After they left the winery, Brooksie demanded they all go out to eat at some fancy restaurant he’d been raving about for days.Ben had known going to dinner was seriously going to jack with any chance he would have of seeing Ella before the diner closed.But he had felt obligated to go.Evidently getting reservations at La Tosque was nearly impossible.Brooksie had called in a favor to make it happen.So Ben joined his friends at the swanky restaurant but had not enjoyed a single minute of the dinner.It wasn’t that the food and service weren’t impeccable.They were.If Ben had been there any other time, he would have seriously loved it.Tonight, however, all he could do was watch the clock and see his chances of spending more time with Ella fading.It was almost 8:00.He knew he had only about ten minutes to get his butt across town before he would miss his window to see her.
All through dinner, thoughts of Ella danced through Ben’s mind—her long black hair, flawless brown skin, brilliant sparkling dark eyes, and absolutely perfect body.Enough,he thought.I’m out of here.Dropping a couple of hundred dollar bills on the table, Ben stood and announced, “Gents, this has been great fun, but I’m taking off.”
Madison had noticed Ben’s lack of interest in any of the little honeys who had joined them for dinner.And what sweet bites of honey they were.The guys had met the group of four girls the night before at the Karma Lounge.Upon meeting them, Ben has been flirty and fun, giving all four of the girls plenty of attention.Tonight, they did not even register on his radar.Unable to resist giving his friend a little ribbing, Madison called out, “Your need to ditch us wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain black-haired pixie, would it?”
Ben shrugged and smirked as he flipped his buddy off.The guys all erupted in laughter.
Never one to miss a great opportunity, Liam hooted, “Hot darn!The monk has been bitten by the love bug!”
Not to be outdone, Jack quipped, “More like thelustbug!”Everyone laughed, and he added, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“Impossible,” retorted Ben.“There’snothingyou wouldn’t do.”
Barking with laughter, Jack gave Ben a thumbs-up and said, “Can’t argue with the truth, brother.”Standing, he extended his hand.He and Ben shook hands and half hugged.“See ya later, dude.”
Davy also stood and shook Ben’s hand.“We are all going back to the house after this.”
At that, Brooksie yelled, “Yeah!Bring her over so she can meet some real men.”
Again, laughter rippled across the table.Flipping his friends off a second time, Ben said, “We’ll see.Wouldn’t want any of you Neanderthals to scare her off.”Giving them all a mock salute, he turned and hurried out of the restaurant.
Twenty minutes later, Ben found himself peeking through the door of The Depot, trying to see around the CLOSED sign.He tried the door handle, but it was locked.The lights were still on, and he could plainly see Ella with her back to him at the counter.Ben knocked on the glass to get her attention.
Ella was so tired she could barely hold up her head, and she tuned out the knocking.It was common for tourists to try and get them to open after closing.Usually, if she ignored them, they went away.Ella gave a deep sigh.She was disappointed that Ben had not come by after he had said he would.For the past few hours, she had watched the front door like a hawk, smiling brightly every time the bell over the door rang only to be let down.She scolded herself for being disappointed by Ben’s no-show status and for wasting so much mental energy all day watching doors.
Ella wondered why Ben had changed his mind about their “date.”She supposed it was because of her age.He probably preferred girls who were old enough and experienced enough to feel at home in bars and fancy restaurants.She could not blame him.Even if she had been old enough, she freely admitted she would have had no idea what to do in those places.The truth was, even if he had shown up, she was not sure she would have had the courage to go or do anything with him.That admission frustrated and irritated her.Just thinking about it freaked her out.For heaven sakes, her little brother and sister were both in long-term relationships.The least she could do was figure out how to go on a date.But of course to do that, she would need the guy to actually show up.
Ella had just started refilling the salt shakers when the knocking grew louder.Wow,she thought irritatedly.It plainly says CLOSED on the door.Go away, people!When she turned around, ready to yell, “We’re closed,” Ella realized it was not justsometourist knocking.It was herfavoritetourist.She saw Ben peek in through the glass door and wave.
It was stupid, but Ella’s heart gave a little leap.Walking over to the door, Ella quickly turned the lock, and Ben rushed in.
Running his hand up the back of his neck, Ben gave her a sheepish smile.“I am sorry to be so late.I got caught up at dinner with my buddies.It ran later than I expected.Would you like to go to a party with me?My buddies and I are having a little get-together at the place we are staying.Any chance you would join us?”
Before Ella could process what Ben had asked, her brother Jorge, who was 6’2”and 230 pounds, came lumbering out of the kitchen.Looking at Ella, he frowned.“Everything okay out here?”Before Ella could answer, Jorge turned to Ben and said, “Sorry, dude.We are closed.You will have to come back tomorrow.”Jorge moved toward the door, opened it, and waited for Ben to leave.
Looking from Jorge to Ella, Ben put his hands in the air as if to surrender.He was a muscular guy, but he was no match for Ella’s brother.Add to that, he was not looking for a fight.With his hands still in the air, he said, “Look, dude.I came to see Ella.I hope that is not a problem.”
Ella jumped in before Jorge could respond.“It is fine.I got this.Ben is a friend of mine.We are going to talk for a minute.I will lock up when he leaves.”
Jorge gave his sister a hard look.But at the end of the day, Ella was still the big sister.If she said she had it, he had to believe her.After a few seconds, he nodded and closed the door.Heading back to the kitchen, he called over his shoulder, “I am right here if you need me.”
Once Jorge was gone, Ella gave Ben a shy smile.“Sorry about that.Brothers are very protective of their sisters.Even older ones.”
“He is your younger brother?How is that possible?”Ben asked incredulously.“The dude is massive.For a moment there, I was worried he was going to literally throw me out the front door.”
“He and Sophie are twins.He, like Sophie, got his height from our white grandfather, the one I told you was so tall.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember that.Twins huh?Do they run in your family?”Ben was fumbling around, trying to keep the conversation going.There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but the fact that he was standing around asking about twins showed how much she affected him.He was so off his game.
“Yes, my mom had two sets of twins.Jorge and Sophie and Eli and Lydia.They are fourteen.”
“You have four younger brothers and sisters?”Ben’s tone showed he was shocked.He had two little sisters who had shown up when he was in high school.He had only had to deal with them for a couple of years.He loved them, but they were a lot of work.
“Actually,” replied Ella, “I have six younger brothers and sisters.Josie is fifteen, and Ollie is eleven.”
“Six?You have six brothers and sisters?That is craziness.I bet family dinners are a madhouse.”
Laughing, Ella said, “You have no idea.”
