Page 19 of Planning on Happily Ever After

Ben huffed a laugh. “Fair enough.”

The shy smile she’d come to love remained on his face, and Holly stood there and memorized it, hoping she never gave him cause to take it away again when it felt like such a precious gift. Ben’s smiles didn’t come often, but Holly was determined to change that. Before she could tease out more happiness from him, the kitchen door opened and Chef Mike strolled over to her and Ben. “Holly, it’s good to see you again.” His voice was loud and boisterous, echoing around the room, and his chef’s coat and shaved head gleamed in the fluorescent lighting. Thick arms wrapped Holly in a giant bear hug and her lungs wheezed a bit from the force of the squeeze as he kissed the top of her head, just like her dad always did.

The moment he released her, Holly took the opportunity to fill her lungs with some much needed air. As she recovered from the mighty embrace, she glanced over at Ben, surprised to see him glowering at Chef Mike.Interesting. Holly smiled at her dad’s old friend and gestured to Ben. “Good to see you too, Mike. This is Ben Williams. He and I will be doing the tasting tonight.”

Mike stuck out his hand to Ben and shook it enthusiastically. “Great to meet you, Ben.” Mike scrutinized the man next to her before winking at Holly. “So, you’re the one who finally put a ring on our little Miss Holly, huh?”

Ben’s eyes widened and he glanced over to Holly, his face turning an unattractive shade of green, as if he had eaten some bad fish or smelled a rotten egg. Holly rolled her eyes at his unnecessary panic and turned to Mike. “No, Mike. Ben is my client’s son and she’s sick, so he is here to help me pick out food for her wedding.” She held up her left hand and flashed the bare ring finger she’d been lamenting so often lately, though her interactions with Ben made-up for her lack of marital bliss. “I’m not getting married anytime soon.”

Holly thought she had done a good job of disguising the disappointment in her voice, but Mike must have picked up on it because he clasped her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry. Your time will come soon enough, I’d wager.” He took his hand back and clapped it with his other. “Now, are you two ready to taste some food? I’m sorry Cheryl wasn’t out here to greet you, but she’s home with our kiddo who isn’t feeling so good, either. Must be something going around.”

With as much work as she had on her plate, Holly sincerely hoped she didn’t catch this mystery illness and followed Mike over to a small dining table, draping her coat over the back of her chair and taking a seat. She watched Ben as he did the same and sat across from her, his movements slightly jerky. His skin had returned to its natural golden shade and he looked relieved despite his body language still indicating some nerves. The obvious horror he felt at the thought of being engaged to Holly had stung, but she was trying not to let it get her down too much. Maybe he was opposed to the idea of marriage in general, though that wouldn’t be much better. Either way, she was going to try and put it out of her mind.

She looked up at Mike who was currently pouring water into their goblets, eager to get this ball rolling. “We’re doing the standard tasting, yes?”

Mike nodded, his always affable smile widening. The man loved food and it came across both in his demeanor and in the flavors he created. “That’s right. I’ll bring out three dishes for each course and you’ll decide which two will be on offer for the buffet.” He looked between the two of them, his grin so wide now it was almost comical. “Alright, kids. I’ll be back with your first course in a moment.”

“Sounds great.” Holly watched his retreating form head back into the kitchen to join the rest of his cooking staff before turning back to Ben.

The man she couldn’t stop thinking about and couldn’t get a read on was currently drinking from his water glass. She tried not to get distracted by his lips on the glass, or the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, but it was no easy task. Holly narrowed her eyes at him, and while she had told herself she was going to try and take things slow, she also didn’t want to be wasting her time with a guy who had no interest in her or marriage. Ben had been giving some fairly mixed signals since they met, and Holly had decided to get to the bottom of it, whether she was being too forceful or not. It was finally time to find out if this video game designer had any designs on her.

CHAPTER TEN

Ben

Ben grabbed his waterglass with shaky hands and drank, letting the cool liquid help him recover some of the calm that had been disrupted over the last few minutes. He had been prepared to do the tasting with Holly without his mom and Marvin as a buffer, thinking the two of them could get to know each other a little better. Ben had promised Henry he wouldn’t make a move until he was sure about his feelings, but that promise was getting harder and harder to keep in the face of just how drawn to her he was.How sure was sure enough?That was the question that had plagued Ben since the moment he stepped into the building and set eyes on Holly.

When the head chef had come out from the kitchen and pulled her into a tight embrace, Ben saw red. He wasn’t the type of person to get jealous, you’d have to form strong attachments to people for that to be the case, but he had definitely felt a rush of the unfamiliar emotion when he saw Holly in the arms of another man. Once it was revealed that Chef Mike was more of a father figure to Holly and happily married, Ben felt a surge of relief, though it vanished once again when Mike had insinuated that he and Holly were engaged. For someone who hadn’t really ever thought about a relationship, Ben was surprisingly okay with the idea of being tied to Holly in that way. What had made his stomach drop was the idea that his feelings were so obvious that even a total stranger could pick up on them, though his being so easily read did indicate that his feelings about Holly might be more certain than he was willing to admit.

Ben glanced across the table, Holly’s eyes studying him closely as her head rested gently on her hand.Had she picked up on his delight at the idea of them being together? How did that make her feel?Ben liked to think of himself as a bit of a closed book, the idea of her picking up on his emotions before he had a chance to process them was disconcerting. She was a romantic at heart, but even the most lovesick people could be scared off, and he didn’t want Holly to run from the intensity of emotions he was feeling. Fully hydrated and overthinking everything, Ben shifted in his seat, the nervous energy he always felt when socializing growing steadily.

Holly leaned back and flipped her dark waves over one shoulder, gazing at him with an inscrutable expression. “So, is it the idea of being engaged that had you looking a little green around the gills, or is it the idea of being engaged tome?”

Ben sputtered, searching for a response,anyresponse that would allow him to keep his feelings a secret for just a moment longer. “I-I’m not sure what you mean.”

Holly rolled her eyes, not accepting his ridiculous excuse for one second. “Oh, come on. Mike implied we were the happy couple, and you looked like you were about to lose your lunch.” A harsh breath escaped her lungs, stirring the hair that framed her face. “I’m a big girl, Ben. I won’t get offended if you don’t think of me like that.”

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