Page 67 of Need Him
“Okay. Thank you.”
Gareth squeezed his knee and returned to Ben’s side. He kissed Ben’s temple, glad for the generous soul he’d been given. Between them, they should be able to keep Victor above water until his Daddy came along.
****
Chapter 25
Ben
“You want to organise what?” Lindsay said, her tone advertising that she’d heard but couldn’t believe he’d suggested it.
“A night out for the entire store.”
“I thought that’s what you said.” She slumped in the visitor chair. “Can I ask why?”
Ben twiddled the pen he held and stared out of the window. “I want people to see I’ve changed, and what better way to do that than to have a party where I can let loose with everyone around to see it?” He peered at her again. “Do you think I’m nuts?”
Lindsay raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Probably.” She smiled. “But it’s a good idea. I know we have one at Christmas, but if you want some quicker results, a night out would be good. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I had a couple of possibilities. There’s a hotel that offers their ballrooms or reception rooms, whatever they call them, for such gatherings. But I also know a pub that has enough space. They have DJs or live music, a bar—necessary for obvious reasons—and plenty of tables and chairs.”
Lindsay finished writing on her notepad. “I like the idea of the pub. The hotel, I think, might be too formal. It’s okay for a Christmas party, but if you want to show them who you are, a pub might be better. Which pub is it?”
“The Pub.” At Lindsay’s yet again raised eyebrows, he laughed. “Yes, that’s what it’s called. Gareth told me about it. It’s a regular haunt for him and his friends, and he knows the staff.”
“I’d suggest checking it out to be sure it can hold the number of staff we have.”
“I will. Shall we go with that if they can fit us in?” Lindsay nodded. “Okay, the other thing, when?”
Lindsay opened her diary, flicking through some pages. “We don’t want it too close to Christmas because people will have other plans.”
“I was hoping for something sooner.”
Lindsay scrutinised him. “How soon?”
Ben winced. “Next month?”
She covered her face with her hands and groaned, then sat upright. “All right. In that case…” She flicked a few more pages, “Let’s go with 1 October. It’s a Saturday, so most staff will be able to attend. There will still be some who can’t, but maybe we can do a brief get-together here for them afterwards?”
Ben nodded. “Good idea. I wondered how we were going to accommodate everyone.”
“It’s not possible. We have people covering all the hours of the week, and unless we shut the place down for a few hours, some people will miss out.”
He rested his chin on his thumb, his forefinger rubbing his bottom lip. “I wonder if I could get permission for that?”
Lindsay scoffed. “I doubt it very much. And besides, the staff might want to drink. If they did, they wouldn’t be able to work afterwards.”
He nodded. “Okay. Stick with the original plan.”
“This is a plan, is it?” She chuckled. “I can’t decide if I prefer your set-in-your-ways self or this new one.” She tapped the pen against her mouth. “Nah, this new one is much more polite.”
Ben threw a crumpled piece of paper at her, laughing. “Be careful. I’ll set Gareth on you.”
“I’m not scared of him.”
“You should be.”
They sorted a few more details, and Lindsay disappeared to help make it happen. It was less than five weeks away, and it all depended on whether they could get the location. With that in mind, he messaged Gareth, asking him to call The Pub and see if they’re available on that date. He wanted to call him, but he would be sleeping after his shift the night before.
