Page 76 of The Fear of Falling
She smiles back at me, looking adorable with her tousled hair and sleepy eyes. “Goodnight, Benson.”
When I get to my rental car, I check my phone to see if I missed anything while I was asleep in the chair. There’s an email from the Australian company, asking me to give them an answer by Sunday afternoon so they can either arrange my travel or find someone else to take the project on. My logical side is telling me to say yes right now and make a clean break from Avery and R&Q so I can finally make my family proud.
The other side of me thinks that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever had and won’t fix the restlessness I’ve been feeling.
Ignoring the email for now, I open a text I got from an unknown number, though it’s clear who sent it.
Unknown Number:
Benson! I thought you were a smart guy, but you’re proving me wrong, and I’m starting to think your intelligence is on par with Eric’s. Get your act together and date my sister!
If only Dani knew how desperately I wish I could.
Chapter 26
Avery
Ireallydon’twantto go to this family party.
Now that the day is here, dread has pooled in my stomach, leaving me queasy. But I don’t have a choice. I told my mom I would go, and after everything she and Grandma Sue did to help me cancel wedding plans after Eric and I broke up, I owe them both some of my focus. And my grandma sent me a text twenty minutes ago telling me how excited she was to see me, complete with her signature text send-off ofCordially, Grandma Sue.
She’s adorable.
But my head is not in the right space for dealing with my family’s judgment, especially with my focus constantly being pulled to the things Benson told me as we sat in my oversized chair this morning. Things I haven’t been able to talk to him about because we both had another busy day.
Which is why Benson finds me face-down on the floor in my office and practicing breathing exercises I found on the internet. Supposedly they will give me the motivation to go to the partywith my head held high, but so far they’re only making me lightheaded.
“Whoa,” Benson says, and I lose count of the seconds I’ve been holding my breath. “Rough day?”
“No,” I grumble. Which is true. Busy as it was, today was pretty standard and uneventful. “Not yet.”
“Dare I ask?”
I roll over so I’m no longer breathing in the musty smell of carpet that doesn’t get cleaned often enough. “Kaden’s party is tonight.”
“Ah.” Benson offers me a sympathetic grimace as he leans against the door frame. “You could always fake an illness. That usually works for me.”
I snort. “Teenage Avery did that so often that my mother doesn’t believe me when I claim to be sick.”
“Oo, adventurous Avery was also rebellious? Color me intrigued.” He steps into the office, and then suddenly he’s lying next to me and taking my hand. It’s dumb, lying on a floor like this, but I love the way he didn’t hesitate to join me. “Is it really going to be that bad?”
“Definitely. Maybe. Probably not.” I blow my breath out in a huff and sit up, keeping my hand in Benson’s. “It’s been a while since I went to a family party like this because I’ve always had the excuse of being too busy with work.”
Benson sits up too. “What if I come with you?”
His question is so out of the blue that I can only gape at him as my mind tries to process what he said. “What?”
He nods, eyes still on our hands. “I can go with you. Offer support, be a distraction, cause a ruckus. Anything you need.”
Be still my heart. Does he mean that? After all his efforts to keep a boundary between us, it’s difficult to think a family party is the sort of thing he’ll willingly go to. Then again, this man fellasleep with me last night and very much looked like he didn’t want to leave, so maybe…
Maybe something has changed.
Tilting my head to the side, I ask a question that’s not even close to what I really want to ask. “How would you cause a ruckus?”
He grins. “Burst into random karaoke, loudly complain about the food, excessively compliment your dad’s hairpiece?”
I reach over and smack his chest. “My dad doesn’t have a hairpiece!”
