Page 18 of Planning on Happily Ever After

CHAPTER NINE

Holly

Holly slumped downin her chair and exhaled as much tension as she could manage after another long day of finalizing plans for one of her clients. She could typically balance three clients at one time without issue and had been hoping to take on another client, but the Morrison wedding was eating up so much of her time that it looked like she wouldn’t be able to do that until Trish’s wedding was over in May. They had lucked out that Plumberry Farms had a cancellation and were able to move them up in the schedule, but that meant that everything else was getting pushed up as well.

Holly was really feeling the stress. She rolled her shoulders to try and work out the knots as she glanced over at the clock that hung on the wall in her office. She had an hour before she needed to be in Branford to meet Trish, Marvin, and Ben for a dinner tasting. Holly considered whether or not she had time to shower and change into some fresh clothes, something she tried to tell herself was so she was putting her best face forward for her client, but Holly had always been a terrible liar, even to herself. She really just wanted to look good for Ben.

When he’d arrived at the flower shop the other day instead of Trish, Holly was surprised, but delighted. He looked good, but more than that, it felt great to be around him. Ben was quiet as always, their walk to the bridal store almost completely silent, and yet it was one of the most memorable walks she’d ever taken. If Holly had been asked to conjure up her own romantic lead, it would be in the form of the man she was getting to know now. As wonderful as their time together had been, there would come a point where things could progress, and that was where things could get complicated.

When it came to first and second dates, Holly was an expert, but when it came to the physical aspects of a relationship, that was another matter.Is there a level lower than novice?At a young age, Holly had gotten it into her head that she wanted to save herself for the person she was in love with, so she had.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but with each passing year and no Mr. Right in sight, it seemed sillier and sillier. At one point last year, Holly had thought about just going on Tinder and finding a hook-up so she could just be rid of her damn v-card already, but ultimately chickened out. She had waited so long already, so what was another few months? Those months were getting longer and lonelier, however, and while she had definitely taken care of her own needs on numerous occasions, it would be nice if someone else were there to play with as well. Her mind once more turned to Ben.

Holly speculated as to whether or not it was just lust that was causing her to feel that inexplicable pull toward him, but she dismissed the thought almost immediately. She had been around plenty of attractive men in the past, but none of them intrigued her the way Ben did. The more she thought about him, the more she wanted to find out what lay beneath that gruff exterior, and not just in alet’s hop into bed and see what happenskind of way. She wanted to know why he had built walls around himself, maybe see if she could squeak past them long enough to help him break them down entirely.

Holly smiled and grabbed her purse, and after a quick touch-up of her make-up and hair, was finally ready to head out and go after the man she couldn’t stop thinking about. With the bakery locked up tight for the evening, Holly hopped into her little green sedan, turned on her confidence boosting playlist and pointed her car west, bopping along and psyching herself up to the sounds of Taylor Swift and Cardi B as she drove.

Half an hour later, Holly pulled up to the red brick façade of Farm Boy Foods. Chef Mike’s cuisine was beautiful and delicious, down home cooking that was not pretentious in the least. Farm Boy was her go-to caterer for all of her clients, and not one of them had ever come back to her with anything other than rave reviews. Holly shivered as she traversed the space between her car and the front door of the catering service headquarters. The air had a bite to it this evening, the chill and slight breeze only adding to her discomfort, and she wrapped her coat a little tighter around herself, scurrying to the door as quickly as possible before she turned into a human icy pop.

Holly burst through the door and shook herself to try and warm up, needing as much blood flowing to her brain as possible if she was going to navigate an evening with her crush. Thankfully, Farm Boy Foods was well heated and she was able to feel her extremities again a few minutes later. Holly glanced around the small dining area that had been set up for tastings, noting that she was the first in her party to arrive. It was no surprise since she seemed to be early no matter how she timed her arrival, so Holly tapped her foot and shimmied a little as she waited. “Shake it Off” was still playing on a loop in her head and she silently cursed Taylor Swift for making such catchy tunes, but was grateful for the opportunity to work out a little anxiety.

The dancing came to an abrupt end when a cold breeze whooshed past her. Holly turned around to greet the newcomer, but suddenly her tongue was tied up in knots and she couldn’t form a coherent thought. Ben stood before her, brushing a light dusting of snow off his shoulders. It was a mundane gesture, especially in winter, and yet Holly couldn’t take her eyes off him. His typical slacks and a sweater were back, but each molding perfectly to his athletic frame. Spectacular. With rapt attention, Holly watched as he took off his coat and ran his fingers through his hair to remove the snow that had dampened it, making it look like a rich milk chocolate instead of its usual honey brown.

When his gorgeous gray eyes finally met hers, a shy smile played at the corners of his face before finally coming out entirely. It was beautiful. “Holly.”

It was just her name, one word she had heard uttered a million times before, even from him, and yet it sounded different tonight, meaningful. Holly stared at him for a moment longer, swallowing down the saliva that had pooled in her mouth.

“Hello,” she said more breathlessly than she had intended and immediately cleared her throat. “That is, it’s good to see you, Ben.” It wasverygood to see him and she planned on taking every opportunity to look her fill all evening, but she hadn’t expected to see him alone. Holly looked past him, and when she didn’t see Trish or Marvin, turned back and tried to focus on speaking as she gazed into his stormy gray eyes. “Did you guys drive separately?”

Ben rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at her sheepishly. “Uh, no. I mean, yes, we did drive separately, but they aren’t going to make it tonight.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “I guess Marvin isn’t feeling well and mom wanted to take care of him.”

“Oh,” Holly replied with a slight frown. Unlike with the Morrison wedding, Holly had actually enjoyed spending time with Trish. She pulled out her phone and flipped to the calendar. “Well, that’s sweet that she wants to take care of him, and I guess I can go talk to Mike and see when we can reschedule.”

They would still have to pay for the tasting dinner as some of it was probably already prepped. Holly didn’t like the idea that she had wasted Farm Boy’s time and money, so she would pay out of her own pocket, if need be, but the disappointment blooming in her chest had nothing to do with her job and everything with not getting to spend more time with the man in front of her. It had been hard for her to say goodbye to him at the bridal shop, but the words “go slow” had been in her head on repeat every time she thought about him. Holly had the feeling he could be the one, and she wasn’t going to risk that by pushing.

Ben placed his hand over hers and she stopped typing. His hand was steady, and Holly glanced down at it to appreciate the strong lines and light dusting of golden-brown hair near his thick wrist. What would those hands feel like on her body? Would they be rough and calloused, or would they be softer from his days spent mostly in front of a computer? Holly was so lost in the fantasy and distracted by the sudden ache in her core that she didn’t immediately notice Ben had started speaking again. She looked into his eyes once more and tried to shake herself free of the little daze she had fallen into, but it was difficult when he was so handsome and she couldn’t stop herself from feeling...everything. That’s what he did to her.

Finally remembering herself, Holly smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

“Sure.” His hand stayed over hers, and it took all of her will power to focus on his words and not the warmth that was spreading up her arm and into her chest. Ben had this inexplicable way of calming her mind while making her heart race at the same time, and she was slowly getting addicted to it. “Mom didn’t want you to have to go to the trouble of having to reschedule when it was so hard to coordinate everyone getting together already, so we can do the tasting. She trusts our judgement.”

Holly’s brow furrowed. She’d never been the one to pick the food for her clients, and while the sayingthere’s a first time for everythingsprang to mind, she didn’t feel entirely confident in choosing something Trish and Marvin would be happy with. She worried her bottom lip for a moment before remembering her motto.No worries, right?

“I’ve never done a tasting without the clients before, but I guess if your mom trusts your judgement, that’s good enough for me.” She went to put her phone away, the movement causing Ben to take his hand away and stick it in his pocket. It was a shame because she had really enjoyed the contact.

Ben nodded and the corner of his mouth raised a little more. “Well, I think mom trusts your judgement more than mine, to be honest, but whatever gets the job done, I suppose.”

It seemed like it was getting a little easier for him to smile, or almost smile in this case. Holly couldn’t wait for another of his full-blown smiles. It was like staring into the sun, one comprised of full, rosy lips and two rows of straight, gleaming white teeth. Beyond his good looks though, there was a shyness about him that Holly found captivating. He was so unlike her in that regard, but instead of dismissing him because of it, she wanted to embrace it, see just how well they could complement one another. You can’t appreciate the sun without the occasional rainstorm after all, and while she wasn’t sunny all the time and he seemed less gray cloud by the day, the idea still seemed to hold true for the two of them.

Holly chuckled, not surprised his humor was self-deprecating. “I’ll do my best to make sure they end up with something they like.” She moved further into the room, very aware of Ben’s form as he walked next to her, the heat pouring off his body calling to her until she was only inches away from him. “Let’s get one thing straight before we start, though.”

Ben looked at her quizzically and raised a brow. “And what’s that?”

Holly smirked at his curious expression, unable not tease him just a little. “If they’re unhappy with the choices once the wedding day rolls around, I am one hundred percent blaming you.”

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