Chapter 22
When they left the ranch, Ben assured Amy he was fine to drive. He remained quiet as he drove, his earlier joviality gone. She assumed they’d go to Scooters later, since Ben still wore the borrowed boots. He’d grabbed his tennis shoes and the boots Amy had already taken off, before climbing into his truck.
Would line dancing be any easier than swing dancing?
Ben’s whole demeanor had changed as soon as Jake suggested going to Scooters. Because Melanie had loved to dance, Scooters would likely be full of more memories Ben hadn’t faced in a year. Would going there, on top of riding, be too much for him to face in one day?
Jake’s response when Ben asked why they were all so pushy filled her head. Of course, Paige and Jake loved Ben, but what did she feel for him? She thought of him often, but she didn’t think of him as a brother or a cousin. She was too attracted to him for her feelings toward him to be platonic.
Lately, her body had reacted strangely whenever he was near. She felt things she’d never felt, not even with Lance. Things she didn’t want to feel. She couldn’t seem to get the kiss they’d shared out of her head and didn’t like what that said about her.
No, she wouldn’t say she loved Ben. But she had to admit, she cared a great deal about him. Enough that she’d do almost anything for him, including pushing him to confront painful memories, to help him heal. She was even willing to make a fool of herself on the dance floor if it would help him.
Ben pulled his truck to a stop at the grocery store. “I assume my mom has Kallie?” At Amy’s nod, he said, “You should let her know you won’t be home until late.”
Then he was gone.
After a quick call informing Hope they’d be going to Scooters tonight, during which Hope squealed in her ear and thanked her profusely, Amy caught up to Ben. He stood in front of the store’s small display of fresh flowers, looking lost. She hung back, not wanting to intrude on his privacy, but wanting to give moral support.
“What was her favorite flower?” She stepped closer when he didn’t make a move to choose anything.
“Roses.” His voice was quiet. “She loved red roses and lilies.”
“This is not a good time of year for lilies, but maybe you can get her those roses, and we could get some daisies or carnations to go with them.”
Ben thought for a moment more, then gathered arrangements of red roses, white daisies, and pink carnations. Instead of heading for the registers to check out, he grabbed a shopping cart, laid the flowers in it, and headed to the opposite side of the store.
Wishing she could read his mind, Amy followed at a distance.
Knight’s Grocery store was the one real store in Providence. Besides groceries, it contained a pharmacy, where Ben’s cousin, Matt, was the Pharmacist. It also had small sections of toys, hardware, housewares, and clothing.
Amy followed Ben as he pushed his cart up and down aisles of soaps, lotions, and hair products, only to double back to a previous aisle. Finally, he stopped and searched the shelves. He reached up to the top shelf and pulled down a white bottle with a red logo and black lettering. He handed it to Amy.
“That’s the stuff Melanie always used for the frizz.”
Amy took the bottle and studied it. She’d never seen this brand before. The name looked French. She glanced at the shelf where Ben had gotten the bottle and sucked in a sharp breath. No wonder she’d never noticed it before.Talk about expensive.But as she’d come to learn while staying with the Youngs, expensive products were usually worth it.
“Thanks, I’ll try it.”
Reaching the end of the aisle, Amy turned to find Ben had stopped. He held a bottle of perfume in his hand. She watched as he took off the lid and raised it to his nose. He closed his eyes, and Amy’s heart broke.
It must be Melanie’s perfume.
She left him and found the clothing department. Finding what she wanted, she snatched a package off the hook and returned to where Ben stood, still holding the perfume. His face reddened when he saw her approaching, and he put the bottle back on the shelf.
Amy opened the package of men’s handkerchiefs and took one out. Grabbing the perfume, she sprayed the handkerchief twice. After replacing the bottle on the shelf, she folded the handkerchief and tucked it back in the package between the other two. She tossed the package in the shopping cart and walked away.
He might not appreciate what she’d done, but she wouldn’t stick around and let him argue. Ben needed to remember everything about Melanie, again and again. He needed to enjoy those memories, and he couldn’t do that in the middle of the grocery store.
At the checkout, when Amy tried to pay for the hair product, Ben insisted on buying it.
The cashier picked up the package of handkerchiefs. “This one is open. Would you like to get a different one?”
Amy grabbed the package. “No, this one is fine.”
Ben bit back a smile.
On their way out, they crossed paths with Ben’s cousin, Steven. He shook Ben’s hand and gave him a quick one-arm hug, slapping him on the back. “I’ve been thinking about you, man.”
