“What!” I gasp, because I love her dad. Everyone does.
“And there’s so much drama in the Dallas art world, it might beworsethan the New York scene.ButI can tell you all of thatsometime when there’s not, you know, a whole-ass marriage on the line.”
“Crap, I forgot, you can’t tell anyone about the contract.”
She flattens her mouth into a flat, annoyed line before saying, “This is not my first billionaire rodeo, bestie.”
“Right,” I nod and then rush out in a stupor.
Ben Ben Ben Ben.
I didn’t mean to reject him. Crap! This is not what I expected from Skye. Maybe I should have, but I was so worried about my relationship with her, seeing her, I forgot what she’d see when she looked at me. At me and Ben.
As usual, her bedside manner sucks. She’s not sweet Harper tiptoeing around my feelings.
He said I love you and you said Gee, Thanks.
Ahhh!
I pick up my pace to reach the ballroom, then pause to scan the room. Ben is tall, but so are a lot of the—there! I see his broad back filling out his tux, his wavy chestnut hair that he keeps running his hand through. I almost sprint to him.
He turns and sees me, looking concerned.
“Are you alright?”
“No, yes. Yes, I’m fine but can we go?”
“Sure, hey, your phone won’t stop going off, I thought it might be about your Gran?” He says, handing me the device.
“Gran?” Panic runs through me, plus I’m nervous about professing my love any second now, so my hands are trembling. “Sorry, you unlock it, it’s 12416.”
“Janie, do you need some water? Here,” Samantha says, catching the way I must be shaking.
“Thanks,” I say.
“Everything okay? Where’s Skye?” Matt, Skye’s husband, asks. He must have known about our rift, just like Ben did.
“She was right behind me, it was good to catch up,” I tell him with a smile, hopefully communicating that all is well on the best friend front. I take a few more gulps of water then look up at Ben. He’s frowning at my phone screen. “Was it N J Peaceful Meadows? A missed call? That’s what her facility comes up as, with the New Jersey first.”
He shakes his head and then hands it to me, “No, but you’ve a million unread text messages?”
“Yeah, just ignore that. You know me, ignoring human contact,” I try to joke. I look at my notifications, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Must have just been more messages from the Bonettis.
“Excuse me just a minute, then we’ll go.” Ben says quickly as he turns and stalks toward the bathroom. I watch him leave, admiring the way he walks through the crowd. He greets someone and waves at someone else. Everyone wants a piece of Benedict Clark.
But I…I want all of him.
Now I just need to make sure he knows it.
43
BEN
So. This is why they warn you off of falling in love.
I shouldn’t have walked back there. I mean, I meant well. Almost dropped the water bottles I had for them when I heard their voices.
“This is insane! Let me give you the money right now, Janie!”
