‘What?’ He frowned, then smiled. ‘I just asked if we shouldget down to business, referring to the brainstorm. If your dirty mind thought I was referring to something else, then that’s a you problem, Jeffries. I told you, I won’t go there. Flirty Ben has left the building for good. Serious Ben is all you’ll be getting from now on.’
‘Good,’ I said, batting away the slight twinge of disappointment that had stupidly popped up. ‘I’ve got a load of social media posts to draft today, so I’d like to get as many ideas down as possible before lunch. Let’s start with the retreat. Do you have any more info on how many rooms there are and stuff, so I know what we’ll be working with?’
‘I do indeed.’ Ben sipped his coffee, then took his mobile from his pocket. ‘They’re working on the site right now, so we can’t visit, but basically the plan is to have three large rooms on the ground floor along with a kitchen and bathroom. Then upstairs there’s space for six bedrooms.’
‘What about bathrooms?’
‘The bedrooms will be ensuite with a shower.’
‘Great.’
‘So it’d be good to have your thoughts on what the rooms on the ground floor could be used for.’
‘I think we should have one social room, a quiet room and maybe use another as a dining room? Or if the kitchen is big, maybe it could be an open-plan kitchen-diner-type style so it’s more sociable. People can cook and talk, that kind of thing. What do you think?’
Ben scrubbed his jaw.
‘The open-plan kitchen could work. So you’d want a social room, like with a big TV and music system if they want to party?’
‘Party?’ I shouted. ‘Of course not! People will be coming to read, not rave!’
‘I don’t get it. Why would people choose to pay money to come and sit with a bunch of strangers and read for an entire weekend?’ Ben’s brow furrowed.
‘So much to learn,’ I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes. ‘The point is that it enables like-minded people toconnectand make friends. And you get to chat about the books together afterwards—hence the social room. It’s fun.’
‘Right…’ Ben said. ‘Sounds like we have very different ideas of fun, so I’ll have to take your word for that…’
‘Oh, let me guess. Your idea of fun is hanging around a pool ogling scantily clad women in bikinis, right?’
‘Who wouldn’t enjoy chilling by the pool in the sunshine with a cold beer and some company?’
‘There’s more to life than sex, y’know!’ I spat.
‘Whoa, who said anything aboutsex?’ Ben raised his eyebrow. ‘Sounds like someone has sex on the brain. And even if I was referring to that, which I wasn’t, why do you have such a negative opinion about it? Aren’t romance novels full of spicy scenes?’
He’d touched a nerve about the sex thing, but I couldn’t let him know that, so I focused on his other annoying comment instead.
‘I thought you said before that you’ve read romance novels.’
‘Yeah. I’ve skimmed a few. I have to sleep in the library room at Theo and Jess’s place, so when I’ve been at a loose end, I’ve had a quick look.’
‘Well, if you bothered toreallyread them, you’d know that they’re not “full of sex”!’
‘Hey, listen, I’m not judging! I think it’s apositivething. Nothing wrong with well-written spicy scenes. They’re entertaining and educational. That’s not what I have a problem with.’
‘So what is it, then?’
‘Like I said, it’s the fact that on the whole, the books are so unrealistic.’
‘It’s calledfictionfor a reason!’ I clapped back.
‘I know, but it’s not packaged that way. It makes people think thisfairy-tale, soulmate foreverstuff happens in real life, which just isn’t true. And the storylines are so repetitive. What’s with the enemies-to-fucking thing?’
‘It’senemies-to-lovers!’ I corrected.
‘I mean, they always dislike each other for some stupid reason, like he accidentally stepped on her big toe ten years ago and she’s hated him ever since.’
‘That’s a stupid example.’
