Page 39 of Love Story

“All right, so who’s got the next story tonight?”Conor asked, leaning back in his chair with a bottle of beer in hand.“What about you, Haider?You have some wild chocolate-related disaster?”

“‘Disaster’?”Haider scoffed, sitting straighter on the couch.“Please.My work is art.No disasters.But if you must know, I did have a small issue with my new molds.Turns out, if you use too much heat, the whole batch—”

“—melts.Like chocolate tends to do?”Ryan cut in, smirking.

“Don’t mock the process!”Haider exclaimed, tossing a pillow at him.Ryan dodged, laughing, and Haider turned his attention to me.“Sam, tell them how much syrup I bought from your parents.Enough to drown in, right?”

I rolled my eyes but smirked.“You’re probably single-handedly funding the farm this season.”

“See?”Haider grinned, pointing at me.“The Caldwells believe in my genius.”

“Sure,” Conor said, deadpan.“‘Genius’.That’s the word I’d use.”

The group dissolved into laughter, and I glanced over at Ben.He watched us, a small smile tugging at his lips, but he wasn’t saying much.

“Ben,” I said, catching his attention.“You doing okay over there?Don’t let them scare you off.”

He blinked, straightening a little.“Oh, I’m good.Just… soaking it all in.”

“Get used to it,” I said with a grin.“This is pretty much every gathering we have.A lot of noise, a lot of sarcasm.”

“And a lot of alcohol,” Ryan added, holding up his glass.

Ben laughed, and even though the sound was barely audible over the banter, it hit me anyway—a warm, quiet note settling deep in my chest.

“So,” Haider said, leaning forward suddenly, focused on Ben.“What brings you to Caldwell Crossing, anyway?”

All eyes turned to Ben.His smile faltered, and I could see the tension creep into his shoulders as he searched for an answer.His eyes darted toward me.“I… I just needed a change,” he said, his voice hesitant.“Work stuff, you know.”

That was when I stepped in.“Haider,” I said, my tone light but firm, giving him a gentle warning to ease up.

Haider held up his hands, feigning innocence.“Just making conversation.”

“Yeah, well, let’s give him a break,” I said, glancing at Ben.He glanced at me, a tiny flicker of relief in his eyes, and I gave him a nod.“We’ve got plenty of time for questions later.”

Haider sighed dramatically but leaned back, switching gears almost immediately.“Fine.But you can’t blame me for being curious.”

Ben relaxed a little, his fingers curling around the arm of his chair, and I couldn’t help but wish I knew what had sent him here.Only, this was supposed to be a safe space, and I intended to keep it that way—he didn’t need to tell us anything.

“There are some legal complications,” he began, then stopped.

“Go on,” Haider encouraged.

I sent him a glare.“Leave the man alone,” I snapped.

Haider wrinkled his nose.“Okay, okay!”he said with one of his grins.

Ben relaxed slightly, his shoulders dropping, and I decided to make my move.“Hey,” I said, catching his attention again.“There’s something I want to show you.Come with me.”

Haider let out a low whistle as I gestured for Ben to follow me toward the office.“Oh no,” Haider called after us, his tone dripping with mock concern.“Sam’s abducting the cute guy.Five minutes, Ben, or we’ll send out a search party.”

“Shut up,” I said over my shoulder, rolling my eyes but grinning.

Ben hesitated for a split second before following me, his cheeks still pink.

“Sorry about Haider,” I said as I opened the door to the office, motioning Ben inside.“He’s used to teasing us and sometimes doesn’t know when to back off.What brought you to town is your business.”

Ben nodded, his scarf still loose around his neck, his cheeks pink—not from embarrassment this time, but from the cold.“It’s fine.He’s… lively.”

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