When the men eventually left the gym, Ben came out with Luca by his side, smiling when he saw her. Rather than head straight for the exit with the others, he came over to the table.
“Are you finished with your day?” Ben asked as he watched her close the lid on the laptop.
“Not just yet.” She leaned over and unplugged the cord. “I work until five.”
Ben paused for a moment, glancing over at Luca. “Any chance you might want to grab some dinner with me?”
The invitation surprised Amelia. Was this a… date?
“Why?”
Ben smiled, appearing to not be surprised by her question. “I just thought we could catch up. Talk a bit more. I’d like to know what’s been going on with you.”
She wanted him to clarify if the meal was a date, but she also didn’t want to.
“You have to eat, right?” he said. “And I have to eat. Let’s eat together. Just friends, having dinner.”
Just friends.That answered her question but also brought with it a disappointment that she didn’t want to think too deeply about.
Still, even though she knew she really should avoid being around him, Amelia nodded. “Okay.”
When Ben grinned, her heart skipped a beat. “Great! Is it okay to just leave your car here? I’ll bring you back after we’ve eaten.”
“That’s fine.”
“Perfect. We’ll be back in a little bit.”
As they walked away, Amelia picked up the laptop and cord and clutched them to her chest. Cole had already picked up the file, so there was nothing more for her to do but return to the office and wait for five o’clock.
CHAPTER NINE
“Do you think it’s a good idea?” Luca asked as they walked to the SUV. “Going out for dinner with her?”
Ben knew what Luca was asking. He hadn’t been around during their breakup, but he’d heard about it. He’d also accompanied Ben to some of Amelia’s competitions in the couple of years following the breakup.
Luca knew about what had happened between them and that Ben still had a soft spot for Amelia, even after he’d moved on from their relationship. Even after the intensity of his feelings for her had faded.
Faded, but not completely gone, the memory of what they’d shared still lingering in his heart. Whenever she’d come to mind over the years, those thoughts had always been accompanied by affection for her.
Now that he’d seen her again, though, Ben was concerned about what had happened with her health. And even more than her physical health, he worried about her mental state.
“I have my reasons,” Ben said as he unlocked the car.
Luca didn’t respond until they were both in the vehicle, Ben behind the wheel. He pushed the ignition button so that he could roll down the windows, but he didn’t start the car.
“And they are?”
There were probably people who would wonder at a bodyguard being so forward the way Luca was, but that had always been the case for Ben with his bodyguards.
He’d had two main ones over the course of his life. Andrew when he’d been a teen and still living at the estate, and then Luca, when Andrew had requested to stay at the estatebecause that was where his girlfriend, Dawn, worked as Annie’s bodyguard.
Ben respected Luca’s opinion, just like he had Andrew’s. When Andrew had left, Ben had gone through a handful of different bodyguards before he’d settled on Luca. If he was going to have someone around him all the time, Ben had wanted it to be someone who did more than just guard his body.
Over the years, their relationship had gotten to the point where, in private, Luca would give his thoughts and opinions on things going on in Ben’s life.
“My main reason is that I want to learn more about what she’s struggling with health-wise. It’s possible that there is something Burke Pharmaceuticals could do to help her. Maybe a trial drug or an experimental treatment.”
“Do you think she’ll tell you about what’s going on with her?” Luca asked as Ben started the SUV, then exited the parking lot. “From what people have said, she hasn’t been too forthcoming, even with people she’s been close to.”
