As she walked away, Ben fought the urge to follow her, to try once more to break through the wall she'd built between them. Instead, he turned to Luca.
"Looks like we've got a barbecue tonight," he said.
Luca nodded, pocketing his phone. "Should be fun. Will other members of your family be there?"
"I don’t know." Ben ran a hand through his hair. "I think this is just for the people who’ve been part of the clinic this week.”
They headed out of the building and made their way to the vehicle they were driving that day.
It didn’t take long to get back to the estate, and with a couple of hours still to kill, Ben went up to his room to shower and change.
Shortly before six, he met up with Luca, and the two of them drove to Annie and Cole’s place, which was a large spread not far from the estate.
Though Annie and Cole didn’t live on the estate like the rest of Ben’s family, it didn’t mean they didn’t have a strong security presence. Cole had made a deal with Ben’s dad when he’d told him that he wanted to date Annie, that he’d always provide security for her.
After being waved through the main gate, Ben drove the SUV around to the large parking area they had. There were several cars already there, but he had no way of knowing if one of them belonged to Amelia.
Ben stepped out of the SUV and took a deep breath. The smell of grilling meat filled the air, making his stomach rumble in appreciation. He could hear laughter and conversation drifting from the backyard, along with the squeals of children playing.
His sister, Annie, had never been a fan of the modern design, so the home they’d built had the look of a large log cabin. The natural stone exterior was accented with large timbers, and the wraparound porch gave it a homey feel despite its size. The warm yellow lights of the house glowed invitingly against the evening sky. Though it was still light out, the sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows across the manicured lawn.
Ben loved the aesthetics of the place. It felt warm and welcoming, just like his sister and Cole were.
He and Luca made their way to the back of the house, where the sounds of conversation and laughter floated through the air. The backyard had been transformed with string lights hanging overhead, creating a warm glow as the evening approached. There were several tables set up with chairs around them as well as a picnic table, and near the back door was a large grill manned by Cole, who waved when he spotted them.
"Ben! You made it!" Annie called, coming toward them with an empty tray in her hands. Her smile was warm as she approached, shifting the tray to give him a one-armed hug. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost. I thought for sure you’d be here earlier."
"Just took my time getting ready," Ben replied, returning his sister's hug. "Need any help?"
"I've got it covered, but thanks. Help yourself to a drink. We've got a cooler by the tables." She nodded toward a large blue cooler before heading back toward the house.
Ben scanned the crowd, looking for Amelia. Several people from the clinic were already there, chatting in small groups, but he didn't see Amelia among them.
"Looking for someone?" Luca asked, his voice low.
"Just seeing who's here," Ben replied, trying to sound casual. He wasn't sure why he felt so invested in whether Amelia showed up or not. She'd made it clear that she wasn't interested in rekindling their friendship.
They made their way to the cooler, where Ben grabbed a bottle of water. Luca did the same, then they made their way over to where Cole stood at the grill.
“Hey, Uncle Ben!”
Several kids ran up to him, all wanting hugs. “Are your parents here, Dani?”
The girl shook her head. “Not yet. They’ll be here later, I think. We were here all day with Aunt Annie.”
“Is Annie the babysitter these days?” Ben asked Cole as the kids ran away after getting their hugs from him.
Cole grinned. “Not every day. Her, Angie, and Kiara rotate. They’ll be by later to pick their kids up.”
Ben enjoyed hearing how his family lived their lives so closely intertwined with each other, especially since they all had kids around the same age. They weren’t completely insular, however, since all the school-aged kids attended the Christian school attached to the church, and they were all involved in the church.
“Are you ready for another week?” Cole asked. “It wasn’t too much for you?”
“It’s just the teen camp this next week, right?”
“Yep. A lot of the same kids will be there,” Cole said, turning his attention to the steaks on the grill. “I really appreciated your help this week,”
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I really enjoyed it.”
