, so I didn’t.
“All right then.Well, I have things to do, so I can get home to your brother before midnight.You two enjoy your dinner.”
“Thanks, Phoebs,” I said, and with a smile and a wave, Phoebe returned to run her domain.
Ben’s hand brushed against my lower back as we continued to the dining room.“What was that about?”
“What was what about?”
“She said you knew we wouldn’t have privacy here.”
“I thought that was common knowledge.The resort, while not part of the general makeup of our town, is still a part of it.There are locals who come here to use the amenities, have dinner, and spend a night out.Plus, she’s fully aware of my rule against dating coworkers.”