Ben moved to one of the chairs at the counter so as not to tie up a table.He was no longer in Ella’s section, but he could still see her as she came and went around the diner.He hung out, playing on his phone, reading, and pretending not to track every one of Ella’s movements.He loved just watching her.
At 10:00 on the dot, Ella’s shift was over.As they left the diner, Ben resisted the urge to grab her hand and haul her in for a kiss.Instead, he asked, “Are you up for a little adventure today?”
“Adventure?What kind of adventure?”Ella asked, intrigued.
“Hot air ballooning,” replied Ben, his eyes sparkling.“I know you are a native, but I wanted to think of something that maybe you had never done.Have you ever ridden over the valley in a hot air balloon before?”
Shaking her head, Ella laughed.“Heavens no!Never even considered it.Have you?”
“No, but I have always wanted to.You aren’t afraid of heights are you?”asked Ben.He motioned her over to where he had parked Brooksie’s BMW, which he had borrowed for the day.
“No,” replied Ella.“I thought all the balloon rides were at dawn.Can we go on one this late?”
Ben held the door for Ella as she got into the car.
“Is this yours?”asked Ella.
“No, I borrowed it from Brooksie.Do you like it?”
“Yes, it is very nice.”
“Yeah, Brooksie’s folks spoil him rotten, but he is a good egg.Anyway, I reserved a private tour.We have about a fifteen-minute drive to our pick-up spot.”
Once in the car, Ben took Ella’s hand in his.He drove to the balloon loading spot, quickly parked, then the hot air balloon people helped them climb aboard.It was a beautiful September day without a cloud in the sky.In no time, they were loaded and off.It took about twenty minutes for them to climb to cruising altitude of 1,000 feet.Once there, they could literally see for miles in every direction.Ella was so petite that her head barely cleared the tall basket.Ben stood behind her, and unable to stop himself, he laced his arms around her middle and held onto her.Ella found herself leaning back into him.
Ella was astonished that the view was so beautiful.She had lived in Napa Valley her whole life, yet she had never seen this view of her community.She had worried it would be cold, but the heat from the hot air balloon made it quite comfortable.The trip lasted a little over an hour, then the balloon touched down in the middle of a vineyard.Ella could see a picnic table had been set up with lunch for them.The pilot and the ground crew, who had helped them land, loaded the balloon back onto a large truck and drove it back to the original loading spot.Ben’s friend’s car had been brought to them.
Ella was shocked that Ben had organized such a fabulous trip so quickly.“How were you able to get this whole deal put together this morning?I would have thought these trips booked weeks out.”
Rubbing his hand up the back of his neck, a gesture Ella was coming to realize meant he was nervous, Ben said, “You are smart, aren’t you.So you got me.This was actually organized for me and all the guys.However, after last night, I had such a good time with you, I asked them if I could buy them out of their parts of the day.I wanted it to be just us.I hope that is okay.”
“Oh.That was so nice.Thank you so much.This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.I loved every minute of it.Thank your friends for helping me.I appreciate them bowing out.That was really sweet of them, And thank you again.It was amazing,” replied Ella.
Ben gave Ella a sheepish look.“You are very welcome.And as far the guys go, all but Davy were too hungover to have really enjoyed it.I think they were kind of relieved to get out of it.This was really more my thing.So it worked out for the best.I’m really glad you enjoyed it.I did too.”
Ben gestured to the picnic that had been set up for them.“As you can see, we have a lunch all laid out for us.I hope you like chicken salad and fruit.I think there is also some cheese and chocolate.I hope you are hungry because we have food for six.”
As Ella moved toward the table, Ben could resist no more.He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.This time, he did not restrain himself from deepening the kiss for several seconds.When Ben finally pulled back for a breath, he said, “I have been dying to do that since about eight this morning.”
Laughing, Ella replied, “Well, what were you waiting for?”For a girl with almost no kissing experience, she was fast becoming an expert in what she liked.
Shrugging Ben said, “Well, I did not feel comfortable kissing you in front of your parents.Then, there was the crew and the pilot.This is the first minute we have been truly alone all day.”
“True,” replied Ella, not sure exactly what to say next.
Motioning for Ella to have a seat next to him on the picnic table, Ben poured them each a glass of wine.For the next two hours, they ate, drank, kissed, and wiled away a lazy afternoon.
Ella shared with Ben what it had been like growing up in Napa.She told him about how her white, very Protestant mother had fallen in love with her Hispanic, very Catholic dad at seventeen and had given up a scholarship to Paris to become a pastry chef to stay in Napa and help her father with the diner.She told him about her uncle Pedro, who was a head vineyard manager for the winery.He had taught her all about the soil and grapes and the need for soil conservation.She told him about being homeschooled and working in the diner from an early age.
Ben told Ella about being raised in New York by artistic parents.He told her about his childhood and how his life had abruptly changed when he was eleven.That was when he found out that the man he thought was his dad wasn’t.Instead, his biological father was Bennett Carrington, a former Senator from Arkansas.He told her about moving with his mom to Arkansas.
To Ella, Ben’s childhood sounded troubling.By comparison, hers had been something out of a movie.Her parents had been high school sweethearts, who have been married for more than twenty years.She lived in the same town as both sets of her grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.From the sound of it, Ben only had a few family members: his parents, sisters, one aunt, and one cousin.Ella was not sure she could even name all of her relatives.Their childhoods had been completely different.
Ben also told Ella all about his future law and political plans.The way he talked about Arkansas made it sound wonderful.It was obvious he really loved the small town of Searcy where he had grown up.The way he talked about all the political incentives that he was passionate about, Ella could see what a terrific leader he would be one day.
Around 3:00, Ben looked at his watch and said, “We need to head back.”
As they drove back to town, Ben gave Ella a wry look before asking, “You know how I told you I was here for my friend’s wedding earlier?”
