Avery smiled. Lincoln was a jokester, but she’d seen the way he looked at the plane. He took flying seriously. He went back to his preflight checkoff.
“Are you coming?” Ben held out his hand to help her off the golf cart.
She looked from him to the plane. Landon had already disappeared inside. “When you saidouting, I thought you were talking about visiting the aquarium or going for clam chowder on the pier, not—” She waved her hand toward the plane.
“Mom!” Landon popped out of the open plane door and waved his arms over his head to get her attention. He didn’t have to try so hard. Her ears were genetically altered at his birth to seek out his voice in any situation. “Savannah says we’re going to Magic Lamp Park.”
Avery sank deeper into the seat. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Ben smiled, obviously pleased with Landon’s reaction and missing the weight he’d dumped on her shoulders.
“I can’t. I mean, I’m not at all prepared for an amusement park.” She brought her hand to her cheek and patted it to see if she could feel the contact. She could. This was for reals.
Ben leaned over and inspected her footwear. His text had told them to wear shoes they could walk in, which had only made her suspicion on the local aquarium seem all the more likely. “What do you need?” he asked, his brow lined.
Her mind raced. “A cooler with food. Water bottles. Sunscreen …” She trailed off. She most certainly did not vacation like a billionaire. Then again, she wasn’t one.
Ben waved off her concern. “Food and drinks are taken care of, and they have sunscreen at the gift shop.” He took her hand and pulled her out of the seat. “Come on, the kids won’t wait forever.”
A shock went up her arm at the contact, and she gripped his hand to keep from bouncing off of him. He squeezed her fingers in return. His eyes crinkled in that attractive way men had of wearing wrinkles like badges of honor. It was so hot on Hugh Jackman, but Ben put him to shame.His brown eyes danced as he pushed her ahead of him up the stairs.
Ben was the biggest kid of them all.She truly was falling down the rabbit hole today. She thought about taking a selfie on the plane, but no one would believe her if she posted it. This wasn’t her world. She’d been invited as a guest, but there was no way a man like Ben, who owned a cherry-red airplane, could stay interested in her for long. She was shiny today, and tomorrow she’d be forgotten.
The thought made her sad, and she had to turn her face to the window to hide her emotions from the excited bunch discussing which ride they would go on first. Ben might just be playing, but her feelings were mixed up in all of this craziness. She liked him. Liked him more than she’d thought possible. He was kind, generous, and he treated Landon like he … well, like he mattered. If she wasn’t careful, she could even love Ben.
Chapter Seventeen
Ben
Ben handed out the lanyards. “If you lose it, let me know and we’ll have them bring us a new one.”
Avery adjusted the lanyard so the ticket enclosed in plastic lay flat against her stomach. She’d been awfully quiet on the flight, and even more so when the town car picked them up and dropped them at the gate, where a small army waited with their tickets and daily packs. They each had a drawstring backpack with the park logo. Inside were bottles of water, snacks, and a souvenir magic lamp.
Savannah led the way through the main entrance gate with the gold lettering and the mystical carpet draped over the top bar. The attendants waved at her, recognizing the lanyards that singled them out as VIP guests. She’d been to the park enough times to be a wonderful guide.
“Where are we going?” asked Avery.
“The Flying Carpet,” Savannah answered. They’d discussed the rides and possibilities on the flight, but Avery had stared out the window for most of it. She was in some kind of shock, or regretted agreeing to come. Her profile said she liked roller coasters. He prayed that was true; otherwise this whole day was going to be a disaster.
Avery squinted up at the sign where a digital clock flashed the current wait time. “It’s 45 minutes. Maybe we should ride something else while the line dies down.”
“We don’t have to wait.” Savannah showed her ticket to the attendant standing at the entrance, and he motioned for them to go through the exit. Landon followed.
Avery grabbed Ben’s arm as they wound through the shaded tunnel. “I don’t understand. What’s happening?”
“These are all-access passes. We can get right on any ride, go to the front of the food lines, have front-row seats at the shows and parades.”
“How did you …?”
He dropped his eyes before lifting them to meet hers and offering a sheepish grin. “I know a guy who owns half the park.”
She stared at him, not blinking. “It’s you, isn’t it?”
He gave her a stupid half smile for an answer. The color drained from her face, and she pressed her hand against the wall as if she needed it to hold her up.
Ben waved the kids ahead. “We’ll wait here for you two.”
“Are you okay?” Landon asked Avery. Ben warmed at the worry Landon displayed for his mom.
