Perfect. Now Colette will definitely see me.
Or not.
I almost don’t notice Bennett looking up at me and nodding toward the exit. I clumsily remove my apron and tiptoe to the door.
Outside, I debate leaving but decide to stay. A few minutes later, Bennett walks out of the building with light orange filling crusted on the parts of his sweater that the apron didn’t cover.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here. You forgot your bag,” he says, offering me my tote and flowers.
“Thank you. For this and that,” I reply. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be sore for a couple of days but I’m fine. I moonlight as a stunt double for Keanu Reeves so my body’s used to it,” he deadpans. “Areyouokay?”
“Please. Everyone knows Keanu does a lot of his own stunts,” I say, trying to stifle a laugh. That entire encounter upstairs was just…bizarre. “I think I’m okay, too.”
I was so close to being outed. Bennett helped me cover up my own lies.
Bennett stretches out his back. “You better not be laughing at me!” he says with a grin.
I take a deep breath. “I don’t mean to laugh. I really am appreciative of your distraction, and I know how excited you were to make mooncakes. Let me buy you ice cream as a thank-you.”
“I’d be a fool to turn down ice cream,” Bennett says. “But I’d be an even bigger fool to let you pay. You covered the class. Ice cream is on me.”
“I can’t argue with that, but you did throw yourself on the ground for me.”
“It’s my honor falling for you,” he says sweetly.
I feel a blush creepacross my cheeks.
Pull yourself together!
We head to the nearest ice cream shop, where I order a scoop of chocolate and one of vanilla while Bennett enjoys two scoops of peanut butter ice cream. We eat and walk side by side to the nearest park as the sky settles into a pink and purple tie-dye dusk.
“This feels strangely familiar,” Bennett says.
I give him a look. “Yeah. I can’t get over how weird this is.”
“Meeting me again or playing hooky?”
“Both! I’ve never ditched anything in my life!” I say, still stunned by the sudden escape. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. This was not how I saw the evening going.
“Even though one of your traits as a Horse is spontaneity?”
“Well, spontaneity is actually one of the traits I don’t really resonate with.” I lick my ice cream.
“Interesting,” he says, wrinkling his eyebrows. He takes a bite out of his cone. “I’m curious to know more about you. What do you do for work, Olivia?” Bennett asks. He says my name familiarly, as though it’s always been part of his vocabulary.
“I’m…in recruiting,” I say, which doesn’tfeellike a lie. I recruit single people all the time for Lunar Love. “I’m taking over the family business.” There. One truth. Now I can rest easy tonight.
“Is that so?” he asks.
I look at him with my nose crinkled. “It is so.”
“What’s that like?”
“Honestly, I love it,” I say. “There have been some challenges lately, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Hard to find good talent?” he asks, taking a step closer to me to move out of the way of a skateboarder and her dog.
