Page 58 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

“I thought you were eager to get out of Maple Creek.”

“I am. But it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate certain parts of living there.”

“I liked growing up there,” Benson said. “There was always something fun to do.”

“In Maple Creek?” Tessa asked. “I thought it was boring.”

“No way. You just have to know the right things to do.”

“Like what?” Tessa asked.

“Like going down to the lake and goofing around. Spending time with friends. Going to Dixie’s Tavern.”

“You make it sound a lot better than it is.”

“You’re just trying to compare it with New York. They’re two very different places, but both have their good points.”

“That’s a good way to look at it.”

“You just have to reframe your thoughts a bit.”

“Where did you learn that?” Tessa asked.

“My dad taught me that when I was a kid. Think positive. Always look on the bright side.”

“It’s a great skill to have,” Tessa said. “Not everyone can do that.”

“It takes practice. But if you decide to do it before a negative thought comes up, it’s much easier to do when things go wrong.”

“Your dad sounds like a smart guy,” Tessa said.

“He tried his best with me. I sure didn’t make it easy on him.”

“Not from what I heard from you. I can’t believe you almost burned your house down.”

“My parents were prepared after that. I think they kept expecting me to do it again.”

“Did you?”

“I kept my fires outside after that. At least I’d learned that much. There was just something so exciting about seeing stuff burn.”

“Your poor parents.”

“And now you know why my parents went gray early.”

Tessa laughed.

“It’s come back to haunt me, though.”

“What do you mean?” Tessa asked.

“Sometimes I wonder if the reason Megan left was because I was so reckless,” Benson admitted. He’d surprised himself by bringing Megan up, but Tessa had said she was willing to listen, so maybe she should continue. “Maybe I’m not good with relationships. I’ll probably end up running you off at some point when I do something stupid.”

“Did you ever ask her why she left?” Tessa asked.

“I saw her again after the wedding, and she told me that it had nothing to do with me. She said she thought she was ready for marriage, but then realized that it wasn’t the right time for her.”

“Do you think she was being honest?”

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