Page 34 of Single All the Way

“You must be exhausted,” I said quietly to Ben.

“I’m doing okay. You’re the one who worked all day. I bet you’re ready to relax.”

“That wouldn’t suck,” I said. “I’m also starving, so let me lock up, and we can go home for dinner. I’ll cook.” It was the least I could do.

“Nope.”

“Nope?” I stopped in the middle of packing the last of the cookies. “You don’t like my cooking?”

“I fucking love your cooking,” he said so only I could hear, in part because the stylists were fully engaged with the kids and weren’t paying attention. “But tonight we’re all going to Henry’s.”

“I love Henry’s, but you realize there’s probably a two-hour wait?”

“There might well be, but not for us. We’ve got reservations.”

I snapped my gaze to him to gauge whether he was serious, because…a meal cooked by professionals? An adult beverage or two? A chance to sit on my tired butt without lifting a finger? It sounded like pure heaven. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ve got about fifteen minutes to walk there and claim it.” He looked startled for a moment. “If you’re not done here, the kids and I can go save it, and you can join us when you’re able.”

“We’re nearly done.” I glanced around. Most of the flutes were empty and stations were tidy.

“I can lock up tonight, Emerson,” Gustie said as she approached, as if she sensed my dilemma.

“Ben made reservations at Henry’s for us,” I explained.

As Ben leaned down to address something Skyler was saying to him, Gustie said next to my ear, “Honey, if you don’t get out of here with that handsome fella, then I will. Go have fun.”

“The kids are going too,” I clarified, because the growly tone in her voice said her thoughts had gone somewhere else entirely.

“Mm-hmm. He’s a catch. Enjoy yourself, kids or not. We girls’ll be outta here in a few.”

“It’s not like that,” I said in a quiet singsong, then switched to a normal volume. “But thank you for locking up.”

Soon we were making our way down the crowded downtown sidewalks toward Henry’s, Evelyn and Skyler leading the way, holding hands, Xavier and Ruby following them, and Ben and me bringing up the end, side by side.

With my guard down after a really good day, I wove my arm through his and grasped his biceps, noticing how solid they were. This man… He was something else. His superpower was sensing exactly what I needed at any given moment. That might just be my kryptonite. And honestly, as the champagne started to buzz through my veins and make my brain fuzzy and warm, I wasn’t entirely sure weakening temporarily where he was concerned was off the table. As long as it was understood that it was in fact temporary.

“Do you feel it?” Ben asked in a low voice.

We were at Henry’s at one of the high-top tables. The kids had fought for the four swiveling stools with backs as if they offered as many thrills as an amusement park ride, leaving Ben and me sitting side by side on the elevated booth that ran the length of the wall.

“Feel what?” I asked. I was for sure feeling a lot of things at the moment, from the heat of his leg just inches from my thigh to the rum in my Santa’s hat martini.

“Holiday spirit?”

I raised a brow at him, trying to keep a straight face.

“Even a little?” he persisted.

Giving in to a smile, I said, “You must think I’m a big Scrooge. Thisisfestive.”

My cocktail itself was enough to make a girl love Christmas. It was bright red with a sweetened coconut rim to look like the white fluff of Santa’s hat. It tasted even better than it looked, of cranberry, grenadine, and coconut.

Henry’s was decked out to the hilt in a tasteful, classic way. The full wall of windows that looked out on the lake during the day was rimmed with evergreen garlands and white fairy lights. The deck was closed to diners for the season, but it held a dozen lighted Christmas trees that were visible from every table inside. The walkway to the water, and even the dock, was lined with thousands of white fairy lights and also visible from inside.

“Confession?” I said even more quietly, leaning closer. “I was overdosed on holiday music before noon today.”

Ben laughed. “That’s fair. I’ve always wondered how retailers can stand the same songs over and over for a month.”

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