Page 32 of Giddy-Up
Was it wrong that she kind of liked that?
“Lucky guy.”Benny flashed that charming smile back her way.“He swooped in quick I’m guessing.I mean, you’re new to Woodvalley, right?”
How did he know she was new in town?Surely Woodvalley Pines wasn’t so small that everyone knew each other?
Bella’s snort pulled her from her thoughts.“Benny here knows all the females in town.Intimately.”
Riley watched on as Benny rolled his eyes at Bella’s comment.“Don’t listen to her, darlin’, she’s new in town too.”
Another snort emitted from her friend.“I’m not that new!And I’ve been here long enough to know you’re the town bike.”
Town bike?
Riley was so curious, she broke her comfortable silence to ask, “You’ve had a lot of girlfriends?”
Both Luke and Bella sniggered as Benny attempted to give them both a stern look.
“I wouldn’t use the wordgirlfriendsexactly, more like—”
“One-night stands?”Bella chimed.
Oh.Riley understood now.He was a player.She finally got the whole bike reference.Clever.
“You realize that your boyfriend wasn’t exactly a choir boy either?”Benny was quick to shoot back.
“Okay, okay.”Luke’s hands went up.“Let’s all calm down, we’re all friends here.Bella is well aware of my past, and Benny, you just haven’t found the right woman yet, right?”
“Exactly.”Benny turned his attention back to Riley, sporting his mischievous grin.“You sure you don’t want to ditch Wade and try me out instead—you could be the one I’ve been waiting for?”
Riley didn’t know what to say to that.She wasn’t used to men showing interest in her.And she definitely wasn’t used to all eyes being on her.Expectantly.Her palms were beginning to sweat as panic set in.
What do I say?They’re waiting for me to say something.Think of something.
“You’ve, uh, you’ve never...um, you’ve never had a girlfriend?”
She did it.She segued successfully.Like a goddamn conversation master.And she was feeling extremely pleased with herself, until she caught a look at Benny.His cheeky smile had been wiped clean off his boyish face.
Said the wrong thing again.Idiot.
“Um, sorry,” Riley started but then stopped.She couldn’t think of what else to say.
Luckily for her, Benny was quick to replace his frown with a shiny new smile.A less genuine one.“No need to be sorry, darlin’.Of course I’ve had a girlfriend before.”
“Since when?”Luke heckled.
“Not all of us are emotionally stunted, Cappelli,” Benny shot back at his friend, before turning to Riley.“We all had a high school sweetheart, right?”No.“Well, I did too.”He shrugged.“Together all through high school, even made it for a year after, too.”
“What happened?”Riley and Bella asked at the same time.
“Same thing that happens to every high school relationship...it ended.”He laughed, rather unconvincingly.
Riley may not be the best at reading people, or be good at anything remotely related to socialising, but even she could see the sadness radiating off this man.There was a story there.One he clearly didn’t want to talk about.
Bella rose from her seat and grabbed Riley’s hand.“Okay.We’re going.”Riley was up now, too and being dragged out of the room.“We’ll be upstairs if you need us.You boys have fun.”
And upstairs they went, straight into Bella and Luke’s bedroom, where her new friend gestured for her to take a seat on the bed.The décor was much more masculine than she was expecting.She watched Bella rummaging in the fitted wooden wardrobe.
A paper bag was placed in front of Riley a moment later.“So, I went shopping in Goldacre the other day and I got you something,” Bella said.Looking apprehensive.“It’s lingerie.For your date.”
