Page 59 of What it Takes
My favorite.Then there was a happy face. See you soon.
He sent back a happy face, knowing if he got up and looked in the mirror, he’d see the same expression looking back at him.
When his phone chimed again, he held it up, expecting to see another text message from Laney.
Please help your dad figure out why the lawnmower won’t start before he sets it on fire in the driveway.
At least he’d have a way to pass the time until he could head for the diner, and then out to the lodge. He never would have guessed he’d come to love pink chairs so much.
On my way, Mom.
* * *
“I can’t believe you’ve never seenArmageddon. How is that even possible?”
Laney laughed and balanced her takeout box on the arm of her chair. “That’s a space movie, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but it’swaymore than a space movie. It’s an action movie and a drama and a comedy and a romance. You’re on the edge of your seat and it makes you laugh and then cry.” Ben stopped, frowning. “I didn’t cry. But you probably would.”
“Because I’m a girl?” She arched an eyebrow, thinking maybe he’d squirm a little and she’d enjoy that.
“Because you just told me the book you’re reading made you cry. If books make you cry, then movies do, too. AndArmageddondefinitely will.”
“I’ll have to watch it, then, and see for myself.”
“I own it. You can come over some night and watch it with me. I’ll put tissues on my grocery list.”
She wasn’t sure if that was an actual invitation—like a date night—or a throwaway comment, so she just smiled and ate another fry from the box. She’d already eaten her sandwich, which had been delicious, as usual. And Ben had remembered it was her favorite lunch offering from the Trailside Diner. He either had an exceptional memory for random things or he cared enough to remember her likes and dislikes.
The possibility it was the latter both pleased her and jacked up her anxiety level. She liked Ben, and she knew he liked her. It worried her that she was happy and couldn’t tell if she was accomplishing her summer goal of rediscovering herself, or if being with Ben made her happy. Patrick had made her happy once upon a time, too, until she’d gotten so caught up in makinghimhappy, she’d lost sight of what she wanted.
“Wow, that is one serious expression,” Ben said, jerking her back to the present. “I can just lend you my copy of the movie if that’s what’s making you frown like that.”
“No, I was thinking about something else.” A man she didn’t want to think about anymore. “I’d love to watch it with you sometime, and I can bring my own tissues, although now I feel like I have tonotcry just to prove you wrong.”
“A challenge,” he said, grinning. “Trust me, you’ll cry.”
“Have you ever cried during a movie?” She was watching his face, so she saw the truth even though he shook his head. “Come on. Tell me. Was it for the volleyball in that Tom Hanks movie? Everybody cried for Wilson. There’s no shame in that.”
“I didn’t cry for the volleyball.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ll tell you if you go for a walk with me. There’s a nice breeze today and we can walk off those fries.” He stood and picked up their empty takeout boxes. “A short walk, anyway. I don’t like to be too far from my vehicle, just in case.”
“You take your job pretty seriously,” she said, walking beside him to the Dumpster so he could toss the trash.
“It’s a pretty serious job.” He started walking toward the tree line. “And Dave and the other guys from the fire department have been doing a great job for years but now that I’m here, I feel like I need to be ready. It’s different than before, in the city, when there were other guys who could do the same job.”
“Did you ever think about becoming a doctor?”
“Nope. That costs a lot of money and trying to work to support yourselfandget through medical school never appealed to me. I like what I do. What about you? What do you do when you’re not spending the summer working at a campground?”
Laney shrugged. “I got a business degree I never used, and I worked at a jewelry store before I got married. Then my job was being Mrs. Patrick Ballard for ten years. I much prefer working at a campground.”
He laughed, and when his hand brushed against hers and then lingered, it felt totally natural to lace her fingers through his. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do when the season ends?”
It was a question she couldn’t really answer yet. “I’ve thought about it. I don’t know yet. My dad wants me to work for him, but I can’t imagine anything I want to do less.”
