Page 186 of The Vacation Mix-Up
I squeeze Riley’s leg beneath the table. “I agree. There’s no rush.”
“We leave the day after tomorrow,” Kathy says, gesturing at her husband. “Oscar is homesick. He misses his armchair.”
“And a decent beer,” he adds, wrinkling his nose at the ale in front of him.
“I miss my friends,” Avery whines. “And my treehouse.”
I set my menu down, excited for her. “You have a treehouse? That’s so cool! When I was your age, that’s all I wanted, but we didn’t have any trees where I lived.”
“You didn’t have trees?”
“No. I lived in an apartment in a city.”
Zach slurps his soda. “Treehouses are crap.”
Avery throws her crayon at him. “You’re crap!”
He throws it back.
I lean out of the way.
“Stop that!” Kathy laughs and pats Avery’s hand. “As you can see, it’s definitely time to go home.”
Feeling sorry for her, I suspect she hasn’t had much of a vacation, given how Oscar seems to just sit there like a potato.
“So, you two hookin’ up when you get back?” Ben asks.
I move my elbows onto the table, steeple my hands, and rest my chin on my fingers. “That’s none of your business.”
“Sheesh!” He winks at Riley. “Just tryin’ to help a bro out.”
“Thank you, Ben,” Riley says, letting out a slow breath. “But we’ve been through this. I don’t need your help.”
“You stopped biding?”
Riley glares at him.
“You have, haven’t you?” Ben gleams. “’Bout fucking time.”
A sense of déjà vu settles over me, so I narrow my eyes at them. “What are you talking about?”
Riley tips his beer to his lips. “Nothing.”
“He’s been dying to get into your panties for weeks, love.”
I recoil.
“Benjamin!” Hugo exclaims.
“What? He has.”
“Will you just shut up. It doesn’t concern you.”
“No.” I lift my hand at Hugo. “It’s okay. I want to hear this.”
Riley shifts in his seat and gestures toward the children. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
It’s not. But funnily enough, I’ve come to respect Ben’s brute honesty. It’s refreshing, despite the language he uses to convey it. No falsities. No shame. No tact, of course, but mostly no fear of expression. He doesn’t hide who he is or what he wants to say. And judging by how disinterested the Ohio family are—Oscar flagging down a waiter; Zach buried in his phone; Avery cramming a bread roll into her mouth, with Kathy chastising her as she picks and dusts crumbs off her daughter’s dress—now’s probably the best time for Ben to speak.
