Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
It’s literally down now, and it falls like a sleek curtain around her shoulders. So dark brown it’s almost black, but there’s a warmth to it. Her skin is a light tan, and her eyes big, dark, and beautiful. Her lashes are longer than I’ve ever seen on a woman.
Maybe she’s wearing mascara, maybe extensions, but as I look at her, I don’t think she is. Everything about her looks purely natural. Even the dark pink of her full lips.
Did I just ask her on a date?
I don’t date. Not really. When I do, I tend to pick the wrong women, so my friends-with-benefits relationship with Apple was a good thing for both of us. Until I ended it because… Because I watched my brother fall in love, watched how it changed him for the better.
I want that.
And when Tessa’s eyes lit up at the idea of the Oyster House and sitting at the bar, I couldn’t help myself.
Her eyes sparkled, and they were so beautiful.
They should always sparkle.
I want to make them sparkle.
“Where did you get Rita?” I ask.
“A shelter over by Betsy’s place,” she says.
“Who’s Betsy?”
I know very well where Tessa got her dog, and I know who Betsy is, but she doesn’t know that I know. I may as well move the conversation along.
“She’s a friend of Skye’s and mine. She’s in the wedding party, so you’ll get to meet her soon. She owns a pet treat shop called Betsy’s Bark Boutique. I helped her put together an online business. She’s doing great.”
“Good, glad to hear that.”
“I thought we were going to talk about the details of the bachelor and bachelorette parties.”
“Yeah, sure.” I set down my menu. “I have great news for you. Both the—”
“Hi, I’m Olivia.” Our server—a bubbly redhead—interrupts us. “I’ll be taking care of you today. Would you like a drink besides water?”
“Water is fine for me,” Tessa says.
“I’m good with water as well.”
“Awesome. I’ll give you a few minutes to look over—”
“I’m ready,” Tessa says. “I’ll have a burger with fries. Burger medium. No cheese, but I do want lettuce, tomato, and onion.”
“Absolutely.” She turns to Ben. “And you, sir?”
“I’ll have the Reuben, also with fries.”
“Very good. I’ll get this right in.” She smiles and flounces off.
“So you were saying?” Tessa asks.
“Right. Good news. Everything’s taken care of.”
She cocks her head. “Then why are we here to talk about the details?”
I shrug. “When we had a drink last Friday, I said I’d take care of it, and you said okay. So I took care of it. Everything you asked for. The lunch, the spa day, the beach day, the dinner, the gifts, the dancing.”
“You took care of all of that?”
“Braden gave me carte blanche,” I remind her. “All I had to do was call the coordinator at the resort. She set it all up for me.”
Tessa sighs. “Must be nice…”
“To have Braden Black’s wallet at your disposal? It is.”
“You have your own wallet at your disposal.”
She’s not wrong. I may not have the net worth of my brother, but I’m a close second.
She sighs again. “I’m sorry.”
“What for? I’m not. It’s great having money.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She takes a drink of her water. “I had a shitty day.”
Right. She got laid off. And I’m talking about parties and having an obscene amount of money.
Good going, Ben.
“You’re an accountant right?” I ask, even though I already know.
“Yeah. I know it sounds boring as hell, but I’ve always had a thing for numbers.”
“We can use good accountants at Black Inc. Do you want me to put out some feelers for you?”
She raises her eyebrows. “Feelers? Really?”
I chuckle.
“I’m sure you could find a place for me with one phone call,” she says, “but I don’t need a pity job.”
“It wouldn’t be a pity job. It would be a job.”
That actually gets a smile out of her.
It’s a tentative smile, but it’s a smile nonetheless, and it makes her face brighten just a bit.
My God, how radiant she must be when she’s actually happy, when she’s smiling because she’s ecstatic.
And I make it my goal, right here and now, to find a way to put that kind of smile on Tessa Logan’s face.
“Seriously, I can probably get you a job.” I raise my hand to stop her from interjecting. “And no, it would not be a pity job. We crunch so many numbers at Black Inc. that we can never have too many accountants.”
She pauses a moment, appears to mull it over. “It’s kind of you to offer. I’ll think about it.”
“Good enough. That’s all I ask. You can let me know tonight at dinner.”
She chuckles again, shaking her head. “You’re something.”
“Better than being nothing.” I wink at her.
Her cheeks redden then, and she looks away.
So she is attracted to me.
I like that. Like it a lot.