Page 157 of Dawn Caravan
“Tell the truth.” Her dimple peeked out. “Do you love me just for this house?”
“I mean…” He looked around. “It’s not theonlyreason, but it helps to remember how loaded you are when you drive me crazy.”
She laughed, and it echoed down the hallway, filling the house with music, laughter, and the quiet lapping of waves at the dock. The air was cool and dry, a perfect spring night in Venice, and the orange tree perfumed the air.
Here.Ben danced with Tenzin in the darkness.Here right now.
This moment.
He wanted to live in it forever. And now he could.
40
“You better have just escaped certain death,” Chloe said. “Five days, Benjamin. Five. Days.”
He frowned. “Wait, so youwantus to have faced certain death?”
“I’m saying if anything less than facing certain death kept you from answering the nine thousand calls and messages I sent you… Plus I had to try to reassure your uncle and put up with Fabia freaking out. You really need to get to Rome because I swear that woman is paranoid about you after Shanghai.”
Ben winced. “Well, if anyone has a right to be paranoid, it’s probably Fabi. I’m fine. We’re fine.”
“We?”
Ben didn’t know what to say.
Tenzin and I made up.
We still have issues. We’ll probably always have issues.
But…
I can’t live without her. I don’t even want to try.
“We figured things out,” he said quietly. “We’re good, Chloe.”
She was quiet on the other end of the phone.
“Chloe?”
She sniffed. “Really?”
Ben rolled his eyes. “Yeah. We’re good. We’re more than good.”
“Are you happy?”
Was he happy? He looked over at Tenzin, who was lying on her belly on one of the Persian rugs, her legs kicked up as she scowled at the screen of her portable gaming device.
“Thieving raccoons,” she muttered. “Tiny, devious demons, both of you.”
Ben smiled. “Yeah. I’m happy.”
“I’m glad.”
Tenzin threw her gaming device across the room. “Usurers end up in the seventh circle of hell, raccoons!”
“Yep.” Ben watched the console bounce off the carpet. “Everything seems pretty much back to normal.”
* * *
